Your Guide to Shopping Healthy at Trader Joe’s

What is actually healthy at Trader Joe's, what to avoid and feel-good meal & snack ideas

Somewhere along the way, Trader Joe’s earned a reputation for being “healthy.”

As a kid, I remember getting Trader Joe-Joe’s—their version of an Oreo—and thinking they were a healthier version of an Oreo just because they were gluten-free and from Trader Joe’s.

I used to think most of their snacks, trail mixes, protein bars and dried fruit were good options for healthy snacks.

But that’s definitely not the case.

🌺 The Branding Can Be Deceiving...

Trader Joe’s feels local, trustworthy, and health-conscious with its:

• Friendly, nautical-themed vibe

• Affordable pricing

• Unique but simple product selection

But here’s the truth: ❌ A lot of products look healthy, but really aren’t.

✅ The Good News?

If you shop smart and know what to look for, you can stock up on truly healthy staples—and save a lot of money

🎯 What You’ll Find in This Guide:

1. A high-level strategy for how to shop smart at Trader Joe’s

2. What not to buy - deceiving foods that look healthy but really aren’t

3. Our go-to Trader Joe’s grocery list of clean, feel-good foods and a downloadable list you can take with you to the store

4. Some of our favorite Trader Joe’s recipes

🛒 Trader Joe’s Shopping Strategy

The key to a healthy haul? Focus on real, whole foods.

Most of what lands in your cart should have just one ingredient—the food itself.

✅ Read the Labels

If a product has an ingredient list, make sure every ingredient is something you recognize and would eat on its own.

If not?

🚫 It’s probably processed, chemically modified, and not doing your health any favors.

🔍 Watch for Sneaky Additives

Check every label for:

• Added sugar

• Seed oils (like soybean, sunflower, canola, etc.)

• Artificial and natural flavorings

• Gums and emulsifiers

• Weird ingredients you can’t pronounce

You’d be surprised how often these show up in seemingly healthy items like:
🥛 Nut milks
🥣 Yogurt
🥬 Hummus & dips
🧄 Pesto & pasta sauces
🥜 Packaged nuts & nut butters
🥩 Jerky

These ingredients are sneaky, not good for us and way more common than you’d think.

Let’s look at a few examples of seemingly healthy foods that really aren’t

Ingredients include - sugar, modified cornstarch

Ingredients include - soybean oil, sugar, natural flavors

Ingredients include - brown rice syrup, cane sugar, canola oil

Ingredients include - modified potato starch, sodium citrate, lactic acid, gaur gum, xanthan gum, sunflower oil, cultured dextrose, maltodextrin, water cultured dextrose, natural flavors

Ingredients include - calcium carbonate, potassium citrate, sunflower lecithin, gellan gum, natural flavors, D-Alpha-Tocopherol

Ingredients include - natural flavors, corn syrup solids, vegetable oil peanut and/or safflower and/or sunflower oil, gum arabic, sugar

Ingredients include - brown sugar, sugar (also not organic!)

Ingredients include: Glycerin, Maltitol, Polydextrose, sunflower oil, artificial flavors, natural flavors, sunflower lecithin, sucralose - also the dairy in these is not organic meaning it likely contains hormones and antibiotics. Please know these are not food!!

Ingredients include: Sugar, modified cornstarch, xantham gum, maltodextrin

Okay, we get the point!

These seemingly simple, healthy foods are often loaded with highly processed chemical additives, seed oils, and sugars.

If it’s not a one-ingredient whole food like a sweet potato or avocado, we HAVE to get in the habit of flipping the package over and making sure the ingredients are truly clean, real whole foods.

Let’s get into rule number 2 and then we will tell you what to buy at Trader Joe’s 🥕

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🌿 Choose Organic When Possible

Prioritize organic / grass-fed for:

• Meats - grass fed & organic

• Dairy - grass fed & organic

• Poultry - organic & free-range

• Eggs - organic & pasture raised

• Fruits & veggies - prioritize organic especially those on the Dirty Dozen list

This helps reduce your exposure to hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and harmful additives—especially in animal products and high-residue fruits & veggies.

Now that we know how to shop, scroll down to see the ultimate Trader Joe’s Grocery List!

🛒 Your Trader Joe’s Shopping List

PROTEIN 🍗

• Organic, pasture raised eggs

• Organic, free-range chicken breast

• Organic ground turkey

• Grass-fed, organic beef

• Chomps meat sticks

• Organic legumes

VEGGIES 🥦

• Broccoli

• Brussel Sprouts

• Cauliflower

• Zucchini

• Carrots

• Tomato

• Spinach

• Kale

• Onion

• Celery

• Peppers

• Sweet potatoes

• Snow peas

• Beets

• Cucumber

• Butternut squash

• Potatoes

• Mushrooms

• Cabbage

• Frozen peas

• Frozen cauliflower

• Garlic

• Green onions

• Mint

• Basil

FRUITS 🫐

• Strawberries

• Blueberries

• Blackberries

• Raspberries

• Oranges

• Apples

• Grapefruit

• Pomegranate seeds

• Banana

• Medjool dates

• Lemons

• Limes

FATS 🥑

• Dry roasted or raw nuts & seeds

• Almond Butter

• Tahini

• Organic coconut oil

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Sesame seeds

• Avocado oil

• Chia seeds

• Hemp seeds

• Flax seeds

• Avocados

Subscribe to get….

• Our LFG approved list of grains, freezer items, condiments and fun buys 🍝

• A downloadable grocery list you can take with you next time you go shopping 🛒

• A few of our favorite healthy TJ recipes 🧑‍🍳