Dietitian reveals the top 50 supermarket foods to buy immediately
There are more than 20,000 different food items in the average Australian supermarket – but these are the ones you should buy immediately.
Food
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With more than 20000 different food items in the average Australian supermarket, it should come as no surprise that things can get confusing.
There are weekly specials and an entire aisle dedicated to health food, along with new and exciting foods launched each and every week.
Imagine if you didn’t have to try and read the tiny labels each shop to try and identify which are the healthiest foods? Imagine if someone did all the hard work for you? The good news is, we have.
Here are the top 50 supermarket foods, rated nutritionally by a dietitian to help make your shopping experience as easy as possible.
Please note, this review includes foods that have some level of processing applied, and are in some way nutritionally superior to other comparable ranges rather than unprocessed whole foods such as eggs, milk and meat, in which all varieties have similar nutritional properties.
Bread
With a base of 18 per cent soy and linseed, this dense grain bread has an especially favourable ratio of good fats, including the plant form of Omega-3, along with more than 6g of dietary fibre per serve.
Tip Top 9 Grain Wholemeal sandwich
With a wholemeal flour base, along with 12 per cent wholegrains and added seeds, this bread offers strong levels of protein, dietary fibre and also good fats.
Wonder White 5 Star Soft Multigrain
With the goodness of grains and prebiotic fibre in a bread formulated to suit the preferences of children, this high fibre loaf ticks a number of key nutrient boxes.
Milk
Australia’s Own Cholesterol Lowering Milk
Low in fat, high in calcium and with the added bonus of plant sterols, this is a smart long life milk choice for anyone with high cholesterol.
One of a handful of milks that offer the addition of 2g of plant sterols, consumption of which two to three times daily can help to naturally lower cholesterol by 10 per cent.
Dairy Farmers Shape Milk
Low in fat and high in calcium means that this is a smart dairy choice for female milk lovers in particular.
Yoghurt
One of the few fruit yoghurts that contains no added sugar, and also clinically proven to support digestive health.
Chobani Naturally Light Greek yoghurt
Made with skim milk and cultures, this yoghurt is minimally processed and offers a creamy, high protein yoghurt with zero additives.
Farmer’s Union No Added Sugar Kids yoghurt
One of a small number of child friendly yoghurts that does not contain added sugars, and is especially high in calcium.
With a skim milk base and no added sugar, this yoghurt offers 15g of natural protein per pouch for fewer than 100 calories, making it a protein and calcium rich portion-controlled snack.
Cereals
With a wholegrain oat base, 18 per cent nuts and seeds, less than 5g of sugars per serve and almost 5g of dietary fibre, not only does this muesli taste great, but the nuts and seeds mix means it also offers a decent serve of good fats.
While sugar is listed as the second ingredient, with an 85 per cent whole wheat base and offering almost 12g of dietary fibre per serve, when it comes to digestive health, you really cannot go past a bowl of All Bran.
Vita Brits
One of the few breakfast cereals that contain little other than the wholegrains and no added sugar, it is hard to find fault with this naturally high fibre breakfast biscuit.
Cheese
With 12g of protein per 100g serve, cottage cheese is one of the most nutrient dense foods you can find in supermarkets and a great dietary addition – if you like it.
Low in calories and high in protein and calcium, this cheese contains just 16 per cent fat but retains the mouthfeel and flavour of regular cheese.
With just 16 per cent fat, compared to 30 per cent for the average sliced cheese, this option ticks the box on flavour in a high protein, calcium rich reduced fat cheese.
Crackers
With a nutrient rich, wholegrain base, clean ingredient list and no additives for very few calories, these are one of the best cracker options in supermarkets.
With a base of 95 per cent seeds, you cannot get a less processed cracker that is also a rich source of good fat than this range.
Made with just two ingredients, these high fibre crispbreads are especially good for digestive health thanks to their unique base of rye flour.
One of a handful of supermarket foods that offer plant-based Omega-3’s thanks to the addition of seeds, with a 100 per cent wholegrain base and 3g of dietary fibre per serve, these crackers are exceptionally strong nutritionally.
Oils
Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil
When it comes to the quality of the oil and antioxidant content which helps to protect the oil from damage when cooking, you can’t go past Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Another oil that is extremely rich in antioxidants and a great natural option to use as a dressing, in baking or for cooking thanks to its naturally high smoke point.
Fresh foods
Coles Perform Chicken Kale & Quinoa Soup
With 16 per cent chicken, 27g of protein and 8g of dietary fibre per 400g serve, this soup is one of the most nutritious pre-made meals in supermarkets.
For as little as $4.50 you can have two salad serves, with a wide range of salad vegetables that can easily be added to any meal.
Pitango Chicken & Vegetable Soup
With a clean ingredient list and a base of stock and vegetables, this tasty soup is a cost-effective way to enjoy a nutrient-rich soup that contains no added sugars or additives.
Tassal Hot Smoked Salmon Peppercorn
(The author is the resident dietitian at Tassal)
A convenient way to get a daily dose of Omega-3 fat in a tasty, portioned controlled serving size.
Convenient meals
Frozen meals made with minimal additives and offering high amounts of protein and controlled amounts of carbs.
With a clean ingredient list and strong amounts of carbs and protein, this is a perfectly balanced meal to grab on the go.
With one of the highest percentages of meat of all dumplings, and no added MSG, this brand offers a wide range of healthier dumpling options.
Sirena Ready to Eat Tuna Meals
With clean ingredient lists and a high percentage of wholegrain brown rice and tuna, you have a calorie-controlled meal on the go, which also offers good levels of protein and controlled amounts of carbs.
Staples
Made with just tomatoes, this product can be used with a multitude of dishes and sits at a very reasonable price point.
Maggie Beer Traditional Chicken Stock
While there are cheaper stocks on the market, few have such a clean ingredient list, and such a low amount of added salt.
Mingle Traditional Liquid Gravy
Low in calories and with a much cleaner ingredient list than traditional gravy offerings, you will get all the flavour minus plenty of fats and sugars with this range.
It tastes and looks the same as regular pasta but has double the fibre.
Freezer
Birds Eye Steam Fresh Fish Fillets
Offering 30g of protein per serve for less than 200 calories, this is one of the highest protein frozen fish options that tastes good.
Coles Kitchen Ancient Grain and Chickpea Medley
Any convenient vegetable mix that tastes great and encourages busy people to include more vegetables in their day is a great thing.
With a 97 per cent potato base in a delicious chip, it is rare to find such a high percentage of potato in a frozen chip option.
Woolworths Chicken Breast Fillets Garlic & Crumb
It is rare to find a crumbed chicken that contains more than 80 per cent chicken and remains so low in fat.
Ice-Creams/Ice Blocks
With a dairy base and containing less than 50 calories and less than 10g of sugar per serve, these portion-controlled frozen yoghurts are the perfect after dinner or school treat.
With a base of milk and probiotic yoghurt, for just 80 calories you have a delicious dessert treat with a fraction of the fat and sugar of regular ice-cream.
Snack food
Mainland On The Go Cheese and Crackers
Few of the cheese and cracker snack packs available include good quality crackers like this range does.
With a base of 85 per cent pumpkin seeds, this high protein snack is one of the few foods that offer the plant form of Omega-3 fats which are naturally extremely high in pumpkin seeds.
A tasty legume-based snack made from a simple mix of broad beans, oil and a little salt, you have a crunchy, nutritious alternative to potato chips that contains just over 100 calories and offers over 6g of dietary protein.
An easy way to add more iodine-rich seaweed into your diet, in a low calorie, tasty snack.
Table of Plenty Dark Choc Rice Cakes
Few rice-based snacks are made with a brown rice base, so this option provides a sweet, portion-controlled wholegrain snack with 5g sugars per serve.
General
Extremely high in antioxidants, pomegranate juice is one of a handful of foods that has been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body.
Carman’s Almond Hazelnut and Vanilla Nut Bars
With a 62 per cent nut base and less than 5g of added sugars per serve, this bar has one of the cleanest ingredient lists of all snack bars in supermarkets.
Hard to find, with an 80 per cent beetroot base, this is one of the lowest calorie dips you can find.
A rich, natural source of calcium for those who do not include dairy in their diet.
Mayver’s Pure Goodness Everything Spread
A mix of nuts and seeds that will add a daily serve of good fat to your diet.
Susie Burrell is a dietitian and nutritionist and holds a Master’s degree in coaching psychology
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