Are you a newbie to eating plant-based? It can be kind of overwhelming when you’re first starting out. What should you buy? And will you be able to find enough healthy food where you live? What will it cost you? Over the years, I’ve heard many of my friends say, “I could never be a vegetarian like you. It would cost too much! Fruits and vegetables are so expensive!” So, I decided to shop like a newbie and see what my local Aldi grocery store could offer someone who has just made the decision to eat a whole food, plant based diet. If you want to save on your grocery bill in my town, Aldis is the best place to go. So I decided to wander through the aisles this morning and see what the average shopper would find here.

1. Start in the Produce Department

Whenever I go grocery shopping, this is where I begin. The bulk of my groceries always comes from here. After all, this is what whole food-plant based eating is all about. What kind of options can we find on Aldi’s shelves? First off, there’s a wide array of fresh vegetables, even some that are organic.

• Asparagus spears
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cilantro
• Cauliflower
• Corn on the Cob
• Cucumbers–standard size and minis
• Celery
• Garlic
• Green Beans – you’ll find my favorite kind, thin and tender filet green beans
• Many kinds of lettuce such as artisan and iceberg
• Mushrooms – white oyster buttons and baby portebella
• Onions of all colors
• Variety of potatoes – Russets, yellow, honey gold and sometimes sweet potatoes
• Radishes
• Squash – this time of year, I can find zucchini, yellow squash and golden butternut
• Tomatoes – Romas, slicers, hothouse, and grapes

On the other side of the produce aisle, I can find a panorama of delicious, fresh fruit to include in our family’s plant-based meals.

• Apples – My Aldi store offers about 5 different varieties here, including sweet and sour varieties.
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Berries – blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries
• Grapes – choose from red or green
• Grapefruit
• Lemons and Limes
• Mangoes
• Melons – watermelon and cantaloupe are in season now
• Oranges – You’ll find navels, California oranges and mandarins
• Peaches
• Pears – Barlett and D’Anjou, even organic varieties
• Baby Sweet Peppers – you will find bags containing an assortment of red, orange and yellow baby peppers
• Pineapple
• Sweet Peppers – Bags of green peppers or an assortment of 3 different colors
• Pomegranates

2.  Look for Whole Grains

Whole grains are another large part of our plant-based meals.  These foods  help keep you fuller longer, they’re naturally low in fat, and they have more fiber than higher fat or sugary foods. Here are some good choices that I found at my Aldi store:

• Whole Corn Grits
• Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
• Steel Cut Oats – what a find this was!
• Whole Corn Masa – great for making tortillas for all those great Mexican dishes
• Whole Grain Breads – I look for breads that are marked 100% whole wheat. Don’t be fooled by labels that just say ‘wheat bread.’ White flour is wheat flour and those breads will contain more refined flour. Aldis also carried fiber-rich 12 grain bread at a very low price.
• Whole Grain Cereals – Cooked cereals are the healthiest options, but you can find some box cereals that don’t contain a lot of oil, sugar, and preservatives here. I found Shredded Wheat, Crispy Oats, and one called Vitality Cereal that looked like healthy options. Try to find the ones that are lowest in sugar and highest in fiber for starting your day off right.
• Whole Grain Pastas – I found many kinds of gluten free pastas that had 3 different whole grains, including quinoa, all at bargain prices.
• Quinoa is an excellent price here too. The lowest in my town!

3.  Load Up Your Cart with Beans

Aldis offers a nice assortment to choose from here. Beans are such a versatile food and can be used in salads, pasta and rice dishes, soups and stews. They can even be made into delicious burgers. Beans are a staple in a whole food, plant based kitchen. And I was delighted to find low prices for both canned and dried beans. The greatest bargain will be dried beans that you can cook up in your Instant-Pot, slow cooker or on your stovetop. In buying canned beans and vegetables, be a savvy label reader and opt for brands that are lower in sodium, especially if you are dealing with high blood pressure. Here is what I can put in my cart whenever I shop here:

• Black Beans – dried and in cans
• Cannellini Beans – a delicious white Italian bean
• Great Northern Beans – another great white bean, coming in cans and dried
• Pinto Beans – in cans and dried
• Kidney Beans – regular and organic in cans
• Fat free Refried Beans

4.  Add Some Healthy Nuts and Seeds

Sprinkling in some of these protein powerhouses into your meals can be a great bonus. However, if you are trying to lose some weight, you will want to make them only an occasional treat or avoid them until you reach your targeted weight goals. Aldis offers a wide assortment for making many plant-based dishes. You can find peanuts and mixed nuts in the shell, shelled walnuts, chopped hazelnuts, sliced and slivered almonds and chia seed as well. Aldis also carried a brand called “100 Calorie” for almonds and walnuts that looked great. Many roasted nuts were higher in fat since they also contained some refined oils. I would stay away from those. But you can find oil-free roasted pistacchos, almonds and peanuts that will make healthy additions to your family’s meals.

5.  Choose Some Dried or Canned Fruits

Fresh and frozen fruits are our #1 choices when using fruits for good health, but you can add some dried fruits occasionally. Canned fruits can be a healthy option too when they are packed in juice and are low in sugar. You can choose from these healthy options when shopping at Aldis:

• Dried Fruit – You can choose from a Dried Fruit Medley, dried mango, freeze dried strawberries, dried apricots, golden raisins, California raisins, California mission figs and pitted prunes
• Canned Fruit – I found tropical fruit cups and sliced pears in fruit juice
• Fruit Spreads – You might find Blackberry Fruit Spread that was sweetened with juice like I found in my Aldis store. Sounds healthy and delicious to me!
• Pie Fillings – I also found several pie fillings that looked like healthy options. They were basically just fruit. You can choose from apple, cherry and pumpkin.

6.  Add Some Canned Vegetables

Most of the time, I buy fresh and frozen vegetables, but there are some vegetables I can get in cans that are healthy options too. Even though I may can and freeze tomatoes from my garden, I will sometimes buy diced tomatoes and tomato paste from the grocery store. At Aldis, you can find diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes as well as tomato paste. Canned corn is also another healthy option for canned vegetables. Olives are too–and you can find a few varieties here. For other veggies, I would buy in the produce or freezer section.

7.  Head to the Refrigerator and Freezer Section

Aldis offers some healthy fruits and vegetables here that are healthy alternatives to buying only fresh. These foods will save you a lot of money. Frozen fruits and veggies, along with frozen greens are often cheaper than fresh and if you live a busy lifestyle they can help prevent items from going to waste. They’re also great to use in entrees, smoothies or foods to pack your lunch with.

I found salad bags, stir-fry vegetables, whole corn, peas, filet green beans, brussel sprouts, broccoli florets, and California medley. I couldn’t find any frozen fruit at my store which was disappointing. But in the canned goods section, there was a nice variety of pineapple, mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail–all packed in fruit juice. And I always buy my applesauce here. It is organic but still less than the regular varieties in the big box stores. Plus, my husband and son think it’s got the most flavor of any store-bought applesauce.

8.  Plant Odds and Ends

My final selection would be in this section. And these are ingredients which I would use the most in baking. I can find cane sugar here that is also GMO free, honey, fast rising yeast, salt, and a nice line of herbs and seasonings. I was delighted to find many non-stick baking pans, which can help you limit or even eliminate using oil for sauteeing or frying your foods.

My simple survey of my local Aldis store has confirmed for me that it can be very economical to make the switch to a whole food – plant based way of eating in my town. And that’s why this is the first grocery store I shop it every week. The food selection is high quality and the prices are just right.

If you need recipe ideas for these foods, I hope you’ll check out our Buffet page or visit our new Facebook page – Flint New Start Cooking Club. We’re always adding new recipes that are quick and easy.

If you’ve got any questions about this new lifestyle, just let me know. I’d be happy to help you! Happy Cooking!