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Walking into your average supermarket is a lot like being a contestant on "Jeopardy!" If you think hard, choose wisely, and give all the right answers, you can go home with a carload of cash and prizes. But make a few mistakes and you'll leave with an empty wallet-not to mention a lot of empty calories.
In fact, even the lowest-priced supermarket in your neighborhood is brimming with complete rip-offs-health foods that aren't healthy, gourmet foods that aren't gourmet, specialty items that just aren't that special. Here are just some of the foods you're overpaying for, compliments of Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide and Cook This, Not That!.
7 Supermarket Rip-Offs
The Environmental Working Group, an organization that studies pesticide contamination, ranks onions and avocados as the most pesticide-free vegetable and fruit, respectively-even when grown conventionally.
In fact, as a general rule, anything you have to peel before you eat (such as bananas or garlic, for example) is relatively low in pesticides. If you want to eat organic, splurge on produce with permeable or edible skin, such as peaches, lettuce, and apples.
There's a lot of hype in this bottle, but the only ingredient that provides any significant energy is caffeine, of which there are 135 grams in each bottle. That's less than you'd find in a14-ounce cup of coffee (Dunkin' Donuts 14-ounce medium has 164 grams of caffeine). Cost for a cup of coffee: A buck or two. Cost for 5-Hour Energy: Between $3 and $4.
Gluten-free foods generally cost two to three times more as their gluten-containing counterparts, and unless you're among the less than 1 percent of people with celiac disease, there's no point in coughing up the extra dough. Gluten-free pastries and breads don't necessarily have fewer calories or more nutrients than regular products. A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology followed a group of gluten-free dieters with celiac disease for 2 years and discovered that 81 percent of them actually gained weight.
You know there's trouble when food needs a mascot. A grinning cartoon character on the front of a box is a surefire sign of two things: 1) The box is filled with mostly cheap carbohydrates, and 2) Most of the money you spend on it will end up in the pockets of marketers. See the Golden Crisp box here? The mascot on the front is known as Sugar Bear, which explains why more than half the calories come from pure sugar. And what's that all around him? Advertisements. This box is like a big billboard stuffed full of junk that will make you flabby. You might as well just eat your money-at least that's sugar free.
A pound of swordfish can cost more than $20. Why? Supply and demand: Because it's scarce, it's viewed as a luxury. But you should consider its high cost a blessing: It probably has saved your family from slow, steady infusions of poison. Due to abnormally high levels of mercury, the Monterey Bay Aquarium recommends that children and women (who could potentially become pregnant) cut swordfish from their diets entirely. A better seafood option: halibut. It has all the flavor, with 40 percent fewer calories, a much lower cost, and it's one of the cleanest fish out there.
This is consistently one of the most expensive cuts of beef, but all you're buying is a little bit of tenderness. In fact, tenderloin isn't a particularly flavorful steak. So why does it cost so much? Because there aren't many tenderloin steaks on a cow. Switch to top sirloin instead. It's one of the leanest cuts on the cow, and it packs in far more rich, deep, beefy flavor. And depending where you're buying, it might end up costing you about half as much. This saves you cash at the supermarket--and the steakhouse!
Does a bag of Funyuns look like a bargain to you? At about $4, it holds 6.5 ounces of snackable corn inside. Now consider this: a large ear of corn will run you about a buck and weighs just over 5 ounces. So the Funyuns bag contains the food equivalent of 1 1/4 ears of corn. Do the math here: If an ear of corn costs a dollar, a bag of Funyuns should run no more than $1.25, and that's under the assumption that cheap fillers like sugar, corn starch, and soy flour haven't driven the cost down significantly (a very generous assumption, indeed). Part of the reason this bag contains so little actual food is that it contains massive amounts of air. The corn is puffed and the bag is puffed-so you're buying mostly puffery. Even a regular bag of potato chips, which is by no means a bargain, contains more actual food than this. A bag of Ruffles is 10 grams, a bag of Doritos 17.
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3-23-2011 @1:26PM Wouter said... Regarding the 5 hour energy claim, it is completely inaccurate. If you were to consume a single bottle of 5 hour energy you would literally OD on caffeine if there is indeed 135 grams in a single bottle. Clearly though this has to be a typo. 135 mg is more like it.
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3-23-2011 @8:53PM rich said... another BS report. pesticide is pesticide. when a banana grows it didnt grow with the outside layer from the beginging. the same with all foods that are grown. those pesticides are at the core of the fruit or vegetable
3-23-2011 @9:41PM dg said... This article is BS. How can anyone deny pesticides being present in the flesh of anything gown in pesticide saturated soil...year after year. State yoiuor sources AOL!
3-23-2011 @11:14PM Sue said... I just checked out Wavee on the Better Business Bureau website and they have a rating of F on a scale from A+ to F. Needless to say, there have been numerous complaints from unhappy customers.
3-24-2011 @5:37AM Al Schrader said... You can grow organic onions in an Aero garden right on your kitchen counter. It's automatic & has a built in growlux light. Best is they are absolutely fresher than from the store...Alfie-
3-29-2011 @11:06AM Kaylynn said... I think a lot of people are under the impression that store brands are always less expensive
and things like deli meat cost more than the prepackaged lunch meats but that's not always the case. HTTp://bIT.ly/FreebieHomepage is awesome about explaining easily how to shop smart and watch out for store techniques that make us all fall for spending more than we had to. The other supermarket rip off is stores that make you think their prices are always better than whatever coupon is offered elsewhere. We don't even go to the store without at least a few coupons in hand since all those savings can really add up!!
3-23-2011 @1:43PM Noadi said... Okay, I'm totally against the whole gluten-free hype for people who have no medical reason to be on a gluten-free diet but I have to object to the caption. A group of people with celiac disease was followed for 2 years and most gained weight is EXACTLY what should be expected. One of the main results of eaten gluten for those with celiac disease is weight loss and nutrient deficiency, switching to a gluten-free diet for these people means their bodies can adequately absorb nutrients and calories. You cannot take the results of a group of people with a serious medical condition and apply it to healthy people.
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3-23-2011 @7:20PM Whitey Ford said... Exactly Noadi. If you suffer from a disease that affects your ability to intake nutrients, of course you are going to be underweight and then gain weight when you counter the affects of the disease. Not everyone is overweight and trying to lose weight. For some people, such as Celiac sufferers, gaining weight is a positive outcome and proves the success of their new dietary intake.
A non-sufferer of Celiac Disease eating gluten free for weight loss can only be expected to be successful if the reduction in gluten intake results in a reduction of carbohydrates. The weight loss as a result of carbohydrate and calorie intake reduction has nothing to do with the lack of gluten in the diet. If gluten heavy carbohydrates are replaced with rice or other sources of carbohydrates then there is no reason to expect any reduction in weight for a non-sufferer.
3-23-2011 @11:18PM bman8622 said... Correct. It's obvious that the writer(s) of this 'article' have a bias when they use medical studies on a whim to prove some point, with no regard for context. Weight gain is not always 'bad', at all.
3-24-2011 @12:24AM Kris said... Yeah, you know, I've never heard of anyone without a medical condition even being interested in gluten-free food. This writer acts like everyone is a total idiot and is blindly buying this stuff to lose weight or get more nutrition or something. If that were true, the writer would have a point. But since it's not, then wtf?
3-24-2011 @2:35PM Jen said... I used to be annoyed by the hype, but now I'm only bothered by the anti-gluten-for-everyone zealots. The people buying it just to try it are subsidizing the 1% who really need it. Also, I have a coworker whose wife has celiac disease, he adopted her diet in support, and found to his surprise that his minor digestive problems went away. We all probably have a handful of foods we don't react well to, at varying degrees, so I'm all for people experimenting (within reason), even if it's not bad enough to be a full-blown medical condition.
3-25-2011 @10:12AM Karen said... I knew of gluten free for decades because I am involved in the Autism community. Years ago, it was the new fad in that community and some claimed it did alter their Autistic childrens behavior for the better.
That being said, I was totally surprised just yesterday to see that my local grocery store has added a whole gluten free section. I think it's crazy to put yourself through that kind of extremely restrictive diet without a serious medical condition to justify it.
A very good friend of mine did it for her whole family in support of having her Autistic son on it. It lasted about 3 weeks and they found the benefits did not justify the restrictiveness. The behavior change for her son negligible.
3-27-2011 @12:18AM M. Uffins said... The thing is, it's not such a crazily restrictive diet nowadays, given how common gluten-free processed foods are. People whose idea of 'food' is of something that gets zapped in a microwave can buy versions of pizza, lasagna, donuts, hamburger buns etc. All of it several times more expensive than what most people eat, but more or less in line with other, gluten-containing health foods.
That said, unless you derive a digestive benefit from them, I don't know what the appeal would be, as they're all more or less either very different or inferior to the products being imitated.
Even for celiacs, very few of the specialty gluten-free products sold in stores represent a good value. A $4 loaf of rice bread is convenient, but something of a luxury compared to baking your own, or just using corn tortillas for everything :)
3-27-2011 @4:49PM Gluten-free for me said... This article is absolutely terrible and irresponsible. People who suffer with eating may read this and think that GF food is a "fad" and not try it becuase they are not CD. It is not just the 1% of the population who are CD people and need to be gluten-free; the CDC estimates an additional 6% of the US population is "gluten intolerant," meaning they do not have CD, but have improved physical and cognative outcomes after eating gluten free.
Additionally, everyone is right in that weight gain IS THE POINT of a gluten free diet. I recently met a 6 year old boy who, prior to becoming GF, gained two pounds in the last year. He was flunking out of the first grade and had no friends because hunger consumed his life. Last month, he swtiched to a GF diet. SInce then, he has GAINED six pounds, his grades have improved and he now has friends.
The article goes on to say GF food is expensive and can taste like cardboard, but that is changing. As the market grows, more and more food companies jump onto the bandwagon (General Mills, Betty Crocker, Simply Savory and Pillsbury have all introduced GF foods in 2010), flooding the market with product. Anyone taking high school Economics can tell you what these moron editors failed to mention - competition drives food costs DOWN and improves quality.
Next time you editors decide to write an article on ANYTHING, get your facts right!!
3-27-2011 @2:20PM Virgil said... You are correct! Additionally, I object to this because the newest studies are showing an alarming growth in the number of people that are becoming gluten intolerant, or developing celiac disease. They are now estimating that 1 in 20 adults with IBS are gluten intolerant. These articles need to keep up on the latest research.
I have been diagnosed as having IBS, lethargy, uncoordination, headaches, various skin issues, sensitive gums, and frequent kidney stones, by doctors. None put all the pieces together, but when I stopped all wheat, oat, barley, and other molecularly similar glutens, all the symptoms began clearing up. Time will tell, but I feel that gluten intolerance is much higher than reported, and the increase over the last few decades may be connected to more and more GMO in our diets...
3-23-2011 @2:41PM AintThatFresh said... re: conventionally grown vegetables with an outer skin. While that may be true, you're still encouraging pesticides to be pumped into the environment by supporting conventionally grown produce. I know not everyone can afford to buy organic produce, but for those that can, it's not a "rip-off" when you consider the impact your food has on the world as a whole.
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3-23-2011 @9:41PM QuarterSwede said... Organic pesticides are actually worse for you than the synthetic type. Look up the chemical composition and decide if you want to ingest it again. Most chem majors I know won't touch the stuff.
3-24-2011 @12:09AM Kris said... Very true. I was going to say the same thing. Articles like this seem to assume that everyone who buys organic food does so to avoid exposure to pesticides for their own personal health. I buy organic to encourage organic farming practices for all of our sake. If someone gave me a choice, (which would never actually happen in reality, I know) I would rather consume all conventional produce if it meant that ten other people who wouldn't have otherwise, would buy organic. This would give my child and all children a better chance at a healthy life.
3-25-2011 @10:27AM oldcrankyman said... Any who assume that "organic" means no pesticides should really do some research on the legal definition of organic. Organic products are mostly a ripoff unless you are able to buy them directly from the producer and see how they grow and prepare their products for market.
3-25-2011 @8:00AM Bill C said... I don't consider any Organic produce to be a rip-off, however, there are only some things I will buy organic. I kind of agree with the article in the sense that if you are going to throw away the skin then there you aren't getting as much bang for your buck when you go organic with something like a banana. I can't afford to buy all organic so I only get things like lettuce, apples, things you eat all of organic.