Description
This Guide will help you with items to shop for. You’ll learn where to shop, how to read labels, some of our favorite foods to buy. We’ll take a tour through a grocery store and show you some items we recommend. This will help get you on your way!
The Guide includes 3 videos. One is shot in a grocery store showing specific items we buy. The other video shows some other foods that we purchase. The third video covers just plant-based milks. The Guide also includes tips on reading labels and what to look for, and links for specific items to purchase.
Use this Guide to help you Grocery Shop!
WHERE TO SHOP
Our favorite stores are:
1) Our local Co-op
2) Farmer’s Markets
3) Whole Foods
4) Natural Grocers
5) Trader Joes
6) Amazon (Check out my Buying Food Online page and click on one of the items to take you directly to Amazon.)
7) Thrive Market (Save up to 50% on your favorite organic & non-GMO brands, delivered to your door. Get started with a free 30-day trial membership.)
8) Asian & International Markets
9) Costco
10) Most regular grocery stores and even Walmart are carrying more and more vegan items and gluten free items. Look in the Specialty aisles, as well.
READING LABELS
It’s very important to start reading all labels. If you can’t pronounce an ingredient on the label, look it up or put the item back on the shelf!
EWG.org is a great source for understanding ingredients.
Salt/Sodium: should be 1 to 1 ratio or less.
The goal is: See the number of calories listed, then the sodium should be that same number or less. If there are 150 calories listed per serving, the sodium should be 150 mg or less.
2300 mg is the upper limit of salt intake recommended per day. If you’re over 50, you should only eat 1300 mg sodium per day.
1 tsp of salt = 2200 MG
Your goal is ½ tsp salt per day = 1100mg per day
- Tip: put ½ tsp of salt on your counter and only use that amount for the day!
Fat:
Take the number of calories from fat per serving and divide by the total number of calories per serving. This number should be less than 0.20 (20%) to be considered low-fat.
Using the nutrition label at right as an example, we see that this product has 40 calories from fat per serving, and a total of 70 total calories per serving.
40 ÷ 70 = 0.57
Which means, 57% of the calories come from fat!
Examples of the fat content in some Plant Based Milks:
- Coconut milk = 92% of calories from fat
- Macadamia milk= 80% of calories from fat
- Hemp milk = 64% of calories from fat
- Oat milk = 15% of calories from fat Low fat
- Quinoa milk = 0% of calories from fat Low fat
Sugar:
Avoid a product if sugar is listed as one of the first 3 ingredients. Try to avoid sugar, period! It’s very addicting!
Note: If an ingredient is below ¼ gram, they don’t have to list in on the package. It doesn’t mean it’s not there!
Forks Over Knives Guide to reading labels:
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE FOODS
When you embrace a whole food plant-based diet, you open the door to a wide range of foods and ingredients you may not find in your local grocery store.
The good news is that you can buy many plant-based food products online. Follow the links below to find these products on amazon.com or other online retailers.
Or click here to view all of our recommendations for nutritious, great-tasting food you can order online.
One of my favorite savory breakfasts:
Boil 2 cups of water
Add ½ cup Quinoa Flakes
Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed
Then add 2 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast
½ tsp of creole or Cajun seasoning
¼ tsp smoked paprika
1 small jar of green chilis or some diced jalapeños
Add Greens fresh or frozen at the end just until warm (optional)
ALMOND FLOUR TORTILLAS
I just discovered these recently and love them. It’s almost impossible to find a tortilla chip without oil. You can buy plain corn tortillas, cut them with a pizza cutter and bake them or put them in an air fryer. These tortillas are made with almond and I think they are even better! Buy Almond Flour Tortillas online.
THRIVE MARKET PASTAS
Online retailer Thrive Market has some great vegan pastas. You can save up to 50% on your favorite organic & non-GMO brands, delivered to your door. Get started with a free 30-day trial membership.
SAMI’S BAKERY: GLUTEN FREE PASTAS AND BREADS
https://samisbakery.com/millet-and-flax/
EARTH SENSE COFFEE ALTERNATIVE
You have to call, they don’t have a system for ordering online. Small Mom and Pop shop! But it’s worth it!
http://www.earthsensepagosa.com
TASTE ADVENTURE REFRIED BEANS
https://www.tasteadventure.com/organic-refried-beans/
PLANT BASED MILKS
I try to purchase items without carrageenan. The Pacific Almond Milk has carrageenan in it. That’s why we usually make our own:
3 TBSP pure almond butter (the only ingredient should be almonds!), 3 cups of water. Blend it up! You can add a little vanilla if you want. It’s best to use organic almonds. If you want to get real ambitious, boil the almonds and remove the skins first, but it’s not necessary.
If you need BUTTERMILK for a recipe: 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of plant based milk.
Let sit for 15 minutes.
Check out a selection of plant-based milks that you can buy online.
USEFUL LINKS
Forks Over Knives Shop:
https://www.forksoverknives.com/shop/
Eat Plant Based Guide to Grocery Shopping:
https://eatplant-based.com/beginners-guide-to-plant-based-grocery-shopping/
Chef AJ’s tour through the grocery store: Be sure and check out Chef AJ’s youtube channel, website and books. She’s a wealth of information!
https://vimeo.com/69088584
Dr, McDougall Red Light Green Light Foods:
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/jun/foodpoison.pdf
What foods you should buy organic:
http://www.eatingwell.com/article/15806/the-dirty-dozen-12-foods-you-should-buy-organic/
What the codes mean on your produce. How do you tell whether or not it’s Organic or GMO?
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2010/05/what-do-plu-codes-say-about-your-produce/index.htm