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We received a question recently from a Paleo Plan reader about how best to shop Paleo at Walmart (or any conventional grocery store for that matter), which is the only grocery store in that person’s town.
We know it can be challenging to stick to the Paleo tenets of clean, real, non-toxic foods at conventional grocery stores, so here are some tips to keep it Paleo.
1. Produce
Walmart sometimes has certain organic fruits and vegetables, whether they’re in the frozen section (totally acceptable), fresh section (also totally acceptable) or canned (not as good, but if it’s just the vegetable and water, it’s better than nothing.
So, knowing those things, pick your fruits and veggies wisely. If they’re organic, that’s great. If they’re not, please refer to this list of the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen” for info on how much pesticide residue each kind of produce contains. With some fruits and veggies it doesn’t really matter if it’s organic (like avocados), but with others it really does (like strawberries).
The best option is to find local sources of fruits and veggies at farms around your area, and many of them will deliver to you or a home close by yours if you invest in a CSA. You can find those services at www.eatwild.com.
2. Meat and Eggs
As for meat, there may be some Walmarts out there that truly have high quality, grass-fed/pasture-raised meats and eggs, but we’re going to assume that many of them don’t. If it says “Organic” on it or “Grass-Fed” or “Pastured” then go ahead and buy it.
However, if you have space for an extra freezer anywhere in your house, you’ll do yourself and your bank account a favor by buying properly raised local meat in bulk from a rancher near you. There are thousands of local sources of meat and eggs, even in the most rural areas! They can also be found at www.eatwild.com.
3. Hard-To-Find Items
For those hard-to-find items, remember there’s always Amazon Prime, which means that when you pay a small yearly fee to Amazon you get free 2-day shipping on all of your purchases (coconut milk, coconut oil, Paleo snack bars, nuts and seeds, etc.).
Hope that helps with your shopping challenges!
