Nowadays, consumers are in dilemma too much food and products but less quality and nutrition. Population can not grow quick enough and people can not eat more everyday, how can food conglomerate grow its sale more than 10% per year?

You should be cautious with colorful boxes and attractive ads, just choose the right foods.

Simple tips

• Search and read to know what you should buy to eat and drink from trusted source (Gov, Medical Journal, Book…). Know the ingredients and its source
• Organic or wild products are the best but most expensive. Frozen, dried, canned, on sale or soon expiry is cheaper than fresh one.
• Non-organic: Choose thick and hard shell or cover like avocado, citrus, corn (non GMO), etc. or peeled one like tomato/ peach, etc.
• True free range meat, egg, diary: pasture raised, free to roam outdoor, low density (under 2,000 hens per hectare, not 10,000 hens like many misleading “free range” eggs)
• Original or little process, low salt/ sugar / addictives like wholemeal grain/ bread, cold press vegetable oil, fermeted foods like sourdough, kefir, sauerkraut, etc.
• Best bang for the buck: quality product on sale (50% or more), odd bunch, nearly expired products sale.

Best places to buy

• Supermarket like Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, IGA, Costco, Harris Farm, Asian grocery (like Tongli), Amazon
• Local stores and markets: Organic grocery, organic weekend market, local store, local seafood store, local butcher, local farm

Most supermarket run weekly deals half price or sepcial start every Wednesday, hot deals are always gone quick.

• Woolworths best at variety, organic (Macro fressh, frozen, canned), odd bunch
• Coles best some organic/ wild product can’t find elsewhere (Alaskan salmon), nearly expired products / reduct to clear, late night sale to clear
• ALDI lowest price in general, organic milk, wild prawn, etc. Cons: no half price sale
• Costco best at bulk buy, imported products (wild seafood, wagu beef, etc.). Cons: Few stores and member fee
• Amazon good on sale, big bag or bulky product with free delivery
• Facebook markdown group: Markdown addicts
• Facebook marketplace local and good deals to find. Cons: quality or scam

Other places that you can sometimes find a good deals

• IGA small, some nearly expired products sale
• OzBargain some real deals and real buyers review
• Grocerize Woolworths & Coles deals summary, but not comprehensive list, member fee may apply
• Cashrewards Some online grocery deal

Fruits and vegetables

Fresh ones

Most fresh produce under Macro brand (home brand of WW), must check at local store for availibility

Frozen ones

You can check online or in store for best frozen organic veggies and fruits at Woolworths

Some of best frozen organic vegetable and fruits, price may change, click to see

Organic products at Coles

Grains

There are many options from organic to wholemeal products, raw or ready to eat like seeds, flour, pasta, bread.

With ready to eat products, you should check the ingredients.

I don’t like products that are made from too many ingredients (over 10) and some of them make me uncomfortable to eat, example Emulsifier https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jun/29/the-truth-about-emulsifiers-gut-health-microbiome

I would like to select small brand Nana bakery in Belmore, Sydney with less ingredients: Wholemeal Wheat Flour (88%),Water, Yeast, Iodised Sea Salt, Vitamins (Thiamin, Folate). However, small suppliers sometimes mean inconsitence in term of quality.

Nuts

Best for snacks or school box

Legumes

Legumes are healthy plant base protein and fiber.

Woolworths beans range is the best, just mix with salad, wrap, whatever you can eat, it is easy and quick.

Some people may find beans, legumes, and lentils that cause some minerals absorption and digestive distress as its high fiber (insoluble) high gas production, bloating, and constipation effect.

Try it a little over time, seek professional advice if needed. Many healthy diet and longevity community loves legumes. Organic dried beans or canned beans without salt and preservative are the best options.

Proteins

What I love

• Seafood: wild caught prawn, fishes like sardines, small tuna (skipjack), Alaskan salmon, mussels, hoki. Fresh, frozen, or canned in springwater are all best and easy to find at supermarket
• Some imported seafoods at local shop, Costco or Asian grocery like frozen oyster, wild caught fish and prawn, kelp or seaweed
• Poutry and eggs: Organic or true free range, pasture-raised with low density under 2,000 hens per hectare
• Dairy like milk, cheese: organic, grassfed and pasture-raised products
• Red meats buy and consume less: organic, grassfed and pasture-raised products or wild product like Kangroo meat

Woolworths

• Organic meat
• Wild caught

Coles

• Organic meat or Grass feed
• Wild caught

Some wild Alaskan salmon products

Poutry and eggs

You need to read and choose wisely for healthy product. “Free range” concept is too vague, best term should be free to roam, pasture- raised hens with specific hens per hectare, best practice is under 2,000 hens per hectare.

Popular Pacefarm “Free range” egg without any specific hens per hectare on box. So, we should expect just around 10,000 hens per hectare to qualify Australian free range standard and on Pacefarm website. I wish Pacefarm can provide like Webcam to watch their hens like other farm below.

It is worth to pay extra for better eggs like Hunter Valley (950 hens/ha, easy to find at Asian grocery), or Supermarket eggs from Sunny Queen (1,500 hens/ha), Manning Valley (2,500 hens/ha)

Sunny Queen eggs

Manning Valley eggs with live webcam to watch their hens free to roam

Dairy and alternatives

Organic milk and yogurt: Best Aldi

Organic cheese: Best Cheedar cheese at Coles

Woolies, Coles, Aldi has it own organic soy milk.

You can find milk review by Australian here.

Always carefully check the ingredient before buying and drinking. Below is Macro organic soy milk

Fats and oils

Cold pressd vegetable oils like olive, avocado are best, they should has harvest date as well. They are best to eat raw or salad mix.

If you cook with oil, must check smoking point, avocado oil has higher smoking point than olive.

You should not or consume very minimum animal fat like ghee or unhealthy cooking method with high temperature deep fry, frying, roasting.

You should get enough healthy fat from fatty fishes like sardines, mackerel, wild salmon, nuts.

Cobram olive is quite popular and often offer half price sale

Other cold pressed oils, avocado and macadamia among the best

Gress feed ghee for high tempeture frying 250 Celcius degree. You should consume it at mimium.

Drinks

Eay tips

• No small bottles drink as too many plastic rubbish. Buy stainless steel bottle and bring your own water or refill at park
• Tea: No tea bag as microplastic and rubbish. Buy loose leaf tea, oragnic one is best
• Coffee: Buy whole beans or grind roasting within 3 weeks. Aldi beans are the best. Or buy freeze dried instant coffee only, avoid other soluable / instant coffee as they often contains too much sugar and additives rather than true coffee.

Loose Leaf Tea at Woolworth

	Product	PRICE
1	Nerada Loose Leaf Tea 250g	$3.60
2	Bushells Blue Label Loose Leaf Tea 250g	$3.90
3	Bushells Extra Strong Leaf Tea 250g	$4.00
4	Twinings English Breakfast Loose Leaf Tea 125g	$7.50
5	Twinings Russian Caravan Loose Leaf Tea 125g	$7.50
6	Twinings Earl Grey Loose Leaf Tea 125g	$7.50
7	Madura Black Leaf Tea Organic 150g	$7.70
8	Madura Green Leaf Tea Organic 150g	$7.70
9	Madura English Breakfast Leaf Tea 200g	$7.15
10	Madura Earl Grey Leaf Tea 200g	$7.15
11	Lipton Quality Black Leaf Tea Intense 100 Pack	$7.80
12	Dilmah Premium Quality Loose Leaf Tea 250g	$7.50

Coffee beans at supermarket only ALDI with Lazzio brand can drink as it is fresh.

Or you can find good deals on Ozbargain

In summary

Best

• Organic veggies, fruits, grains, meats, egg, dairy: Fresh, frozen, dried, canned, nearly expired date
• Wild caught seafoods: Fresh, frozen or canned
• Grass feed, pasture-raised meat and eggs
• Organic canned legumes

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