Dietitian’s Top 10 Picks at Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s offers so many unique products that offer a great source of nutrients that you can’t find in other traditional grocery stores. Below are the items I always include in my Trader Joe’s haul!

1. Produce

Trader Joes’s has fair prices for produce - especially pre-cut veggies, unique salad kits, and organic greens. I love buying their shredded organic kale and spinach for smoothies, to sauté alone, or to add in recipes. I also love buying their organic broccoli slaw to toss in my favorite dressing. I usually shred the Brussel sprouts in my food processor to make a slaw or just chop the rinds off and roast them with avocado oil and spices.

2. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts can be so expensive at other stores, upwards of $15 for a bag of walnuts! TJ’s nut and seed collection are super affordable. I have nuts/seeds every day, whether it be in my salads, greek yogurt bowls, or in smoothies. Hemp seeds and walnuts are a great source of ALA Omega-3 fats, pumpkin seeds are a great source of magnesium — two things most people do not get enough of in their diet!

3. Trail Mix

Doesn’t matter what kind of trail mix you like - TJ’s is likely gonna have the ingredients you love! Trail mix is a great snack to have on the go or when you know you won’t be able to eat for hours. I usually have a small bag of it in my car for when I’m in a bind!

4. Canned Goods

TJ’s has a wide variety of canned goods for a low price. My frequent buys are coconut cream/coconut milk, canned beans (chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans), and pumpkin. I use coconut milk in homemade thai food and curries, beans in taco bowls, salads, homemade hummus, and roasted (roasted chickpeas), and I just pumpkin in pancakes, pumpkin bars, cookies, etc.

5. Sardines

Sardines at Trader Joes are affordable, high quality, and taste great! They are an amazing source of Vitamin D, Omega-3s, and calcium. I usually just add some mustard and pepper to them. At $1.99 a package, this is one of the least expensive, high return on investment products you could buy for yourself!

6. Joe’s O’s

These are an amazing source of quickly digesting carbs for a pre or post workout snack! The whole box is only $1.99 and they taste great. I also add them to greek yogurt bowls for breakfast for a nice crunch and sometimes in smoothies if I want to add more carbohydrates.

7. Frozen Fruit

Trader Joe’s has a wide variety of frozen fruit, a large majority of which is the variation in my smoothies. I also add them to yogurt bowls and even make homemade sorbet with the mangos in my food processor (just add water!). The selection of fruit is great and it is always something I keep in my freezer.

8. Grains

There is also a huge selection of non-traditional grains! I love their brown rice & lentil pasta (not pictured), which has a perfect 2:1 carb to protein for great blood sugar balance and a perfect ratio for a post workout meal or snack (it’s in a light teal package and is spaghetti shaped noodles). I also love their wild rice, which is cheaper than at usual grocery stores, and their 10-minute farro, which also has a solid source of protein. I add the farro to salads and the wild rice with warm root vegetables like butternut squash or sautéed kale.

9. Seasonings

Trader Joe’s has a funky selection of spices but they all are ones you didn’t know you needed! The three to the left are my staples - I swear this garlic powder tastes better than any other I’ve had. The Everything But The Bagel Seasoning is great on avocado toast, soft-boiled eggs, or roasted veggies. The 21 Seasoning Salute is a beautiful blend of Italian spices I add to almost all of my meals.

10. Nut Butters

Last but not least, nut butters! This almond butter is marginally less than most grocery stores - I’ve seen almond butters up to $10, and this is only $5.99. They also have a wide variety of salted, unsalted, creamy, crunchy — practically any variation you could want!