side dish buying guide

There are lots of side dish options to help make meals come together quickly; you just need to know how to choose those healthier ones. Since the sides category includes all types of vegetables, grains, and starches, specifics will vary, but these are the general guidelines that I follow.

INGREDIENT LIST

RECOGNIZABLE INGREDIENTS: If you were making this side at home from scratch, would most of these ingredients be in it?

MINIMAL INGREDIENTS: Typically the shorter the list, the better.

SODIUM

≤350mg per serving (ideally ≤300mg)

OVERALL NUTRIENT PROFILE

Similar (or at least relatable) to the primary food the side is based. For example: The nutrient profile for brown rice pilaf should be comparable to that of an equal amount of cooked brown rice.

TRANS FATS

Avoid trans fats by checking the Nutrition Facts, but also check the ingredients to avoid “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” oil. Keep saturated fat to ≤4 grams per serving.

MY REGULAR WEEKLY SIDE DISH PURCHASES

There’s no way to list all the healthy options at the grocery, but these are some of my regular purchases. Use this as guidance to get started, not a definitive list of what to buy or not buy.

• Prewashed containers of leafy greens

• Ready-to-cook bags of fresh broccoli florets, green beans, and other veggies

• Steam-in-bag frozen grains, vegetables, or blends of the two

• No-salt-added canned beans

• Ready-to-heat cooked whole grains

• Chopped salad mixes

A FEW BRAND-SPECIFIC FAVORITES

• Green Giant Fresh Spaghetti Squash

• Trader Joe’s Riced Cauliflower

• Veggie Noodle Co. Zucchini Spirals

• Trader Joe’s Southwestern Chopped Salad

• Taylor Farms Organic Toasted Sesame Chopped Salad

• Eat Smart Broccoli Florets

• Birds Eye Veggie Made Mashed Cauliflower

• Earthbound Farms Frozen Roasted Organic Sweet Potato Slices with Olive Oil and Sea Salt

• Trader Joe’s Frozen Roasted Corn

• Seapoint Farms Shelled Edamame