Supermarket foods that are better prepared at home

Store-bought versus homemade

Sure, supermarket food is convenient. But some prepared foods on store shelves are loaded with fat, sugar, preservatives, and artificial flavors and colors. Next time you're at the grocery store, skip these items and make your own homemade versions.

Ready-made muffins

Store-bought muffins can contain 400-500 kcal each (the larger the muffin, the more calories). They also contain little healthy fiber and protein.

Instead: Make your own healthier version of muffins by upgrading the recipe with a few simple substitutions, like using unsweetened applesauce or mashed bananas instead of half the vegetable oil.

Sweet muesli and porridge

Cereals taste much better with a little sugar. But many cereals contain so much added sugar that the added sugar outweighs the benefits.

Instead: prepare healthy porridge or granola, monitoring the amount of sugar your family members consume at breakfast.

Ready-made glaze

Regularly consuming store-bought glazes for baked goods, which contain high levels of preservatives and partially hydrogenated oils (or trans fats), can lead to clogged arteries. Not to mention, they often contain excess sugar and sugary toppings.

Instead: Prepare homemade lemon-protein glaze

Special coffee cream

Water, sugar, and vegetable oil are the first three ingredients in this creamer from the most popular brands. Plus, each spoon contains about 35 kcal. We often fill a quarter of our coffee cup with cream, increasing the calorie content from a mere 50 to almost 200 kcal, and many add sugar as well.

Instead: Add 1-2 tablespoons of regular cream or whole milk to your coffee.

Ready-made non-alcoholic cocktail mixes

Ready-made cocktail mixes like margaritas, piña coladas, and daiquiris contain a lot of extra sugar and artificial or food colorings. They can easily add hundreds of calories to your cocktail.

Instead: Make a less harmful cocktail at home, which will contain incomparably less sugar.

Whipped cream

The first ingredient on a package of whipped cream is water, followed by hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans fats) and corn syrup. Neither hydrogenated oil nor corn syrup are ingredients you want in your food.

Instead: Whip the heavy cream, controlling the amount of sugar added.



Votes: 11