Grocery Store Buying Guide for Healthy Eating in 2022 {35 Products and Brands}

There are so many products on the market in 2022 to make weight loss easier, without feeling deprived. This grocery shopping guide outlines the current products I’m loving to stay on my plan in 2022.

Print the PDF of this guide here

Grocery Store Product Guide

I get it! If you are like me, you love food in a way that it interferes with your weight loss goals. How is it possible to control your appetite when there is so much delicious food in your face, tempting you constantly?

If you are trying to get healthier, but your love for food seems to be your biggest roadblock, there is hope!

I’ve found myself relying on these grocery store finds to still enjoy food, without all the calories. The food on this list has kept me satisfied and less tempted to indulge in the “real thing”, all year long!

Foods I’m currently buying that support my weight loss goals:

The majority of your grocery basket should come from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and meats. Beyond that, this grocery shopping guide outlines the current products I’m loving to stay on my plan in 2020. This shopping list is for those packaged, processed food, that help your food taste great, and will make you feel like you are indulging!

Also, I made this list printable if you want to take it to the store!! PRINT THE PDF HERE!

Disclosure: While not every item on this list can be found on Amazon, when it is on Amazon, I’m including an affiliate link! Thanks for your support.

1. Walden Farms Syrup– I love this syrup! For zero calories, I use it to flavor up my morning oats, top my healthy pancakes or waffles, and even drizzle it in my plain Greek yogurt. So good and available at most grocery stores, and health food stores.
2. Cookies and Cream Protein Powder- I have tried so many protein powders over the past year, and I keep coming back to this classic (you can find it at your local Costco store). The Combat, cookies and cream protein. It’s 140 calories per scoop, and it honestly has the best taste, for the best price, of all the protein powders I’ve tried. I either mix it with almond milk, or I stir it into Greek yogurt. (my cookies and cream dip with the yogurt is here) When I buy vanilla protein powder, it’s the Optimum nutrition brand here (also Costco)
3. Sugar free pudding mix– The Jello brand (or store brand) sugar free pudding mix has been a life saver for me when I’m craving dessert. I add it to plain Greek yogurt (tastes exactly like pudding-but with almost 20 grams of protein!) I add it to my protein shakes (pistachio if I have only vanilla protein, or cheesecake or white chocolate if I have cookies and cream). It thickens up a protein shake like pudding. I also include it in some recipes, like this pumpkin pie pudding. Available at most supermarkets in the US at least.
4. Sugar free Jello- You can buy pre-made sugar free jello in the cold section of your store, but it’s not very cost effective. You get 4 teeny tiny cups that I can eat in a single bite. I prefer using the dry mix, and I cut back on the water to make my Jello thick like jigglers. I love some sugar free jello to eat with or after dinner. And this does not have to be the Jello brand. I like the store brand too.
5. Healthy Noodle – Of all the low, almost no-calorie pasta brands, the Healthy Noodle brand you can find at Costco stores is hands down, the best one! Hopefully more grocery stores will get this soon! For only 25 calories per serving, their website says: “That means it is not only a sugar free noodle but also Gluten free, Dairy free, Fat free, Cholesterol Free and very low in Carbohydrates and calories — a perfect fit for many dietary restrictions.“
6. Livia Noodle– This pasta is my second choice if I’m not going to Costco. I can find the Livia brand at my local grocery store, Macey’s. It’s more affordable than the Healthy Noodle at the Costco stores, and it’s shelf stable. I keep this one in the pantry, and the Healthy Noodle brand goes in the fridge.
7. If you can’t find either brand of low calorie noodles (which I haven’t in about 6 months), I have been using Miracle Noodle! This one isn’t that bad either!
8. Peanut butter powder– Just in the past year, I’ve seen an explosion of brands that sell peanut butter powder. While I only buy the PBFit because they are at Costco and they happen to be a local company, I’m pretty confident all the brands are similar. I like the Peanut butter powder mixed with water and spread on granola bars, or rice cakes. I also of course like it added to Greek yogurt (it seems as if I add a LOT of things to Greek yogurt! ha!)
9. Kodiak cakes– Kodiak cakes has become a household brand for anyone involved in the physique/body building world, and the popularity has crossed over into the general population. Marketed to be a high protein pancake mix, this brand delivers! Not only do they taste great, the macros are spot on, and the versatility of the mix is unmatched! I’ve made cookies, waffles, pancakes, muffins, and more. I love this mix! You can find this at Costco and literally every single grocery store you enter.
10. Xantham gum– While this product isn’t a necessity, I do like to have it on hand to make protein fluff (my strawberry protein fluff recipe is here)! It can be used in gluten free recipes to make things elastic and act as a binding agent.
11. G Hughes Sugar free BBQ sauce – I found this BBQ Sauce after turning every bottle of BBQ sauce over to see the calories during one of my grocery trips. Not knowing how it tasted, I chose G Hughes because it only had 5 calories per tablespoon! Even if I didn’t LOVE it, I wanted to use it. But, luckily, I also LOVED the taste! It’s my new go-to BBQ sauce.
12. Quick Oats– I eat oatmeal every single day. That’s why I love 1 minute quick oats. I start with 1/3 cup oats (for 100 calories). I add 2/3 cup water. I cook it in the microwave for 1 minute. I take it out to cool for a second while I add cinnamon and vanilla extract. Return to the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir again and add a sweetener like Tasty shakes, zero calorie sugar, or sugar free syrup. And then return for the final 30 seconds!
13. Tasty Shakes – For oatmeal, maple & brown sugar and apples & cinnamon are my favorite. These are only 10 calories per serving and makes plain oatmeal taste AMAZING! Beyond oatmeal, I’m determined to find some other ways to use these sweet seasonings.
14. Feast mode seasonings– While I use the Ranch Feast Mode most often, this cinnamon Honey butter is so good! In full disclosure, I bought some of these for $5 per bottle when they were at a local expo, and I’m not sure that I would ever pay full price. While they are great, someone has got to have a cheaper alternative? Or even a copy cat recipe? HMU if you know of any, because they really are so good on veggies, toast, popcorn and more.
15. Kernel seasonings– My LATEST obsession! Honestly, I wish I never knew about this because one bowl of popcorn isn’t usually enough. I always want more. My favorite is kettle corn, caramel, white cheddar, and cheddar caramel. The lid says to also use them in yogurt, and pancakes, which I haven’t tried yet.

15. Built Bars- One thing that stops me from eating protein bars, is the calories. They are usually 250+ if they taste good. That was, until I found Built Bars! Built bars are only 110 calories. They don’t taste like traditional protein bars. I think they taste better! They were hard to find at my regular grocery store, but I always find them at nutrition or health food stores. Amazon has some, and here’s an affiliate link to the built bar store .
16. La Banderita Carb Counter Flour Tortilla – I did a whole post on low calorie tortillas here. At the time, my favorite was the Maya brand, but I’ve since switched to the La Bandarita carb counter flour tortilla at 45 calories each! You really can find this at almost every grocery store. It’s WORTH the money!! LOVE THESE.
17. Harpers homemade bran bread– Unfortunately, this bread might not be at your grocery stores. I can find it at my Walmart and Associated food stores, but it’s hit and miss. I can not deny it’s my favorite bread! It tastes delicious, only has 80 calories, and 5 grams of fiber per slice.
18. Lakanto monk fruit sweetener– A zero calories sugar, I use this in a lot of recipes. This sugar is made with Erythritol. You can find it at any major grocery store, Amazon, or even Costco- which is where I tried it for the first time.
19. Skinny Pop 100 calorie popcorn– Because portion control can be impossible with delicious food, I love single serving packages, like this Skinny Pop. If you’ve ever had a huge Costco bag of Skinny Pop, where they brag about it only being 39 calories per cup, you will know that you never eat one cup. In fact I could eat 400 cups out of the big Costco bags. So, instead, I buy (even though it costs more), the Skinny Pop, 100 calorie bags. Without more popcorn, I won’t over eat! (check out the popcorn experiment I did with my kids here)
20. Quaker Rice Cakes– I like Rice Cakes! I like them plain. I like them with toppings. People turn their noses up at rice cakes because they feel like a diet food. So, I guess I like diet foods! It definitely doesn’t feel like diet food to me, when you can top them with so many yummy things. I did a round up of my favorite protein toppings on rice cakes here.
21. Quaker Rice Crisps– Like the Skinny Pop, the single serving Rice crisps are the best! When you like the Cheddar or caramel flavored rice crisps, it’s nice to limit the portions to under 100 calories. I always have these on hand and I take them hiking or to have in my car for after a long run.
22. Dave’s Killer Bread thin sliced– For most bread, weight is the biggest predictor of calories. That’s why I appreciate that Dave’s Killer Bread keeps the same yummy bread, but slice it thinly so you can get it for 70 calories per slice. (check out my favorite grocery store low calorie breads here)
23. Crystal Light (Strawberry with Caffeine) – Trying to wean myself from Diet Coke, I started drinking Crystal Light with caffeine, and WOW! I like it a lot!
24. BCAA’s –Xtend Strawberry Kiwi or Fruit Punch– When I started my bikini prep, I started to take BCAA’s. Although my new coach does not have me taking this anymore. (there really isn’t a whole lot of evidence suggesting it has benefits) However, I still like it as a drink. Granted, it’s an expensive drink, but I feel like mentally it’s making my muscles bigger! lol.
25. Alpine Sugar free apple cider– This cider is only 15 calories per cup! I drink it warm, at the end of the day. It serves as an endcap to a day of eating. I feel like after drinking a mug of hot cider, I don’t go back to the kitchen to graze on more food. And for that, I love it!
26. Nestle Fat free hot chocolate– Although I like the cider better, this hot chocolate isn’t too bad. It has 25 calories per cup. Nestle also has a sugar free hot chocolate, which is NOT good. But the fat free one I like.
27. Bolthouse Farms Ranch dressing– You will see this dressing in almost every salad I make and share. As far as low calorie dressings go, I’ve tried MANY, and none of them even come close to the great taste of the Bolthouse Ranch! (see my favorite Grilled Chicken salads here)
28. Olive Garden Light Italian– My second favorite healthy dressing is the Olive Garden Light Italian. It has it’s place (when I don’t want Ranch), and tastes great! I find this with all the other dressings at the store.
29. Butter flavored Cooking spray– I need stock in Butter Flavored cooking spray! I put it on popcorn, and I cook with it CONSTANTLY. I rarely use oil or butter in a skillet. Eggs, vegetables, and even chicken gets cooked in butter flavored spray.
30. Egg whites in the carton– Costco really is the best place to purchase egg whites. I have done the math though, and in most grocery stores, it’s actually cheaper to buy eggs and separate them yourself. We also have chickens that are laying eggs now, so I don’t have to buy the cartons as often. But it is convenient!
31. Nonfat Plain Greek yogurt– The store brand is good. The Kirkland Costco brand is great! Nonfat plain Greek yogurt is the easiest way to reach my protein goals for the day. With 100 calories, and 17 grams of protein per serving, I can’t live without it!
32. Canned pumpkin– While I use canned pumpkin in recipes, I also like to stir it into Greek yogurt, or add it to a vanilla protein drink. It can taste great just by adding some pumpkin pie spice and something to sweeten it up.
33. Almond milk, vanilla, unsweetened. The vanilla unsweetened kind of almond milk only has 30 calories per cup. I have this on hand to blend protein powder, rather than using water or regular milk. It tastes better than water, and has fewer calories than regular milk.
34. Light butter (Country Crock)- The light butter is a healthier alternative to full fat butter. I realize no one thinks full fat butter is bad for you anymore, but it does come with double or triple the calories! Might as well save a little here.
35. Turkey bacon– I just started adding Turkey bacon to my breakfast this year. I don’t care for fatty bacon, but the turkey bacon has a nice, salty crisp to it, that goes perfectly with my scrambled eggs!
36. Riced cauliflower- A big bag of frozen riced cauliflower can be so versatile. I generally use it in dinner meals that have rice, to give my rice more volume, without the calories. Walmart and Costco both have this in the frozen vegetable aisle. I just buy the store brand. Cauliflower is cauliflower, am I right?

That’s my current list! I know this will change by season as I get tired of certain foods, and learn about new foods. But for 2022, it’s pretty much what’s in my pantry right now!

If you like this, you might also like

• My Healthy Grocery List for Weight Loss {with Printable PDF}
• Shop
• 1 Minute Microwave Homemade Parmesan Crisps
• Easy Protein Cake Balls {Tastes like Cake Pops!) 123 calories
• Healthy Cheesy Chicken Dip Recipe