What Not to Buy at Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe's

When Trader-Joe's-less towns finally have access to the low-cost grocery retailer, locals get—rightfully—excited. Even New York City, a town that has pretty much everything, had lines around the block when TJ's opened its doors there in 2006. Still, while Trader Joe's offers lots of delicious products at fantastic prices, not everything on your shopping list is best purchased there. Here's what we suggest skipping the next time you're filling your cart.


Produce
While Trader Joe's is known for its fresh produce, which isn't sprayed or rinsed with preservatives to extend shelf-life, we can't endorse buying a week's worth of fruits and veggies at once. Produce at TJ's tends to be ripe and ready for immediate consumption, which will lead to rotten fruit within a day or so. However, if you're stopping in to pick up some things for the evening's meal or next day's breakfasts, don't hesitate to buy.

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Bread
Much like Trader Joe's produce, breads at TJ's tend to go bad quickly. Even after being placed in the fridge to extend the life, a Kaboodle staffer's bread started to mold within a week. Unlike produce, which you can buy as needed, unless you're going through a loaf of bread in a few days, it's best to skip it all together.

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Meat
Trader Joe's stores lack proper butcher departments, only offering a small assortment of pre-packaged meats from unknown origins—at prices that rival Whole Foods. For a heartier TJ's meal, head to the frozen foods department and pick up some of the delicious pre-made dishes instead.

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Sushi
At lunchtime, the sushi in the refrigerator case may look tempting, but Trader Joe's keeps its sushi prices down by using less-than-delicious fish (imitation crab is heavily represented), fish proteins, and potato starch. If you're looking for a quick and tasty meal, grab a pre-made salad instead. Most have fewer than 400 calories (dressing included) and are highly recommended by Kaboodle staffers.

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What to Buy
Even though we might not stock up on everything at Trader Joe's, there are some must-haves on our list. You won't regret snagging great small-lot wines for under $10 (we'd suggest avoiding the famous and not-so-delicious "Two Buck Chuck"), small indulgences like mini peanut butter cups, yogurt-covered pretzels, healthy snacks like hummus and frozen edamame, and all-natural cleaning and beauty products at TJ's.

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How one family broke its junk food addiction

The Leake family are on a real food crusade. (photo credit: Shannan Casper Photography)

How long could you go without junk food? Last year, the Leake family attempted to abstain for 100 days. A year later, it's still going strong. "Halfway through the first challenge I took the basket of Halloween candy I was hiding in the guest room for when we'd completed the challenge, and just threw it out," says Lisa Leake, a stay-at-home mom of two daughters, in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

For tips on breaking your own junk food addiction, click here.

Inspired by an Oprah interview with food activist Michael Pollan, Lisa and her husband, Jason, embarked on the challenge as a way to rethink their unhealthy eating habits. Lisa was raised on Doritos and powdered macaroni and cheese. She tried to prepare healthy meals for her daughters, Sienna, then 3 and Sydney, then 5, but like most busy moms, she relied heavily on processed frozen meals and boxed groceries that had mile-long ingredients lists and the potential to cause long-term health problems, like heart disease and diabetes. Even the foods she thought were healthyweren't as natural as she had once believed. "I was so surprised by how much food is processed," says Lisa, "like for example, bread that lists wheat as an ingredient isn't good for you unless it's made from whole wheat. You really have to study the ingredients."

In an effort to force themselves to consume more cautiously, the Leake family set some temporary guidelines: no refined grains or sweeteners, nothing deep fried, only local hormone-free meats and organic fruits and veggies and absolutely nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package with more than five ingredients listed on the label. 

Lisa gave up her morning white chocolate mocha coffee drink ritual. Her husband, who works in technical sales and travels part of the month, gave up fast food pit stops on the road. But the hardest habits to break came into play when feeding the girls. An after-dinner treat meant getting creative with applesauce, fruit juice and yogurt. On grocery shopping expeditions with the kids, Lisa anticipated resistance as they skated past the colorful boxes of cereal and aisles of cookies. 

Lisa's blog, 100daysofrealfood.com, chronicles her family's journey adapting to all-natural unprocessed food. There were hardships, like Sydney's meltdown after being offered a donut from a friend, and the various birthday cakes they had to pass up. Lisa practically lived in the kitchen pre-planning meals and freezing homemade soups she could access in a pinch.

But after 100 days, their palates had evolved. "Artificial food actually tastes bad after eating fresh food for so long," she explains. But investing in all those organic groceries and specialty ingredients, also impacted their bank account. So the family took up another challenge: 100 days of real food on a budget.
With a weekly budget of $125 for a family of four (around the same amount or less than required for a food stamps budget), Lisa was forced to get creative. She spent $30 on plants and seeds for growing her own veggie garden. She invested in a economy size bags of brown rice and occasionally employed martini glasses to make plain old yogurt or juice smoothies look like more indulgent parfaits. 

Chronicling her daily inventiveness, from recipes to money-saving tips and candid I-can't-take-this-much-more rants, garnered her blog a growing following and another idea. The 10-day pledge is a modified challenge that Lisa's developed for readers who want to try the Leake model. So far, 1,500 families have accepted the challenge and in the past six months, Lisa's Facebook fans have skyrocketed to 14,000. 

Now the original 100-day challenge has become more or less a way of life for the Leake family. "Our new normal is that the kids can have one treat a week, whether it's at school or at birthday parties or something we make from scratch at home like ice cream," says Lisa. 

But being a mom of growing girls presents new challenges. This week, Sydney starts first grade, and a whole new world of school-sanctioned food education. "Beyond cafeteria lunches, there's so many activities based around junk food for kids," says Lisa. "There's an upcoming fundraiser at a pizza place, and something else where the kids all go to Krispy Kreme. These things all might happen on the same day that kids get Skittles as a reward for something they do at school, so I want to come up with new ways kids can be rewarded without using food." 

So far, she's managed to re-issue a healthier snack-approved list for parents in Sydney's school, encouraging parents to pack fresh fruits like grapes and cherries over Rice Krispie Treats. 

But the danger of banning junk food, or anything for that matter, from kids, is the seduction factor. "I do worry that by banning junk, they'll end up wanting it more, so I'm trying to let the girls start making their own informed choices," she says. 

"Yesterday I was sitting outside with my daughters and some other kids were eating those 'freezey pops' that are pretty much just artificial syrups," says Lisa. "Of course they wanted one. So I said, you can either have one of those pops or some homemade ice cream. They chose the pops. But later my older daughter said she didn't like how they tasted, so I figure she's learning on her own why those foods aren't good."

And why is that?

"They taste gross after eating fresh food."

If you're interested in trying the 10-day challenge, or even just a one day challenge, check out some of Lisa's most popular real food recipes from her blog in the gallery below. 

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5 Mistakes Parents Make When Feeding their Kids

By Tanya Steel, Epicurious.com

Every day I hear about tremendous strides in the fight to combat childhood obesity, but for every pound we lose, we seem to gain two back. Here are five common mistakes parents make on a daily basis with their children's diets and how they can take a few simple steps to ensure their children will live a long healthy life.

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Liquid Lunches, Dinners, and Snacks: The amount of empty calories consumed in the form of sodas, diet or otherwise, and fruit juice, is enormous. One 12-ounce can of Coke is 155 calories, so if your child has two a day, that adds up to almost a quarter of his or her recommended daily calorie intake. Snapple and fruit juices may be natural, but they often contain even more calories than soda. Serve them only water, skim milk, unsweetened teas, and sparkling waters with fruit slices.

Snacking Instead of Meals: Many parents complain that when it's dinnertime, their child says he or she is full and only eats a bit of what is hopefully one of the day's most nutritious meals. Oftentimes, the real culprit is that the child is filled with empty calories and carbs from snacking throughout the day. Snacking can be encouraged between meals, especially for active kids, but should be limited to foods packed with fiber and complex carbs, such as an apple, carrots with hummus, or a handful of nuts. Also, the rule of the house should be no snacks two hours before dinner.

Being the Decision Maker: When you don't include your child in on the decision of what to have for lunch ordinner, some children, especially toddlers and teenagers, might turn it into a power play and refuse to eat. Empower them by presenting two healthy choices as possibilities, so they feel they have a voice in what they are eating. Studies have shown that when children have a hand in deciding what they will eat (and preparing it), they tend to eat more.

Related: 5 Tips for Packing a Healthy and Tasty School Lunch

Size Matters: Most adults don't know what portion they should be eating, so when it comes to their kids, they really are in the dark; indeed, some studies suggest that parents serve double the portion of what kids actually need. To learn about recommended calories and portions, the USDA and the American Dietetic Association provide a multitude of informative tools. Generally, preschoolers need about 1,000 calories a day, elementary-school kids need about 1,400 calories, and middle and high-school students, about 1,600 to 2,500 calories a day depending upon activity level and size.

Focusing on the Trees, Not the Forest: What your child eats in a day is more important that having each meal "balanced." So, if you can feed him or her a nutritious breakfast with that day's worth of fruit, a snack that incorporates fresh veggies, and a lunch or dinner with lean protein, you've done your job. As long as they are getting that along with calcium every day, they are eating well. And, if they have a day filled with junk food, just get them back on track the following day. We should teach our kids about moderation and including healthy foods and exercise as a part of every day.

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What’s the best way to deal with catcallers?

It happens to us all, sooner or later. You're running along, minding your own business, when some guy driving by rolls down his window to make a noise at you. Whether it's a catcall, a wolf-whistle, or a "hey, baby," this kind of unwanted attention can really throw you off.

Don't let catcallers, or any other irritant, get in your head and ruin your run. Here's how to overcome common annoyances and get back in your blissed-out zone:

The Annoyance: Catcallers
The Solution: Spin It
Instead of taking the bait and shouting back, use the other's rudeness for your gain. "See it as a compliment, that it means, 'I'm doing something that they can't do,'" says Adam Krajchir, founder and director of Race with Purpose and head coach for New York Road Runners' Team for Kids.

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The Annoyance: Chatty Cathys
The Solution: Block Them
Headphones can be your first line of defense, even if you're not really using them. "I've brought headphones and inserted the earbuds even when I'm not listening to music," says endurance-running coach Brendan Cournane.

The Annoyance: Group Runners
The Solution: Be Verbal
"Most runners are considerate when runners approaching from behind call out, 'Coming through!'" says Cournane. If you're hoping to run fast in a race, choose a smaller one where you know you'll have space to run.

The Annoyance: B.O. and Other Bad Smells
The Solution: Tact or Dab
Good friends can be tactfully approached. Otherwise, move away, or overpower the funky odor by applying a dab of menthol rub under your nose before your run, says Krajchir.

The Annoyance: Your Inner Quitter
The Solution: Find a Mantra
Try creating a "thought-stoppage trigger," which is a phrase you whip out when your brain's getting in the way of your run. Follow immediately with a positive mantra like, "Saddle up."

Make Your Own Mantra!

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Does Crying Actually Make You Feel Better?

Conde Nast Digital Studio

SELF magazine

We all know the expression, "a good cry." As in, you just got broken up with/ fought with your mom/ lost your wallet and you let loose in a fit of sobbing--and then you felt better. Well, a new study says that, contrary to popular belief, shedding tears won't make you feel better--at least for the majority of people. Study participants kept a daily emotion journal, and just 30 percent said they felt better after crying, whereas 9 percent said they actually felt worse, and the rest (most people) felt the exact same. Huh.

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What's interesting is that the researchers speculated that there is one way in which crying makes you feel better--but it's not the way you might think. If you're with other people, your tears alert them that you're distressed and that you may need social support, and then they'll likely comfort you, which will make you feel better. Handy, right?

Still, I know plenty of folks who fall into that 30%, the ones who do like "a good cry" whether or not they're in the company of others. Crying is a release. But this research suggests that crying isn't the only way to express sad feelings. In other words, you shouldn't feel bad if you're not a crier.

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Maybe you like to go for a long run, or laugh your heart out at a funny movie, or take a hot shower, or punch a pillow as your release. Good for you!

Whatever works for you to feel better works for me--it's all about personal preference.

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4 Ways to Beat Post-Vacation Pudge

Summer's nearly over, and while that means we no longer have to worry about looking hot in that adorable swimsuit, it also means that our bikini bods may be a little worse for the summer wear. We're talking vacation weight, put on while snacking on chips at the beach house or indulging in a few too many barbecues.

We caught up with Michelle Lovitt (trainer extraordinaire of Courteney Cox), who gave us four tips melt away about 2 percent of body fat in two to three (very active) weeks. In other words, before the tan lines fade.

1. Interval train five days a week for a half hour with a heart-rate monitor — working 80 percent of maximum heart rate during sprints and never dip-ping below 60 percent during "rest." Find your target heart rate.

2. Do all your resistance training — squats, planks, sit-ups, reverse lunges — on a BOSU ball. "It forces you to use more muscle to keep stable," Lovitt says. Alternate between 15 to 30 minutes of upper- and lower-body exercises every day.

3. Incorporate 5- to 10-pound hand weights into all lower-body exercises to maximize muscle use and boostcalorie burn.

4. Mix up your routine by playing a high-intensity sport at least once a week. Cox, for instance, hits the tennis courts on weekends. Or, you might find pole dancing is for you.


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Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.

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Bad foods you should be eating-5

Nuts

The bad rap: Nuts are chock-full of fat. 

The good news: Nuts are full of fats—but they're the good, heart-healthy unsaturated kinds. Nuts, and peanuts, which are technically legumes, also deliver other healthy nutrients—which ones depends on the nut. For example, pistachios are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that help keep eyes healthy. Almonds provide vitamin E and walnuts offer significant amounts of heart-healthy omega-3 fats. You do need to keep an eye on serving size, though: at around 160 to 200 calories per ounce, nuts do pack a substantial amount of calories.

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Ditch the fad diets to lose the weight for good

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By Tina Haupert

I spent last weekend at the Healthy Living Summit in Philadelphia along with 225 health and fitness enthusiasts. The two-day conference was a great way to meet other bloggers with similar interests and learn how to better improve our blogs and blogging practices.

Once the conference ended, I enjoyed dinner with a group of my new blog friends. Inevitably, much of our conversation focused on food and fitness (and dogs!), but one of the most interesting conversations we had was about weight loss. Each of us shared our experiences and what worked for us to lose weight and keep it off. All of our weight-loss stories were different, but it seemed that the key to successful weight loss was slow and steady progress on the scale by making lifestyle changes with regard to healthy eating and exercise. Not a single person mentioned having (long-term) success with a fad diet.

Before I found my Feel Great Weight, I tried every fad diet out there. From South Beach to Atkins, I was all about a diet with a regimented meal plan that would help me lose weight quickly. I'd religiously follow it for a couple of weeks, and while initially I would lose weight, I was never able to keep it off. The problem? I was forcing myself to eat foods that just weren't right for my body. Not surprisingly, I felt like I was always hungry, which led me to binge on unhealthy foods.

While I can't say I liked restrictive diets, they did teach me something about myself. Sure, I could follow a specific eating plan for a short time, but those foods didn't really fuel my body. If I veered off the plan, how could I possibly eat foods that I liked without gaining weight? I needed to find a way of eating that worked for me.

Of course, I questioned how healthy these diets could really be, but I didn't know how else to lose weight and keep it off. Eventually, I looked at what I was eating on those diets and why those meals left me feeling unsatisfied. Slowly but surely, I made some tweaks to my diet—adding protein to all my meals, filling up on fiber, and enjoying smaller portions of my favorite foods. These changes didn't happen overnight and took a lot of trial and error, but the end result was finding my Feel Great Weight and eating foods that I love and that leave me full of energy.

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Jane Fonda's aging secret is just plain dangerous

At 73 years old, fitness queen and political activist Jane Fonda is still the picture of health and youth, but it's pretty clear she's not just leaning on Botox. So, it's no wonder women of all ages the world over want to know her secret. Recently, Fonda revealed that the key to looking and feeling amazing into her 70s comes in the form of a drug. (No, notpot. Although, it seems Fonda is still very much a fan of that, too.) Try ... testosterone! Yeah, the manly-man male hormone has supposedly been Jane's savior -- in and out of bed.

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She claims that she started taking the sex hormone from the age of 70, and she's raving that it makes "a huge difference if you want to remain sexual and your libido has dropped." She advises women to use it in various forms: a gel, pill, or patch.

Doh! As much as I love that Jane is encouraging women to embrace sexuality into their golden years, I'm really disappointed in her for sending this oversimplified message to the masses.

It almost sounds as if she's signed up with Big Pharma to set the stage for a new "female Viagra" or some such. (Actress Lisa Rinna did something similar about a year ago, and thankfully, the dangerous drug got the boot before it hit the market.) Even if that's not the case, it's a shame. You'd think Jane would be all about the natural, DIY fix -- not prescription drugs.

The problem with her suggestion that women look into testosterone as an option for libido-boosting in middle age is that it's NOT an every-woman fix. Yes, the sex hormone drops off for many women aftermenopause. (It's half as high in your 40s as it is in your 20s.) Yes, it can boost libido. But not everyone has the same hormonal "profile." It's why birth control affects all of us differently, because some of us have naturally higher testosterone or estrogen levels, and when you add either bioidentical or synthetic hormones to the mix, you could be setting yourself up for either delight OR disaster, depending on your baseline.

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What's more, Jane's not acknowledging what many women with naturally high androgens or who haven't benefited from the drug unfortunately already know -- the side effects of too much "T," such as abnormal facial and body hair growth, acne, or male-patterned hair loss from the scalp. It's also contraindicated for women who have or have had breast or uterine cancer. Uh, not exactly sexy, right?

I do appreciate that Jane's drawing attention to bioidentical, compounded hormones as a way to boost libido and well-being. Because individualized hormonal treatment may help many women. But it's just plain irresponsible of her to treat testosterone -- which, FYI, isn't yet FDA-approved for "treating sexual problems in women" -- as a magic bullet for every middle-aged woman. We're each far too unique for that.

What do you think about Jane's advice?

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Do Your Heart Some Good at Green Lake

One of the best ways to take care of your heart is to get more exercise, and Seattle has a wealth of indoor and outdoor opportunities to get moving.  Green Lake is a favorite venue for heart healthy activity for Seattle residents and visitors alike.  Walkers, runners, bikes, skates, and families with babies in strollers circle the lake at all hours; you can't venture far on the path without encountering someone else enjoying this very popular park.

In the North part of Seattle, nestled between I-5 and Aurora Avenue, Green Lake is part of the park system originally envisioned by John Olmsted in 1903. Green Lake has been an important part of Seattle's leisure activities throughout the city's history; in fact, the lake and park were once connected to downtown Seattle by streetcar.

The 2.9 mile trail that hugs the edge of the lake is now 18' wide with two lanes to separate the faster bikes and skaters from the walkers and strollers. The trail is paved, with an additional 5 foot width of crushed gravel walkway on the lake side. A separate, 3.2 mile, crushed gravel path rings the perimeter of the park, this outer trail is mostly used by runners.

Motorized boats are prohibited on the lake, but peddle-boats, canoes, kayaks, rowboats, stand-up paddle boards, and sailboats are popular, and can even be rented from the boat house. The Evans Pool is indoors and open year round, and in summer, swimmers have two swimming areas in the lake from which to choose along, with a wading pool for toddlers.

Other exercise opportunities at the lake include tennis courts, soccer, baseball, golf, bocce ball, qigong, tai chi, and even lawn bowling.

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