I find that if I'm buying snack foods or prepared foods, the versions that TJs carries are often healthier in that they have more "real" ingredients and less things that sound like they came from a lab. I.e., the crackers don't have high fructose corn syrup, nor does the soda or the candy. So, if you're buying junk, TJs has higher quality junk, but I know it's still just junk. They also have good cheese, butter, milk, eggs, etc. Lots of organic and unsulfered dried fruit, organic pantry items, organic frozen items, etc.

I think there is some good healthy food to be had from TJs. But what strikes me as funny about the way folks talk about it on these forums is how its associated with frugality. My family is on a tight food budget and TJs doesn't have much for us. Its more of a place to buy prepared foods, not a place with all the basic ingredients needed to really eat on the cheap.

Like they don't carry any plain dried beans, but have canned beans instead. They don't have a lot of basic baking ingredients, but carry boxed mixes.

The things we love from TJs (and I think are pretty healthy) are:

the round multigrain crackers in the long box for $1.29
beef tamales from the frozen aisle
juices that are not very sweet (like beet/carrot and the super tart cranberry juice)
and I've heard they carry Kerrygold grass fed butter, but haven't looked for it yet

We also like their recycled toilet paper and 2 buck chuck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right. But you could cook healthy meals with ingredients you buy at Safeway or Giant - if you read the labels. At TJ's I buy milk, OJ, yogurt, cereal, bread and meat. I consider these all healthy (organic, etc...) and with some cost savings over Whole Foods. The freezer section is to be avoided (but for straight up frozen veggies)

Yes, but where I live, TJ's sells the cheapest and best quality stuff I like to buy, cheaper than the other grocery stores.

I'm the PP you quoted. I agree. That's why I don't feel it's a glorified 7-11. The point of my post was that another PP up thread pointed out that people say that they're cooking healthy with ingredients from TJ and she felt TJ was more like Safeway or Giant quality. I was simply pointing out that you can get decent quality food at any big chain store, if you read the labels.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right. But you could cook healthy meals with ingredients you buy at Safeway or Giant - if you read the labels. At TJ's I buy milk, OJ, yogurt, cereal, bread and meat. I consider these all healthy (organic, etc...) and with some cost savings over Whole Foods. The freezer section is to be avoided (but for straight up frozen veggies)

Yes, but where I live, TJ's sells the cheapest and best quality stuff I like to buy, cheaper than the other grocery stores.

+1

Anonymous wrote:Right. But you could cook healthy meals with ingredients you buy at Safeway or Giant - if you read the labels. At TJ's I buy milk, OJ, yogurt, cereal, bread and meat. I consider these all healthy (organic, etc...) and with some cost savings over Whole Foods. The freezer section is to be avoided (but for straight up frozen veggies)

Yes, but where I live, TJ's sells the cheapest and best quality stuff I like to buy, cheaper than the other grocery stores.

Anonymous wrote:Right. But you could cook healthy meals with ingredients you buy at Safeway or Giant - if you read the labels. At TJ's I buy milk, OJ, yogurt, cereal, bread and meat. I consider these all healthy (organic, etc...) and with some cost savings over Whole Foods. The freezer section is to be avoided (but for straight up frozen veggies)

We get frozen vegs, frozen fruit, frozen chicken, etc.

Prepared foods can be a problem but not sure a prepared food purchased at TJs is worse than one at Whole Foods or Moms Organic or whatever.

Anonymous wrote:On another thread someone said they eat healthy food, and in the next sentence mentioned by that they mean Trader Joes products.

Is this derivative of TJ marketing? I've always thought TJ as kind of an upscale junk food store -- a more eclectic 7-11 for hipsters.

Do people actually associate "healthy" with the TJ brand?

To put TJs in the same category as 7-11 is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? First of all, have you smelled your clothes after you come out of a 7-11?? I will not step inside a 7-11 unless my life depended it on it.

TJs has healthy stuff, organic fruits and veggies that a lower cost than Giant or Safeway. Organic chicken, and other meats are good as well. Their all purpose flour is great and their semi-sweet chocolate chips are as good as ghiradelli chips at a fraction of the cost. I go to the Falls Church TJs and haven't been disappointed with what I have bought. And if you are disappointed they will refund your money. I will not buy organic milk at the Giant near me, on two occasions I have opened it and it smells spoiled I take it back because a gallons is $6+ and the customer service people always look at me strange for taking something that is spoiled back. I have on two occasions take cheeses back to TJs not a question or odd look.

I'm not embarrassed to say I shop at TJs once a week, and do not consider it on par with 7-11 that's ridiculous!

As with any other prepared foods, Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter, WF etc. read the labels.

Right. But you could cook healthy meals with ingredients you buy at Safeway or Giant - if you read the labels. At TJ's I buy milk, OJ, yogurt, cereal, bread and meat. I consider these all healthy (organic, etc...) and with some cost savings over Whole Foods. The freezer section is to be avoided (but for straight up frozen veggies)

I buy healthy foods at TJ's. Produce, oils, nuts, nut butters, etc.

Of course, as with any packaged food, with the prepared foods, you have to read the nutrition label/ingredients.

Anonymous wrote:You can certainly get healthy food at TJs. But you can also get junk food. It's not all one or all the other.

I'm sure that's true (although I would say pretty much anything that's not produce will be junk there). But you don't hear someone say "I make healthy meals. Like Safeway or Giant."

It was the explicit association with Trader Joes and "healthy meals" that threw me.

You can certainly get healthy food at TJs. But you can also get junk food. It's not all one or all the other.

They have some health things there (fish, meat, yogurt) and some not so healthy things (prepared foods).

Isn't TJ just a food store? Some food Im sure is healthy and some is not. Just read the labels...same as Whole Foods or Safeway.

Anonymous wrote:On another thread someone said they eat healthy food, and in the next sentence mentioned by that they mean Trader Joes products.

Is this derivative of TJ marketing? I've always thought TJ as kind of an upscale junk food store -- a more eclectic 7-11 for hipsters.

Do people actually associate "healthy" with the TJ brand?

Perfect description. Except that 7-11's limited produce section generally has no rotten food,

On another thread someone said they eat healthy food, and in the next sentence mentioned by that they mean Trader Joes products.

Is this derivative of TJ marketing? I've always thought TJ as kind of an upscale junk food store -- a more eclectic 7-11 for hipsters.

Do people actually associate "healthy" with the TJ brand?