Not Organic? Not a Problem
As my regular readers know, I’m a big advocate of going organic as much as possible. At the same time, though, I’m not blind to the fact that we’re not always going to be able to eat organically. In these instances, I like to look for foods that contain all-natural ingredients, yet aren’t organic per se. Here are five of them:
Mangano-Approved Conventional Cereal: Post Shredded Wheat
It doesn’t get much more pure than 100 percent whole wheat. And that’s just what you’ll find with Post Shredded Wheat, whether in the bite-size or full biscuit form. One and one-fourth cup has about six grams worth of fiber, and 40 grams of slow-burning complex carbohydrates. Splash it with a generous shot of almond milk for a truly nutrient-dense breakfast bowl.
Mangano-Approved Conventional Snack Bar: Larabar Pecan Pie
I eat these all the time. They’re great as a snack “on the go,” or as a guilt-free indulgence to enjoy from the comfort of home. Sure, they may be high in fat (14 grams) but mostly the unsaturated kind that’s plentiful in pecans and almonds. What’s more, pecans—the primary ingredient in their Pecan Pie variety—contains more antioxidants than any other nut. Larabar also has a cashew, pistachio, and peanut butter variety.
Not so “nuts” for nuts? No problem. Larabar has plenty of other delectably delicious flavors, like Cocoa Mole, Chocolate Coconut Chew, and Ginger Snap.
Mangano-Approved Conventional Peanut Butter: Peanut Butter & Co. No-Stir Natural Peanut Butter
The more well-known peanut butters on the market today, like Jif and Skippy, are loaded with fillers like partially hydrogenated oil. The only oil that the peanut butter from Peanut Butter & Co. contains is the oil that comes straight from the peanut itself. You can buy the kind where the oil and peanut butter separate, or their new “no-stir” variety.
Mangano-Approved Flavored Water: Hint Essence Water
Think there’s no such thing as a naturally-flavored water? Then apparently you can’t take a hint – literally. This all-naturally flavored water is produced by a San Francisco, CA based company, but the eponymously named product contains more than a “hint” of fantastic fruity flavor. Whether it’s their conventional flavors like Hint Lime and Hint Watermelon, or their more exotic flavorings like Hint Honeydew Hibiscus and Hint Hibiscus Vanilla, Hints are loaded with delicious, minus the artificial ingredients and calories.
Mangano-Approved Conventional Rice: Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Whole Grain Brown
To be honest, I’d opt for quinoa over rice any day, but for a healthy dose of carbohydrates that’s quick and easy to make, you can’t beat Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice. A serving takes a mere 90 seconds to whip up, and the all-natural oils (canola oil and/or sunflower oil), help make each and every rice kernel a tender treat.
So there you have it: Five fantastic foods that aren’t organic per se, but are pretty darn close. There are lots of others, of course. A good rule of thumb to follow in determining a product’s “naturalness” is if the ingredient listing is short. The fewer the ingredients, the better.
Sources
eatthis.womenshealthmag.com
unclebens.com
larabar.com
ilovepeanutbutter.com
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