This post is by our blog team member Kiran. To learn more about Kiran, check out our team page or her blog, Easy Real Food!
It used to be that you had to visit a health food store to find real food. However, I’m pleased to say this is not the case anymore! This notion crossed my mind about six months ago when I was standing in line at a local CVS store and saw a whole section of Enjoy Life products. Lo and behold, this continued in the most random places—a welcome change for sure and a pleasant surprise! Here are four unexpected stores that you can now find real food (and this is not at all sponsored, just got us excited!)…
Real Food at CVS
We’re big fans of the Made in Nature brand (ahem—looks like others are too), so at first, I only noticed these. Then my eyes were drawn to the other snacks available…SuperSeedz (love these), Skinny Pop Mini Cakes (super for lunchboxes or snacking—we like the plain ones), and a few new ones (to me), including Nourish Snacks. Oh, and the above mentioned Enjoy Life—another fave! Since I personally think of CVS as being notorious for enticing you to grab extra things when you only came in for one thing, I was super happy to see these healthy and healthier options as add-ons.
Real Food at Walmart
I actually did a whole post on finding real food at Walmart, so I’m no stranger to this idea. However, I continue to be impressed with their offerings as new products arise, as I was to see both Tessamae’s Organic Ketchup & Mustard and Primal Kitchen’s Unsweetened Organic Ketchup. Plus, look at those prices!!
Real Products at Target
A slight bit off-topic, Target has been (thankfully) offering real food options for some years now, but we were delighted to find that they are also offering real product options for females as of recent. From organic tampons to a variety of menstrual cups (and btw—since when does Tampax make one??), we no longer have to order these products from an online source. Moreover, we can now pick them up should nature decide to vary up our cycles (hello forties) or when we don’t plan ahead and order ahead of time. Thank you, Target!
Real Food at 7-Eleven
If you follow 7-Eleven on Instagram (I actually don’t, but Nicole on our team sent us this), you’ll see that they’ve been touting their real food offerings, including ones shown in the following pic. I spy Siete grain-free tortilla chips, dairy free caramels by Cocomel, some “shroom” snacks (hmmm?), and a few others. While some are considered “treats” by our real food rules, they certainly are better options than we remember from this chain. Now the kicker: Nicole visited her local 7-Eleven to see what she could find since I don’t have one near me, and she didn’t have the same luck as what you see in the picture. What about you?
Truth be told, I did stop into a local gas station, camera in hand, and ready to capture an image of real food. Alas, I was disappointed and left empty-handed. That said, I’m grateful for the offerings that continue to pop up. I know that there are many other stores out there that I either missed or perhaps don’t know about or have near me. Let us know in the comments where you’ve been pleased by your findings! Oh and don’t forget, let’s keep voting with our dollars!
Brown Rice Pilaf with Golden Raisin and Almonds
Looks like the US is catching up. We could not believe the Whole Foods style sandwich/lunch options offered in Ireland gas stations while on the road this summer.
Slowly but surely! I LOVED the gas station food when I visited Europe. – Nicole
herbal products
So glad to see RX bars did not make your list of real foods. I see them put in the real food snacks category a lot.
What is wrong with Rx bars? I thought they were one of the better choices. What am I missing ?
Natural flavors, that’s what is wrong with RX bars. Companies use natural flavors as a way to add MSG to foods. Also natural flavors can have dozens of ingredients in them that do not have to be added to ingredients list. I strongly suggest researching how natural flavors are made and then decide for yourself if you want them in your body. Vani Hari, aka Food Babe has a good article on her website about natural flavors.I know Mrs. Leake has featured her on this website. Which is why I was so surprised that RX bars used to be touted as a great real food product on this site.
What is not-real about RXBars?
What’s wrong with rx bars??
Sheetz and Love’s have real food options too. When we are on the road I always look for one of those for snacks
Good to know!!
I agree! I can get a healthier lunch at Sheetz than at a fast food drive thru! I wish they weren’t only in the South.