How to buy grains for half the $

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Blog/Knowledge/How to buy grains for half the $

I was at the grocery store last night looking for quinoa because I’ve been craving stuffed peppers and want to use quinoa as part of the filling. My goal? Spend as little as possible without sacrificing quality.

As I scanned the quinoa brands, I was struck by how beautiful the packaging was. It’s amazing how packaging alone can make a product seem healthier than its competitors. Then, as I looked further to the right, I spotted a simple plastic bag of quinoa of the exact same quality as the expensive brands—for half the price! The packaging wasn’t fancy, but the price looked beautiful to me. Let’s dig into this.

What You're About To Discover:

Grain requirements

How to find the same grain for half the price

What packaging should say to ensure it's whole (with examples)

Grain Requirements

I have two requirements for grains to make sure I’m improving my health with every bite:

Grains need to be WHOLE – Non-negotiable.

Grains should be ORGANIC – This is negotiable. If it’s not available or too expensive, it's okay to skip the organic label.

How to find the same grain for half the $

Here’s the secret: head to the bulk section! Yesterday at Natural Grocers, I found the bulk section right on the grain aisle. It’s their own brand, and you can get the same products for much less. I picked up quinoa for half the price! Check this out:

This brand of quinoa is whole and organic, priced at $8.15 for 14 oz.

This one is ALSO whole and organic and was only $3.99 for 16 oz—two extra ounces for less than half the cost!

It was a great reminder: don’t get sucked in by fancy packaging.

What should packaging say to ensure it's whole?

The packaging needs to literally say the word whole on every ingredient. The other day, I picked up bread that claimed to have whole grains on the front, but after reading the label at home, I realized it had enriched flour and other additives. Sigh. Here’s how you can avoid my mistake:

Step 1: The packaging must have the word 'whole'.

Whole – If it says it "contains" whole ingredients, it probably has some non-whole ingredients, too.

'100% Whole' logo – Some products have this logo. You will find a picture of what this logo looks like in the next section.

Step 2: Check the ingredients list to ensure it’s 100% whole.

Every ingredient should have the word whole.

NOTE: Four important grain facts:

Quinoa is always whole, so you won't always see the word "whole" on the label.

Brown rice is always whole (white rice never is).

Flour is not whole unless it is explicitly stated on the packaging.

You can still enjoy bread, pasta, and other grains—just make sure they are 100% whole.

Packaging examples

Let’s review a box of spaghetti following the steps above:

Step 1: The packaging does say it’s whole!

Step 2: The ingredient list confirms it’s 100% whole!

Here’s what the “100% Whole” logo looks like, shown on ramen noodles made with whole grains:

Want me to review a Product?

Send it over! You can email it to hello@withoutstatins.com. Just send a picture of the packaging (front and back), and I’ll check for the word "whole" and the ingredient list and give you the thumbs up! 👍

Hi, I'm Alejandra

Founder Of Without Statins

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