You may have the false mental image that health food stores are comprised solely of unpronounceable products, tofu, and soy beans. You may also believe that those unpronounceable products, tofu, and soy beans all taste like cardboard… albeit healthy, organic, good-for-you cardboard. Don’t let health-food stereotypes fool you! There’s so much more to healthy eating than alfalfa sprouts. After a few months shopping at heath food stores, you may even find that you actually like alfalfa sprouts.
Here are some tasty, deceptively good-for-you products you’ll find in a health food store; check Canada 411 for a store near you.
Hummus
Hummus is sort of like the Middle Eastern equivalent of party dip. The main ingredients in hummus are chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, if you’d prefer) and tahini. Wait! Don’t run for the hills just yet! Tahini is just a fancy word for a sesame seed paste. Try hummus as a spread on wraps and sandwiches, as a dip for pita chips or crackers, or as a substitute for mayo in chicken or tuna salads.
Edamame
Okay, this might technically fall under the “products you can’t pronounce” category. However, these Japanese soy beans will look incredibly familiar to you, since they look just like lumpy sugar snap peas. Furthermore, they have a more savory taste than any green beans you’ve ever had. Try them steamed with a sprinkle of sea salt– and don’t forget that you only eat the beans inside, not the outer husk.
Go Explore
Ease yourself into the health food process. Try finding some familiar-sounding recipes that use healthy ingredients and sample new products that way.
