8 foods not worth the extra money

I use extra-virgin olive oil liberally and indiscriminately. It goes into salad dressings and marinades, I drizzle it into the blender for hummus, dump it on vegetables for roasting and smear it over cast iron pans for seasoning (which is why I’d be broke if I bought expensive brands). Fortunately, many brands of “extra virgin olive oil” exist for under £5 per liter. Pricier versions can range from £10 to £30 per liter and beyond. If you do buy a more expensive brand, don’t waste it on high-heat cooking, where it can lose its flavor. Rather, use it sparingly as a “finishing” oil. 

I can certainly tell dreadful coffee from good coffee, but I have tasted excellent “budget” coffee (from Whole Foods, for example). The more expensive brands can be £15 and upward. Whole Foods even has a policy of only stocking coffee that has never been treated with pesticides—even the non-organic varieties.  Keep in mind, this recommendation is coming from someone who believes one should never spend more than £15 for a “great” bottle of wine.

See Also: Healthy eating A-Z

I make a lot of omelets and quiches, into which I toss cheese with abandon. Parmesan is by far my favorite. When I eat it uncooked I can certainly taste the difference between Parmigiano Reggiano, the pricier option, and cheaper ones. But once it’s in a dish, I can’t tell. You can get an excellent domestic Parmesan for about 50 percent less.

See Also: Healthy eating A-Z

My two great fears in life are death and being denied access to a salt. As a frequent cook who eats limited amounts of processed food, the only salt I get is whatever leaves the shaker. Like olive oil, I save the more expensive sea salts for “finishing” a dish and buy the unrefined, 100 percent pure sea salt for 79p per 350g (the more expensive kinds can be around £1.99 per 250g). 

See Also: Healthy eating A-Z

Similar to thick-skinned produce, nuts and seeds are grown with shells, protecting them from bugs and disease. This means I don’t think the organic versions are worth the premium. Non-oragnic cashew nuts seeds, for example, can be found at around £1.49/100g (£14.90/kg) versus £2.29/150g (£15.27/kg) and upward for the packaged organic version. The one exception I make is for almonds—I discovered an imported Italian variety that is so superior that I’ll (sadly) never go back to homegrown.

See Also: Healthy eating A-Z

Many people have embraced tap water and stopped buying “still” bottled water, but sparkling is still a temptation. Among bottled brands there is little difference in taste between lower priced brands such as Poland Spring (which you can find for under $1) and Perrier, for example, which is twice the price. Another economical option is an electric DIY contraption, which converts tap water to sparkling in seconds. It’s about $150, and could pay for itself within months.

See Also: Healthy eating A-Z

You’ll pay more for organic and more still for organic farmer's market milk. I think it’s worth it. I buy only farmer's market milk (un-homogenized!), and the taste is radically different from store bought. If you don’t have access to a market, I would still choose organic. Organically raised cows are not given routine antibiotics and hormones, which although the industry claims are not present in the milk itself, I would not take any chances on. If you do choose organic, I would also highly recommend looking for “pasteurized” and avoiding “ultra heat pasteurized”.

I believe that a hen who spends time outdoors and is not trapped in a cage is going to produce healthier eggs. This kind of lifestyle, though, is going to be reflected in the price. My eggs from the farmer's market come from hens that are “pastured,” but if you can’t find “pastured” eggs, I would still buy organic. Organic may be twice the price of conventional and “pasture raised” hens, but it’s worth it.

See Also: Healthy eating A-Z

Though it is twice the price, if you can find grass-fed beef, I feel strongly that the nutritional value is higher than pure grain-fed, conventionally-raised beef. I would also look for organic pork and chicken that have been raised without antibiotics and hormones. Like milk and eggs, I believe a farmer's market is your best bet for quality meats, but if not, ask the butcher which brands are the most “clean” and ideally which brands give their animals most access to the outdoors.

See Also: Healthy eating A-Z

If you’re going to indulge, don’t waste time (or calories!) on anything less than the best. That “best” for me, lately, has been the discovery of raw chocolate. Lest you believe that raw means tasteless, quite the opposite. Some brands do taste like sweet sawdust, but others have the texture of a brownie, the flavor of rich hot chocolate, and higher levels of antioxidants (because the chocolate is not roasted) than blueberries. A bar of raw chocolate is about twice the price of even the premium bars, but the experience pays for itself. 

See Also: Healthy eating A-Z

It was not until I spent time in San Francisco and discovered how much better truly “fresh” tofu is than factory created, pasteurized tofu, that I was a convert. It’s more expensive and not always easy to find, but look for smaller producers at the grocery store as well as the word “fresh” or “unpasteurized” on the label.

See Also: Healthy eating A-Z