Shopping at Sobey’s

Posted by | October 14, 2014 | Blog | No Comments

Hello Everyone
I know it has been a long time since our last newsletter. Recently I had  the opportunity to go shopping at Sobey’s in Simone Ontario with some  my patients. I thought it would be a good opportunity to go through aisle by aisle and point out the healthiest foods in the store. Believe you me the big grocery stores understand that people are wanting healthier choices Though this store is located in Simcoe  Ontario, the same layout is also found in all other locations throughout the GTA. Here are  my favorite choices.

Produce section
A variety of good juices including pure carrot and apple juice can be found in this section. You may be familiar with Boathouse brand. Here you will find a selection of organic and 100% pure juices.  Stay away from the juices that contain extra sugar like the protein blends.  They have a selection of organic vegetables and fruits including organic grapes, organic spinach, lettuce, oranges, avocado’s, kale and celery.  Please look for the PLU codes that begin with the number 9. This tells you that the fruits and vegetable juices are organic. This selection may change daily or weekly.

I noticed that they also had shirataki noodles which are low carbohydrate, low calorie, Japanese noodles made from a special type of yam. They are ideal for people on a Candida diet or a low carbohydrate diet. They can be served with tomato sauce or eaten on there own. Absolutely delicious.

Other great choices in the produce selection include the various Sobey’s breads made with chia and quinoa. Great for people on low carb diets. If it is a yeast free diet that you are on , Dimplymeyers brand has an array of yeast free breads made with either rye, spelt of barley. For people that are gluten free look for Udi’s brand breads, bagels and various muffins and cookies.,
For people that are on a dairy free diet their  is a selection of yummy dairy free and gluten free deserts from the brand “Sweets of the Earth.

Aisle 2:
I noticed a few things in this aisle including  Red River Cereal  and a selection of Compliments  brand organic oatmeal and oat bran. Each of these cereals has properties that can reduce elevated cholesterol. Furthermore there are brands of organic teas from Stash and a selection of non hydrogenated peanut butter without added sugars from Skippy and  Kraft. Although they are not organic they make a better alternative than the original Kraft and Skippy peanut butters.

Aisle 3:
This Aisle is Sobey’s hallmark organic and gluten free alternative section. Here you will find a selection of Zevia soda which is sweetened with Stevia and a host of healthier cookies from Lucy’s brand and  Mary’s  brand. The aisle consists of snack chips that are made from kale and other vegetables, canned tuna  that is wild caught , organic protein bars and reverse osmosis water. Stroll down thisa isle and you will find many things to suite your snacking  needs.

Aisle 4:
This is the cracker section. The healthiest choices are the Kashi crackers . However be careful because a lot the flavors are processed with extra sugars. The only other healthy crackers are the rye vita brand . One  other healthy find in this aisle is the organic “Our Compliments” apple sauce.

Aisle 5:
This is mainly your snack aisle. Healthy finds in this section  are  the rice works chips. These are a great alternative for people that are gluten free and also Tostitos brand organic blue corn chips can be found here.

Aisle 6:
There are a couple of items in this aisle that are worth mentioning. Welch’s brand juices 100% grape juice with no added flavorings or colors makes it a healthy find. Ocean spray also has a 100% cranberry juice that has no glucose as an added sweetener. Glucose sweetened items are derived from corn syrup. There is also a good selection of various waters in glass bottles such as VOSS.

Aisle 7:
What you will typically find here are all your spices. Safe to say that all the spices are fairly unprocessed with the exception of the combinations blends like Montreal steak and chicken spice. Also worthy of mentioning is the UNICCO brand crushed tomatoes. These are 100% tomatoes with no added preservatives.

Aisle 8:
What you will find in this section is a combination of different items ranging from Sobeys Organic Brand tomato sauce to “Thai Kitchen” brand coconut milk. This is the only coconut commercial milk that I have seen that is sulphite free. There is a selection of various brown rice and chick pea crackers . Great for those on a gluten free and yeast free diet.

Frozen Aisle:
Here you will find a selection of frozen dinners. Amy’s frozen dinners are a wonderful quick choice for a healthy meal. Check your local grocery store for various types.  You will also find coconut ice-cream. This is a great choice if you are lactose intolerant or trying to search for a sugar free ice cream.
Also found in this section are a healthy selection of yogurts from Liberte organic to Astro organic yogurt.  Earth Balance butter is a also a great butter alternative found in this section. Made with good quality oils that are rich in Omega 3 fats.
Other great finds include organic eggs , Daiya brand lactose and casein free cheese and free range antibiotic free chicken from Blue Goose.
All in all you can see that the availability of healthy foods choices are present in this grocery store . Stay tuned for our next trip which will take place at  Great Canadian superstore.

Dr Diana ND

Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine