Whole Foods vs Trader Joes.....

[ilovesummer]

Would love to hear which people prefer....I am on a mission to find low sodium foods and I am really having a hard time...Went to the new Whole Foods yesterday and was underwhelmed...not many low sodium products and what they did have were almost 2x the price at other groceries...what am i missing????
Next I will try Trader Joe's and hope for the best!!!
As an aside,,,,is anyone else made crazy by the fact that EVERYTHING seems to have added sodium...Just having ketchup could take you a third (at least) of your way to your daily allowance.....and one wonders why heart disease is so prevalent in the US?????
thoughts???

[iL Divo]

prefer Whole Foods/ Capers to Trader Joes.
it's bigger and better, more for me to look at and enjoy.
oh sure it costs more usually but I don't buy a boatload at a time.

[caseyjo]

If you want to control the amount of sodium you're eating, you'll probably want to just make things from scratch. Add salt, of course, but you won't add as much as a processor would.

Celery, carrots, onion, garlic, chicken, steak, spinach, etc. are all low sodium foods. If it has a label on it, it probably isn't low sodium. The trick is buying real foods. Most grocery stores have real foods hiding somewhere. Whole Foods is pretty good about this, while I'm not too impressed by Trader Joe's produce and meat. Of course, the farmer's market is probably the best place to go if you want to know what's going into your body, because you can meet the people who produced the food.

As an aside, it's hard to isolate sodium as the factor that contributes to heart disease in the United States. The increase in sodium intake has coincided with many other changes (more processed foods, more carbs, pesticides, corn feed beef, high fructose corn syrup, corn in pretty much every food product produced). Yes, there is a correlation, but correlation does not equal causation.

[greygarious]

Celery is surprisingly high in sodium.

[ospreycove]

Talk about high Sodium look at the array of Ramen products at Whole Foods, organic, natural and HEAPS of Sodium!!!! Oh, but the packages have banners that state "No MSG", Organic, Natural, Etc, etc.Not only do you have to read labels but recognize the words and statements that are just marketing hype.

[cmcc42]

can you give some examples so those of use straying away from sodium can avoid these products?

[paulj]

Isn't the 'sodium' number on the nutritional label enough?

[cmcc42]

What I'm looking for are specific products so that I *can* refer to the label - or is 'ospreycove' indicating the entire "Ramen" product line is sodium high?

[gansu girl]

cmcc42 - pretty much any prepared ramen noodle soup I've seen at Whole Foods is extremely high in sodium . . . but with ORGANIC NOODLES! Whole Foods sells stuff w/o artificial colors and flavors, trans fats, etc. but it still sells junk food (bunnies, cookies, chips, ramen, etc. etc. etc.).

GG
http://www.semisweetonline.com

[paulj]

I could go to the old-school health food store in my neighborhood and find the same kinds of things. Organic, no-MSG, no-artificial etc is not the same as having the American Heart Association seal of approval. There many 'healthy' food fads, and some are even conflicting (e.g. vegetarian v low-carb). Some even question the benefits of a low-salt diet.

Unless a store is run by someone with a strong health-food ideology, you can expect them to sell products with different, and even conflicting, health claims. They sell what the customers want, not what the store's management thinks they should eat.

[caseyjo]

I definitely agree with this; organic cheese puffs made with artisan cheddar are still cheese puffs. It's up to the consumer to purchase foods that fit with their lifestyle and diet.

[MplsM ary]

But because of it's high potassium and diuretic quality it's very heart healthy.

[ospreycove]

Look at the nutritional info on most, if not all, Ramen Noodle dry instant, soups. You will be suprised. Salt is a diuretic........Remember as recently as the 1970s when Docs. reccommended gobbling salt pills for those who exerted themselves....no mo'.

[MplsM ary]

Celery ≠ pre-packaged ramen.

[Querencia]

Trader Joe's has some of the best low-sodium products I found in years of cooking for a heart-damaged husband. Examples: 1) Organic Marinara Sauce is very tomato-y and has 25 mg of sodium per 1/2 cup (name brands have up to 700). 2) The low-sodium chicken stock is excellent, and you can use it to make gravy. 3) Frozen entree of Orange Beef is much lower in Na than most prepared frozen items---I forget the number. And for the critics of low-sodium "because it doesn't taste good" here is reality: after a single high-sodium meal a heart patient can absolutely end up in the Emergency Room.

[cmcc42]

I actually prefer spicy to salty, and note they are of course not necessary mutually exclusive- you can get hot sauce that has sodium. However, I like pure unadulterated chilis, chili sauce, peppers, etc, and I find that often replaces the need for a good percentage of salt.

Incidentally, I don't like the Orange beef because the quality of the beef in my opinion is poor- very chewy and sometimes fatty.

[clubtraderjoes]

Trader Joe's does a much better job a telling you which of their foods are low sodium. Here is a list on line http://www.traderjoes.com/lists/low-sodium.asp you can download it as a PDF here: http://www.traderjoes.com/pdf/lists/list-low-sodium.pdf

Look for the Low Sodium logo (looks like a salt shaker) their products.

Steve

www.clubtraderjoes.com

[cmcc42]

That's helpful but a bit misleading for the customer, they have gobs of stuff on the list that shouldn't be there - olive oil, as a "low sodium" product? Lol. There's so many things on that list that would of course never contain or should not contain sodium as to make it actually harder to zero in on the items you're really interested in. Having said that, a quick look at frozen tells the tale - most of the items listed as low sodium are desserts, frozen fish and frozen veg - all things you would never expect to be loaded up with sodium (or at least, hope wasn't). Absent is a huge swath of frozen prepared entrees and meals, dozens actually. This is what makes the list misleading.

[pikawicca]

All processed foods have tons more salt in them than would occur in a homemade version. Try making your own tomato sauce and compare the amount of salt that you add to the sodium content of a commercial product. You will be shocked.

[paulj]

How many mg of sodium do you add to your tomato sauce? What's the conversion between mg of sodium and tsp of salt (and which kind of salt)? What should I do if I add salt by the pinch, tasting as I go?

Or conversely, how many tsp of salt are in a jar of tomato sauce?

[gansu girl]

ilovesummer - I'm confused about what you're after here - are you looking for pre-prep'd foods (either fresh or frozen)? If you are, then neither spot is great - and really, I'm not sure where you'd turn b/c most pre-prepared foods are loaded w/sodium, as you indicate. My vote is for making your own food whenever possible, and in that case, Whole Foods wins my vote. Their produce is much better and their selection of raw ingredients (grains, nuts, dairy, etc. etc.) is more extensive. I cook mostly from scratch and we have a de facto VERY low sodium diet here. When we go out or eat take-away or prep'd foods from Whole Foods/TJ's, our constant complaint is that it's too salty.

GG
http://www.semisweetonline.com

[cmcc42]

Yes, WF's produce is leaps better than Trader Joes. In fact, Trader Joe's produce and fruits often has quality control problems, and represents the biggest area for spoilage in the store. Of course, that's understandable to some degree since its highly perishable but I worked there as a part timer and nobody I met was impressed with their bags of lettuce, many of which are the same you get at any chain store. Their fruit is variable and returns for spoiled or rotten produce occurs frequently.

[cmcc42]

Actually, I find that the best store for fruit and produce outside Whole Foods in my area is Wegmans. They carry the best blueberries I ever had, and even have things like blood oranges, mangosteen and other hard to get items. Kings isn't bad but is a rip off.

[MplsM ary]

Whole Foods has some great low sodium products. Some at a premium. The no salt added beans are comparable in price to other beans in Minneapolis - $ .99 on sale. Cheaper to make your own but the convenience factor has pull, too. Still, be prepared - the can is only half full.

The best low sodium Whole Foods items? Water Crackers. I also like the bulk herbs and spices (in MSP our co-ops have as good or better selection and price).

[cmcc42]

Trader Joes does have some low sodium products, but these are eclipsed by the sheer number of foods with excessive amounts of sodium, especially frozen foods, many of which are incredibly laced with sodium. Some examples include chinese style dumplings which rack up about 500 mg sodium for 5 pieces, some of the pizzas have an entire daily allowance of sodium and are small enough to consume for one person, etc, etc. Trader Joes needs to revamp their frozen line up and get more low sodium versions in stock. They've done this already with soups, which had been the poster child for over the top sodium content. As far as a comparison between Whole Foods and Trader Joes, I find that Whole Foods blows the doors off Trader Joes when it comes to healthy offerings, including low sodium content. I do give Trader Joes credit for carrying products that do not include high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and for offering Gluten Free items, but it's not enough. They shine in their nuts, dried fruits, breads, snacks, and cookies. They fall down totally on their frozen.

[rworange]

Whole Foods is better and actually less expensive than TJ for nuts and dried fruit.

[cmcc42]

You might be right about that, however I like TJ's packaging including smaller bags of nuts which I don't see as much of at WF. I see a lot of larger sized plastic containers.

[fara]

what do you mean by low sodium? advertised as such? whole foods has a lot of fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, which are low in sodium. trader joes in my area is much worse for fresh items but has really cool frozen or packaged items- such as all natural berry pies with crumb topping or bake yourself frozen croissants. the more complicated or non dessert items are pretty much all high in sodium as indicated by the nutritional info. prepared food is genrally like this.

[rworange]

What food are you looking for? Canned, frozen, pre-made?

If all of those, probably TJ's is a bit better. If not, well, Whole Foods has a better selection of fresh produce ... so there you go. Personally, I just can't take the WF produce prices which are usually double of even the most farmers market items.

If looking to avoid salt, it is better to cook your own. People get addicted to salt. Until I married, I didn't even have a container of salt in the house. If you buy fresh, good-quality produce, meat and fish then when eating food with lots of salt, that is all you taste in pre-made food.

[cute_diva]

Check out Trader Joes- they have a lot of low sodium products. I like their Raisin Bran, both low sugar and sodium, which is hard to find in other brands....

[sueatmo]

I believe that salt restriction as therapy is losing believers these days. Better to balance everything by eating unprocessed food, and not adding salt at the table. If your family tends toward diabetes and heart disease, better to concentrate on lowering carbs and fat and get more exercise. Just my opinion.

WF does not do a good job with low carb, low fat or low sodium. I find some things there, for my low carb eating, but it isn't a specialty of theirs. I use WF as a second source of produce, bread and some dairy. My regular grocer does a better job of stocking "diet" products.

[MandalayVA]

Whole Foods doesn't do a good job with low carb? Last time I checked you could buy meat and vegetables there. There's low carb.

And no, salt is not the enemy. If you get rid of processed foods you can add salt pretty much as you like. Your body does a pretty good job of getting rid of excess sodium. If you're that worried increase your water intake.

As for WF vs. TJ, both are expensive and overrated.

[sueatmo]

OK. I do some low carb buying at WF weekly, including their celery, cottage cheese and ricotta and bread. However, I don't do the bulk of my shopping there, because I can find more low carb products at my regular grocer, which does a really good job with specialty foods. It is a balancing act eating low carb and low fat. I need at least 2 sources of food, plus a farmer's market this time of year. However I stand by what I stated previously, but perhaps I can say it more accurately. WF's emphasis is on organics and less processed foods. Their emphasis is not on "diet specialty" foods.

[virtualguthrie]

Trader Joe's is expensive? They're known as a bargain grocery store.

[ediblover]

Everything has sodium because everything tastes better with salt. This is culinary fact. WF is more about having whole and organic products. TJ is more about fun, tasty, pre-made stuff. You're really not going to find under-seasoned products there. A lot of products do have too much sodium (soups and sauces are probably the worst offenders), but that doesn't mean all packaged stuff is bad. A lot, like Heinz ketchup, have just the perfect amount.

Low salt means bland food. You can toss all the spices, acids and fat you want at it, but you're not going to find a good substitute for salt. Health wise, salt is not the enemy. Neither is sugar nor fat. The problem lies with a lack of self-control and discipline; people don't eat in moderation and lack the focus to exercise. One can enjoy good, properly seasoned food, in moderation and exercise as our bodies are meant to do, or one can keep pointing fingers. For food lovers, the choice is obvious.

[ilovesummer]

I have to respectfully DISAGREE with you on a few things:

1) Trader Joes actutually DOES have a great array of low sodium foods available...as well as a multi page list that they give out directing you to them!!

2) Salt IS the enemy and NOT due to lack of self control....Studies have shown most people who also salt their food consume between 6 and 8 thousand mg of sodium a day......don't use the salt shaker and most people still consume between 3 and 4 thousand mg of sodium a day. Anyone over 50 (health issues or not) should consume NO MORE THAN 1500 mg....others about 2400...
With a pile of ketchup for your fries coming in at over 500 mg.....people are UNAWARE of the hidden sodium....not lacking self control...

I agree tho that NOT ONE food is THE ENEMY and that everything in moderation....My concern is with all the hidden sodium that one never even thinks about...that adds up to more than anyone needs.....
and PS....Our bodies were NEVER meant to consume processed food!!!!

[ferret]

"Our bodies were NEVER meant to consume processed food!!!!"

What does that even mean? We should just stick to caveman diets? People bandy the word "processed" around like it's the ultimate evil but it is really a meaningless term.

[sueatmo]

I actually agree with you on this. Even whole wheat flour has been processed! Canned beans have been processed. The very best bread you ever ate has been processed. However, most people mean largely manufactured foods when they use the term "processed food." At least that is how I interpret the usage of the OP here. We do need a shorthand term for this. Do you have a better term in mind?

[ediblover]

Great, low-sodium food is an oxymoron. Out of the 5 tastes, salty is really the only one that has one source (salt). It's also the one that seems to enhance the others, so it goes well with everything.

Study this, study that. For every study that says salt is bad, there's another one that says salt isn't bad. Bringing either side up is rather pointless, unless it's just to show that we really don't know. Hard for people to be unaware of the salt in food when it's a very obvious taste/presence and it's labeled.

Just about everything in TJ's is processed food. And, I'd love to know how anyone knows what our bodies were meant to do and not do. If you believe in evolution, it'd mean you know the full biological/behavioral patterns of man, which includes the so-called missing link. If you believe in creationism, it'd mean you know what God is thinking.

Funny thing about basing everything on our ancestors... They were really, really active. After all, they were doing the whole hunter and gathering thing to survive. Are you as active as they were?