This page reduces the cognitive load associated with day-to-day shopping for me when it comes to groceries, cleaning, beauty products, and household products. By strictly abiding these principle 80% of the time (i.e. in my routine home life), I am afforded flexibility the rest of the time (i.e. when dinning out socially or traveling), without compromising my health and wellness goals or quality of life.
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General Guidelines:
When it comes to groceries, I try to:
- Opt for organic foods (especially when it comes to produce that you eat the skin of, like berries, spinach, and nectarines)
- Opt for seasonal produce
- Opt for local (whenever possible/convenient)
- Opt for meats and seafood from the counter rather than prepackaged
- Avoid seafood products that have been found to be high high in mercury (i.e. bioaccumulation)
- Avoid foods packaged in plastic (but especially with the recycling codes 3, 6, and 7)
- Avoid food with artificial food coloring
- Avoid food with the preservatives BHA or BHT
- Avoid canned foods in general but especially ones that aren’t labeled “BPA free”
- Avoid foods that have been found to be high in glyphosate (i.e. non-organic GMO crops)(e.g. Quaker Oats, Ritz Crackers, Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, Doritos, Nature Valley, and Stacy’s Pita Chips)
The Nitty Gritty
- Dairy, Cheese, & Eggs:
- Milk: I usually drink organic whole milk from a carton or glass bottle at home
- Skim milk releases higher levels of the hormone IGF-1 than whole milk, which is bad for complexion
- Yogurt: I pretty much only eat La Fermière vanilla bean whole milk yogurt
- Butter: whenever possible I buy french butters, because they tend to have a higher fat content (i.e. better tasting and for baking), with Kerrygold as a backup
- Président, Plugra, Isigny Ste. Mere, Les Prés Salés, Échiré, Bordier Butter
- Cheese: I try to buy cheese that has not been pre-grated or sliced (because they have usually been coated in wood pulp, microcrystalline cellulose, an anti-caking agent)
- In general I like Comte, mozzarella, Burrata, Parmesan, Emmentaler/Swiss, Gruyere, Cotija, Muenster or Provolone (for sandwiches) and cheddar or American (for burgers)
- Favorites: Petite Basque, Cowgirl Creamery Toma, Point Reyes blue cheese (if it’s served with apple or pear)
- Exception: Philadelphia whipped cream cheese
- In general I like Comte, mozzarella, Burrata, Parmesan, Emmentaler/Swiss, Gruyere, Cotija, Muenster or Provolone (for sandwiches) and cheddar or American (for burgers)
- Ice Cream: I always keep a pint of Straus Family Creamery Organic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream in the freezer, with McConnell’s or Häagen-Dazs as back ups
- Eggs: I try to only buy organic “Free-Range” eggs
- “Pasture Raised” isn’t a USDA regulated claim and “free-range” is more ethical than just “cage free”
- Pro Tip: look for Certified Humane, Animal Welfare Approved, or Global Animal Partnership
- “Pasture Raised” isn’t a USDA regulated claim and “free-range” is more ethical than just “cage free”
- Milk: I usually drink organic whole milk from a carton or glass bottle at home
- Produce: any produce that you eat the skin of I only buy organic, even if it means having to buy it frozen instead of fresh
- Favorite Spring/Summer Fruits: strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, mangoes, papaya, and white nectarines
- As well as tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, avocado, and yellow bell peppers (which are also all technically fruit)
- Fun Fact: female bell peppers (bell peppers with four bumps on bottom instead of three) are sweeter and thereby preferable for raw consumption
- Pro Tip: To find the best quality tomatoes and nectarines select based on smell
- Pro Tip: Submerge fresh produce in a solution of distilled white vinegar and water for 5-10 minutes before rinsing (this helps remove any bacteria, pesticides, and prolong the shelf life)
- As well as tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, avocado, and yellow bell peppers (which are also all technically fruit)
- Favorite Fall/Winter Fruits: Honeycrisp apples, Valencia oranges, and green seedless grapes
- Apple Sauce: In the absence of fresh fruit I enjoy Whole Foods Organic Unsweetened Cinnamon Apple Sauce
- Favorite Spring/Summer Vegetables: green onion, garlic, peas, corn, and asparagus
- Favorite Fall/Winter Vegetables: carrots, green beans, broccoli, potatoes, parsnip, sweet potatoes, yams, leek, and lentil
- Fun Fact: potatoes are healthier after freezing because freezing them increases their resistant starch content
- QED buy frozen organic potatoes
- Factoid: cruciferous vegetables are high in sulfur which increases antioxidants and reduced inflammation, they may even help detox the body of microplastics (especially raw broccoli)
- Fun Fact: potatoes are healthier after freezing because freezing them increases their resistant starch content
- Mushrooms: I usually opt for button mushrooms or other grown mushrooms (i.e. not wild)
- Wild mushrooms can absorb heavy metals through soil so you have to be careful about where they are from
- Favorite Herbs: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme…. as well as basil, cilantro, mint, chives, and ginger
- Canned Produce: really the only canned produce I buy are Bush’s baked beans and Libby’s Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix Pumpkin Pie Mix, even though there is an organic alternative, because I don’t make either that often when I do I want that classic nostalgic flavor
- Pickles: Bubbies Baby Kosher Dill Pickles (since these are fermented and refrigerated they are basically probiotics)
- Nori (Seaweed): I like to snack on Gimme Grab & Go Organic Roasted Seaweed Snacks in Sea Salt in the Portable Slim Packs, for shabu shabu I buy Dashi Kombu
- Favorite Spring/Summer Fruits: strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, mangoes, papaya, and white nectarines
- Meats & Seafood:
- Meat: I try to buy “Certified Humane” organic meats, obviously prime or choice grade quality, with a strong preference for beef over chicken or pork
- Favorite Cuts: Chateaubriand/Beef Tenderloin, Ribeye/Entrecôte, skirt steak
- Ground Beef: I try to buy Force of Nature Grass Fed Beef Ancestral Blend when available
- Exceptions: Snake River Farm New York Strip Boneless Wagyu and Snake River Farm Kurobuta pork
- They aren’t certified humane… or organic but they are exceptionally delicious
- Poultry: When I buy chicken I try to buy “air-chilled” whole organic chicken, but in general I prefer the taste of quail, squab, pheasant, etc. because I prefer dark meat and think the skin is the best part
- Pro Tip: when it’s Thanksgiving order a Capon instead of a turkey
- Deli Meats, Sausages, & Hot Dogs:
- I try to eat organic, but at a minimum nothing with nitrates and nitrites in them
- Favorites: Snake River Farm Wagyu Beef Hot Dogs, Bilinski’s organic Apple Chicken Breakfast Sausage
- I try to eat organic, but at a minimum nothing with nitrates and nitrites in them
- Seafood: I try to buy fresh (MSC)(for wild fisheries) or (ASC)(for farmed seafood) sustainable seafood
- Fish: I usually only eat swordfish, tuna (both of which are tragically high in mercury because of bioaccumulation), and salmon at home, while I eat Chilean sea bass (we love a rebrand – IYKYK), Snapper, and Butterfish at restaurants
- Exceptions: I will eat tuna packed in water from a jar (Tonnino is good) or from the brand Safe Catch (because they have lower levels of mercury than other brands and their cans are BPA free) and I occasionally eat smoked salmon and smoked albacore
- Shellfish: I enjoy cooked crab, lobster, scallops, mussels, and clams
- Please Note: I will cry if I hear the screams of live lobsters being boiled and
- Fish: I usually only eat swordfish, tuna (both of which are tragically high in mercury because of bioaccumulation), and salmon at home, while I eat Chilean sea bass (we love a rebrand – IYKYK), Snapper, and Butterfish at restaurants
- Bone Broths, Stocks, & Broths: I have taken to cooking my pasta in Kettle & Fire Organic Chicken Bone Broth while I’m not that picky when it comes to stocks and broths, Brodo is the highest quality brand, just harder to get acquire
- Meat: I try to buy “Certified Humane” organic meats, obviously prime or choice grade quality, with a strong preference for beef over chicken or pork
- Grains: I try to find products that have the Glyphosate Residue Free Label
- Bread: I either want French Baguette (if there is a high quality option available), Sourdough or English muffins for toast, white bread for sandwiches, or an “everything” bagel
- Factoid: because sourdough is fermented the nutrients in it are more bioavailable because the fermentation process breaks down the naturally occurring phytic acid (which is an anti-nutrient because it binds to various minerals) found in grains
- Pasta: I try to buy Italian “bronze-cut” or “bronze-drawn” pastas so they are glyphosate-free
- Favorite Shapes: Cavatappi, Farfalle, Fusilli, and Penne
- Rice: In general I prefer white rice over brown rice, but I’m trying to make the switch
- Favorites: sushi rice (short-grain Japanese), Basamti rice, Thai sticky rice (both sweeten and unsweetened), and Arborio rice (risotto)
- Rice Cakes: I like to have these in the pantry as a light neutral snack
- Favorites: Lundberg Family Farms Organic Brown Rice Thin Stackers
- Cereal, Oatmeal, & Granola: I try to find cereals that are free from glyphosate, artificial food coloring, and the preservatives BHA & BHT
- Favorites: Trader Joe’s Honey O’s, Cascadian Farm Cinnamon Crunch Cereal, Mini Fruitfuls, and Organic Oats and Honey Granola
- Chips & Crackers: I don’t eat chips that often but when I do…
- Favorites: Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Canyon Cut Kettle Style Potato Chips with Sea Salt, Siete Avocado Oil Grain Free Tortilla Chips, Trader Joe’s Golden Rounds Crackers, and Simple Mills Fine Ground Sea Salt Almond Flour Crackers
- Popcorn: I try to only buy popcorn kernels now instead of bags because when you microwave the bags they can transfer a lot of microplastics to the popcorn
- Pretzels: I don’t eat pretzels that often either, but when I do I buy Snyder’s Of Hanover Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks because they are crunchy and salty and delicious
- Cinnamon Rolls: I try to only buy the Annie’s Organic Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls Dough with Icing because it’s a healthier alternative to the Pillsbury ones, and I actually think they taste better too
- Pie Crust: Pillsbury Premade Refrigerated Pie Crusts
- This has BHT in it sadly… but I have yet to find an alternative that tastes as good
- Bread: I either want French Baguette (if there is a high quality option available), Sourdough or English muffins for toast, white bread for sandwiches, or an “everything” bagel
- Oils: I mostly cook with organic ghee because it’s easy to find in glass jars and it has one of the highest smoke points of all cooking oils, but I use olive oil for vinaigrette, and avocado oil for baking
- Olive Oil: I try to buy organic “extra virgin” olive oil (EVOO) from one farm/collective in Italy or Greece, in an opaque or dark glass or metal bottle and “cold-pressed” canola/rape seed oil
- Favorites: Kosterina olive oil
- Cooking Sprays: in general I avoid these because of the propellants in them (nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, propane, or butane) but I occasionally use Pam Baking Spray (made with flour)
- Olive Oil: I try to buy organic “extra virgin” olive oil (EVOO) from one farm/collective in Italy or Greece, in an opaque or dark glass or metal bottle and “cold-pressed” canola/rape seed oil
- Condiments:
- Dressing: I try not to buy premade salad dressings, even though I usually like ranch dressing with vegetable platters and occasionally with a slice of pizza, chicken strips, or fries at restaurants
- Vinegar: I love balsamic vinegar (despite the lead), rice wine vinegar, and a good champagne vinegar, these are pantry staples, I mostly use white vinegar for cleaning, and you can make your own red and white wine vinegar at home using an unfinished bottle of wine (just leave it open in a warm environment for a couple of weeks, just cover the opening with a cheese cloth to prevent fruit flies
- Pro Tip: to choose a good balsamic check the ingredients (there should only be grapes) (DOP is the highest quality, followed by IGP, but you wouldn’t use a DOP for a vinaigrette)
- Tomato/Pasta Sauce: I haven’t done a proper taste test of pasta sauces the way I have some other items, but I found that I like the Carbone Marinara Pasta Sauce so that’s what I’ve been using since finding out that canned “San Merican Tomatos” I was buying weren’t even Italian or organic they were just really well marketed…
- Ketchup, Mayo, & Mustard: I know there are better options but I do use Heinz Organic Ketchup and Yellow Mustard, and Best Foods Real Mayonnaise even though they are in plastic dispensers, I like the convenience of the easy squeeze bottle
- Favorite Mustard: Honeycup Mustard
- Maple Syrup: I detest viscous corn syrup that is served in place of maple syrup so I make sure I only buy organic maple syrup packaged in a glass bottle
- Honey: I try to buy my honey from the local farmers market so long as it is packaged in glass and ideally “raw” (i.e. unprocessed) or organic (but honestly how could they know for sure which plants the bees landed on?)
- Mānuka Honey: is only harvested from New Zealand or Australia, and it has its own rating system Unique Mānuka Factor(UMF) that indicates the concentration of the antibacterial components of the honey (higher UMF ones are relatively more expensive)
- Fun Fact: consuming honey harvested from local flowers can reduce symptoms of seasonal allergies
- Fun Fact: honey never spoils (indulge me: google “found in ancient Egyptian tombs” you won’t be disappointed)
- Fun Fact: babies can NOT safely eat honey, they can die of botulism as a result… they also can’t really drink water until about 6 months old but that’s neither here nor there
- Mānuka Honey: is only harvested from New Zealand or Australia, and it has its own rating system Unique Mānuka Factor(UMF) that indicates the concentration of the antibacterial components of the honey (higher UMF ones are relatively more expensive)
- Peanut Butter: I know it’s bad for me but I will live and die Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter, at least they make a “natural” version of it now
- Jelly: I like blueberry jam from a jar on my toast, Bonne Maman isn’t organic but it’s at least packaged in glass, readily available, and most importantly, delicious
- Demi-Glace & Bouillon: I always have some veal demi-glace and chicken bouillon in the pantry, I’m not picky about the brand
- Flours, Sugars, & Spices: I try to buy organic unbleached flours and sugars
- Spices: I try to buy organic spices in glass jars but spices are tricky because neither brand nor being organic is a perfect predictor of heavy metal content, so you just have to look them up individually
- Thyme & Oregano: safer to just use fresh, or buy organic and then dry it yourself
- Ground Cinnamon: Morton & Bassett San Francisco
- Ground Ginger: Simply Organic
- Fun Fact: most people think it’s the raw egg in cookie dough that will make you sick, but in fact it is the “raw” flour that carry Salmonella and E. coli more commonly than eggs these days
- QED bake your flour if you intend to eat raw dough
- Fun Fact: most people think it’s the raw egg in cookie dough that will make you sick, but in fact it is the “raw” flour that carry Salmonella and E. coli more commonly than eggs these days
- Spices: I try to buy organic spices in glass jars but spices are tricky because neither brand nor being organic is a perfect predictor of heavy metal content, so you just have to look them up individually
- Baking Powder: I try to only buy aluminum free baking powder (like from Bob’s Red Mill)
- Salt: I try to use “desert” salt now that sea salt now has too much plastic in it, and other salts may be bleached, or have preservatives or heavy metals in them
- Favorites: Desert salt
- Exception: A. Vogel Herbamare Organic Seasoned Sea Salt
- Nuts & Seeds: I eat 1 Brazil nut a day (for the selenium) and occasionally snack on organic pistachios, almonds, Marcona almonds, or peanuts
- Chocolate: I try not to eat too much chocolate because unfortunately dark chocolate tends to be high in lead and cadmium, even if it’s high in flavonol, and I don’t like the taste of white chocolate, but I occasionally indulge in milk chocolate (usually in the form of a milk chocolate chip cookie, or chocolate syrup on vanilla ice cream)
- Candy: finding candy without artificial food coloring is hard, so I usually only eat small batch caramels made from local shops but if I can find Haribo Balla Stixx in Erdbeere (Strawberry) or Kolsvart Candy Fish in Röding (Raspberry) I will absolutely devour the whole bag in a day
- Marshmallows: Dandies Vegan Gluten Free Marshmallows taste better than Jet-Puffed and are healthier so I just buy the vegan ones now
Misc. Shopping Guidelines:
- Cleaning/Beauty Products:
- Should not contain:
- Talc (carcinogen)
- Phthalates (endocrine disrupter usually in “fragrance”)
- Parabens (endocrine disrupter)
- Chloroform (carcinogen)
- Chlorine (endocrine disrupter)
- Pesticides (aka “quaternary ammonium”) (carcinogen and endocrine disrupter)
- 2-Butoxyethanol (This is in lot’s of window cleaners, like Windex and Sprayway, but not required by law to be listened in the ingredients)
- Formaldehyde (carcinogen)
- Ammonia (endocrine and neurotransmitter disrupter)
- Ethoxylated alcohols (often contaminated by a known carcinogen) (common in dishwasher detergents)
- Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (aka “QUATS”) (As a result, I don’t use laundry pods, fabric softener, or dryer sheets) (You really don’t need these but you can use white vinegar with tea-tree oil instead if you really feels it’s necessary)
- Favorite Non-Toxic Cleaning Products: Bon Ami Powder, baking soda, white vinegar, Seventh Generation laundry detergent, Seventh Generation dish soap, Seventh Generation rinse aid, Blueland dishwasher detergent, Blueland Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Attitude Window and Mirror Cleaner, Attitude All Purpose Cleaner, etc.
- Favorite Non-Toxic Beauty Brands: Bioderma, Caudalie, Éminence, Ilia, Kiehl’s, Kosas, Merit, Milk, Saie, Tower 28, Vanicream, Westman Atelier, etc.
- Favorite Sunscreen: Beauty of Joseon organic sunscreen SPF 50 (Korea is way ahead of the US in terms of sunscreen technology)
- Exceptions: perfume, I love perfume, it’s probably bad for me because it’s fragrance, which I avoid everywhere else, but Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540, Le Labo Thé Matcha 26, and Tom Ford Santal Blush, Byredo Mojave Ghost are scents I am willing to take that risk for…
- Should not contain:
- Household Products:
- Opt for drinking water that has been filter for microplastics and heavy metals (usually via reverse osmosis and then remineralized)
- I use the LifeStraw water filter pitcher
- Opt for more sustainable, less toxic toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, and floss picks (Before toothpaste, Hello Charcoal Soft Toothbrush, Cocofloss floss, The Humble Co. floss picks)
- Yes, I use products with fluoride… I know this is controversial because it’s a neurotoxin
- I rarely use mouthwash but when I do, I use the Act alcohol-free fluoride mouthwash
- Opt for candles made from soy, coconut, or bee’s wax (not paraffin) with natural fragrance
- Favorites: Trudon Moroccan mint tea candle “AbdelKader,” the Diptyque Tuberose candle, and the Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 candle
- Opt for parchment/baking paper (NOT wax paper)(instead of aluminum/tin foil)
- Opt for glass, food-grade “platinum cured” silicone, wax paper, or bees wax wraps for food storage (like from the brands Stasher or Lunchskins)
- Opt for stainless steel (18 chromium/0 nickel) cutlery
- Opt for stainless steel, ceramic, copper, or cast iron cookware, cooking utensils, and bakeware
- Opt for wooden cutting boards
- Avoid single-use items (exceptions: floss picks, q-tips, various paper products, etc.)
- When single-use items are unavoidable I am aim for them to be as sustainable as possible (i.e. biodegradable or at least recyclable, etc.)
- Avoid aerosol products (benzene is a known human carcinogen)
- Side Note: how is this stuff even still legal?
- Opt for drinking water that has been filter for microplastics and heavy metals (usually via reverse osmosis and then remineralized)
Sophie's External Brain 