I’ve got a quick question for you… Have you ever paid proper attention to how your local supermarket or grocery store is laid out? I know I didn’t for years. I would buy healthy food based on the marketing on the front of the package and end up with cupboards full of sugar. Sure it was packaged as cereals, energy bars and health drinks. But when I got around to looking at the actual labels I quickly realised how off the marketing was.  Today I want to share with you 5 of my favourite supermarket hidden gems. You might have to look a bit harder to find these items… hint: they’re never going to be in the SALE sections, but they are well worth the extra couple of minutes it will take to find them.  And once you know where they are… they rarely move. So let’s dive in…  

1. Rhubarb

Nature didn’t need any help with this one. Rhubarb looks a bit like a red celery with large leaves. Depending on where you are in the world it is sometimes considered a fruit and other times a vegetable. It is one of those vegetables, fruits, umm.. vegetables I looked at for years thinking it looks interesting.. and yummy, but had no idea whether to cook it, eat it raw or just use it as a fruit bowl decoration. Finally I looked up some recipes, tried it and guess what? I love it. It tastes sweet and fresh at the same time (no need for sugar). My favourite way to prepare it is to stew the rhubarb and mix with strawberries for delicious sweet treats.

Benefits of Rhubarb

 

   

2. Natvia

There have been sugar replacements around for years and years. Sweeteners like equal and splenda are the most common but should be avoided. They only gained so much popularity due to how cheap they are to produce and clever marketing tactics. In actual fact, when equal is in your body it releases a byproduct known as aspartate. This amino acid is considered normal by the body and is therefore allowed to pass the blood-brain barrier. The danger with these products is the amino acid is missing very important molecules found in natural foods that prevent food from breaking down into toxic chemicals. This causes a spike in aspartate which can overstimulate and starve brain cells causing them to die prematurely. Not really worth it to save a couple of calories is it? So no sugar, no sugar substitute.. What can I have?

Stevia

One natural and healthy sweetener is Stevia which is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia used to be very difficult to find, but that is all changing now and there are brands available at most local supermarkets. My favourite is Natvia which blends Stevia with naturally occurring nectars from melons and grapes. Benefits of Natvia  

3. Raw Cacao

Have you ever read studies that go into the amazing benefits of chocolate? Sounds promising I know, but try to avoid reaching for your cadbury bar. What these studies are usually referring to is cocoa or raw cacao. But what’s the difference between cocoa and raw cacao, and which one should you buy? The two dark powders look the same and even sit on the supermarket shelf in almost the same box. But the way they are prepared is actually quite different. So yes there is a difference and while both are much better options than drinking chocolate I would recommend purchasing raw cacao over the more popular cocoa.

The Cocoa Bean Process

Both raw cacao and cocoa come from the cocoa bean. Raw cacao is made by cold pressing the unroasted beans. This process removes the fat, which becomes cocao butter and creates a fine powder full of living enzymes. Cocoa, on the other hand goes through an extra process. Yes, the beans are roasted which reduces the enzyme count and lowers the overall nutritional value. Choosing raw cacao over cocoa is an easy way to provide your body with nutritional benefits that go above and beyond, which is really important for active bodies.

Benefits of Raw Cacao

* It’s as simple as grabbing the Cacao box rather than the Cocoa box off the shelf. Any recipe I have followed that uses Cocoa I have always been able to successfully substitute it with Raw Cacao.  

4. Jalna Greek Yoghurt

Yogurt is a food many of us consume regularly, including me. But remember – not all yogurts are made equally. It might surprise you, but real yoghurt is not sweet. If yoghurt tastes sweet it generally contains either sugar or unnatural sweeteners. The only yoghurts we should even be considering are natural or greek yoghurts. This is real yoghurt as apposed to all the ‘FroYo’ stores opening up everywhere.

But I (or my kids) don’t like the taste of Natural Greek Yoghurt?

Try adding frozen berries, vanilla powder or raw honey to sweeten up the flavour a little.!

Benefits of Jalna Natira Greek Yoghurt

 

5. Almond Meal

Almond meal (also known as almond flour) is an alternative to wheat flour for baking and cooking. Almond meal is completely made from whole almonds with their skins removed which are then ground into a flour. I use almond meal as a substitute for wheat flour and have found I feel less bloated and have more consistent energy levels. There are a number of brands available in supermarkets, but just make sure to check the ingredients. All we want to see here is almonds – yep, that’s all it needs.

Benefits of Almond Meal

So next time you’re in one of the major supermarkets stop and think about this for a minute.. Are you buying what you want to buy, or what the supermarket is trying to sell you. With so much great healthy food available to be enjoyed there is no need to full the trolley with artificial colours, flavours and sugars. Start with the items listed above and see what other gems you can find hidden at the back of the shelf. Let me know what you discover in the comments below.