Costco is hard to beat when it comes to quality, selection, and pricing. The massive warehouse store is known for its vast quantities of bulk items at low prices, but many people don’t realize that they also have a great selection of healthy foods.

Whether you’re looking for fresh fruits and vegetables, protein-packed meats, or healthy snacks and pre-packaged meals, Costco has something to suit your needs. And with their convenient online ordering system, you can get all the high-quality groceries you need without ever having to step inside one of their sprawling store locations.

Here are some of the healthiest things you can buy at Costco:

Organic produce

Costco has a great selection of organic produce. From apples and oranges to kale and spinach, you’ll be able to find everything you need to make a healthy meal. And because they buy in bulk, they can offer these items at a fraction of the price you’d find at your local grocery store.

Healthy snacks

Costco also has a wide variety of healthy snacks. There’s something for everyone, from trail mix and nuts to fruit bars and veggie chips.

Wild-caught salmon

Seafood is an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for heart health. And when it comes to seafood, wild-caught salmon is one of the best options. You’ll be able to find wild-caught salmon at most major supermarkets, but Costco usually has the best price.

Pre-packaged meals

When it comes to maintaining a healthy diet, it can be challenging to find time to plan and prepare meals from scratch. Luckily, stores like Costco offer pre-packaged meals that make it easy to stick to your nutritional goals. Whether you’re looking for a quick and convenient lunch or some simple dinner ideas, Costco’s selection of pre-packaged meals is an excellent choice for anyone looking to maintain their health while staying on top of their busy schedule. Even if you just use these for busy weeks, they’re great to have as an option.

Raw honey

Honey is a natural sweetener packed with nutrients like vitamins B6 and C and minerals like iron and calcium. Raw honey hasn’t been processed or pasteurized, so it retains its nutrients. Raw honey can be expensive, but finding it at Costco helps you save quite a bit.

Frozen produce

Whether you’re looking for frozen berries, crisp leafy greens, or nutrient-packed veggies, you can trust that all of Costco’s organic frozen offerings will have what you need. And because these foods are preserved in their natural state, they retain their nutritional value, even in the freezer.

Organic meat and poultry

They offer a wide variety of organic options, from chicken and beef to pork and lamb.

The options are endless and constantly changing, so next time you’re strolling the Costco aisles, take stock of what options are available and add them to your rotation.

With diet trends coming in and out of the spotlight, it’s challenging to keep up with what’s actually healthy and what’s not. Food companies market their products with fancy headlines, such as “organic,” “low-calorie,” or “vegan,” but these labels can be deceiving. Food labels hold a great deal of information, and it’s essential to understand them.

Here’s how to read food labels to better understand what you’re eating and make healthy choices for yourself and your loved ones.

Read the Ingredients List

Ingredient labels are on all foods that contain two or more ingredients. The most predominant ingredient is listed first, going in order of decreasing weight. Therefore, the ingredient listed first is the ingredient that weighs the most. Look out for preservatives and additives near the end of an ingredient list— the more unfamiliar, scientific names you see, the more additives there likely are in your food. Typically, the shorter the ingredient list, the better.

Understand the Nutrition Label

Nutrition labels contain critical health information, but the many numbers might be confusing. The first bit of information is usually the number of calories per serving. Other numbers include carbohydrates (categorized into fiber, total sugars, and added sugars), protein, and fats. These are the three main macronutrients. A nutrition label also contains sodium, which is the amount of salt, and cholesterol. At the bottom, there is a list of micronutrients, including minerals and vitamins.

Pay Attention to Serving Sizes

Nutrition labels and calories mean nothing without the context of serving sizes. However, this number is usually small and easily missed. Serving sizes can be unrealistically small on many food items that claim to be “low-calorie” or “low fat.” In reality, the amount that the average person would eat turns out to be not-so-low-calorie at all. When choosing between different brands or food packages, pay attention to the serving sizes to get an accurate comparison.

Understand the Percent Daily Values

Percent daily values (% DV) give context to the numbers on a nutrition label. They explain the percent of macronutrients or micronutrients that a serving size contains in reference to recommended daily intakes. Generally, anything less than 5% DV is low, and anything over 20% DV is high.

Try to avoid high %DV for nutrients such as saturated fats, salt, or added sugars, and aim for high percentages for micronutrients, fiber, and proteins. However, everyone is different and requires different amounts of these nutrients, depending on their health, age, and other factors.

Be Aware of Different Types of Sugars

Just because a food doesn’t have “sugar” at the top of its ingredient list doesn’t mean it’s low in all sugars. Instead, look for different types of sweeteners and sugars, such as honey, nectar, fructose, glucose, or molasses.

Knowing what to look for is empowering for making informed decisions.

Nutrition labels help to tell you what’s in the food you’re buying, but they can be quite tricky to navigate. When you’re trying to be mindful of what you’re consuming, the confusion nutrition labels bring can make it that much more difficult.

So today, we want to share some tips to help you properly read the nutrition labels and so you can feel confident in knowing you are buying the right products for yourself.

Pay attention to the serving size.

One of the easiest ways to convince consumers into thinking a product is low-calorie, low-sugar, or low-fat is to make the serving size smaller than what anyone would typically consume. When you quickly glance at the nutrition label on your favorite snack, you might see only 5g of sugar, but you don’t notice that this is only for a small handful. If you know that you typically finish a whole bag in one sitting, a serving size of one handful isn’t realistic. Look at the serving size carefully, and then you can accurately calculate how many servings you’ll probably consume in one sitting.

Understand the percent daily values.

Now that you’ve compared the serving size to how much you’ll actually eat, you should understand how much of each nutrient is in your food. The daily value percentage tells you how much of the recommended daily intake for each nutrient this product contains. Be especially careful of the daily value percentage of saturated fats and sugars.

Read & understand the ingredient list.

Ingredient lists can’t lie, but they can be deceiving. If a product is advertised as “no sugar,” check the ingredients to see if there are any sugar alternatives. Although these ingredients aren’t simple white sugar, they are still high in sugar content— and you’ll want to be vigilant when knowing what you’re looking for in these ingredient lists. Ingredients are also listed in order from containing the highest amount to the lowest.

If a product advertises that it includes something healthy like vegetables, check the ingredients to see if it’s near the top or bottom of the list. If it’s near the bottom, it’s probably an insignificant amount, but this allows companies to advertise healthy foods as if they are the main ingredients.

Take note of the health claims.

If a company advertises any health claims on their food packaging, take a second look. Many of these marketing words, such as “healthy” and “natural,” don’t mean anything concrete. These words are placed on packaging to help you feel confident that you’re buying something healthy, but knowing how to read your nutrition label is the only accurate way to know for sure.

It takes some practice, so every week during your grocery runs, take a few extra minutes to study some labels throughout the store and practice. Before long, you’ll be a nutrition label reading pro!

Not that there’s a right or wrong way to grocery shop, but I’ve found a few tricks to help my grocery trip be the most successful over the years.

These tips help me to shop smart, get the healthiest foods available, and save money while doing so. Sure, your shopping routines and personal preferences might avoid overly processed offerings or altering recipes to include what’s in season, but there are a few more things you might consider when you’re filling up your grocery cart.

These tips will help you tighten up your healthy eating track.

Buy Local

When you shop at your local supermarket, you might think that you’re getting foods from your local area. That’s not always the case, though, so check where things are packaged. You might live in Florida and find your strawberries or lettuce have been shipped all the way from California. To ensure you get the freshest produce, find your local farmer’s market or sign up for a CSA. You’ll also be supporting local farmers and your community while eating the tastiest produce available.

Don’t Buy Washed Greens

It might look more appealing in the packaging, but those bags of lettuce and spinach leave room for error. In fact, they’re the most common victims of listeria and E. coli outbreaks. Instead, buy a head of lettuce and wash it yourself.

Choose wild-caught, pasture-fed, and free-range whenever possible

If you’re a meat-eater, it’s important to buy the healthiest version possible. Reach for organic options that are free of hormones and antibiotics.

Stock up on frozen items

You may think that frozen vegetables may not be as healthy as fresh vegetables, but this isn’t true. They’re often flash-frozen at the peak of freshness, and can still pack a nutritional punch into any meal you have on your menu for the week. These are great to have stashed away for the busy nights when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare dinner. I love to stock up on these when there are Buy One Get One Free sales. These sales show up quite often, so be sure to keep an eye out the next time you shop.

Avoid Long Ingredient Lists

As much as possible, avoid items with a long ingredient list. I try to stick to 7 or fewer ingredients and look for alternatives for any products that have a long ingredient label.

Make a Plan Ahead of Time 

This might sound obvious, but don’t go shopping without a grocery list. It can sometimes be the most time-consuming part of the grocery shopping experience, but having a plan sets you up for the most successful grocery store run you can have.  This cuts down on excess items and extra spending, making sure you have the precise amount you’ll need for the week without having to run out and grab one more ingredient to prepare your dinner.

With these tips, you’ll be buying the best foods for you and your family in the smartest way possible. What is your typical grocery store experience like? Do you plan ahead, or wing it? Comment below and let me know!