Canned fruit with more sugar than a donut? Tuna with enough mercury to worry your doctor?
We haven’t even mentioned the product recalls on these unsavory canned secrets.
Refried beans are creamy, delicious, and they're also a good source of nutrients like zinc,
iron, and magnesium. Plus, they taste great on tacos, nachos, and in seven layer dips. However,
buying eight pounds of Rosarita refried beans at Costco probably won't bode well for your health.
While refried beans should be fine in moderation, you probably shouldn't eat them on a regular
basis, which you're more likely to do if you buy them in bulk. A single serving from a can
of Rosarita contains 580 milligrams of sodium, which is 25 percent of the recommended daily
intake. A better idea is to make your own refried beans, so that you can control the sodium level.
There's a lot you can do with canned peaches. You can toss them in a smoothie,
blend them into barbecue sauce, add them over ice cream, or even make your own peach-infused
cocktail. That said, canned peaches often come swimming in a pool of heavy syrup,
making them outrageously high in sugar content.
Just one full 15-ounce can of Del Monte sliced peaches in light syrup has over 45 grams of sugar,
almost twice the amount you should consume in a day, according to the American Heart Association.
That’s more sugar than a single glazed donut which has only 15 grams.
Costco sells 106-ounce cans of Del Monte sliced peaches in light syrup,
and unless you're baking cobbler for the entire neighborhood,
there's very little reason you should be buying this. If you're in the mood for peaches,
you're much better off just buying some fresh ones for the sake of your health.
“For your health!"
Spam doesn't exactly have a reputation for being the fanciest form of protein out there,
although it does have some amazing versatility.
Used in a wide range of dishes including fried rice and breakfast hash, it's been a humble yet
dependable staple in cuisines around the world since it first hit the market back in 1937.
Unfortunately, none of this necessarily means that Spam is actually good for us.
According to Healthline, Spam contains a little bit of protein, but it's also high in sodium,
fat, and calories. Buying an entire case at Costco means that you'll likely be eating it on a regular
basis, which could potentially wreak havoc on your health. When you really think about it,
rolling the dice on a bulk purchase of Spam at Costco just isn't worth it.
“What do you mean? I don't like Spam!"
Campbell's chicken noodle soup, which is carried at Costco in packs of 12,
is one of the most purchased grocery items in the United States. After all, chicken noodle soup has
a reputation for nursing us back to health when we're sick. And while making it fresh
can definitely be nutritious and filling, eating it out of a can is a bit of a different story.
One 10.75 ounce can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup contains over 2,000 milligrams of sodium,
which nearly covers your recommended daily sodium intake. Excessive sodium intake can reportedly
cause high blood pressure, and potentially lead to heart disease and even a stroke. So
do yourself a favor and skip the bulk soup pack and make a low-sodium broth at home instead.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture,
corn is grown in most states on more than 90 million acres of land and processed into
just about everything we consume. It's fed to the livestock that we eat, baked into cereal flakes,
made into flour, turned into syrups. There is truly no escaping corn.
"This corn is raw!"
"I know, isn't it wonderful?"
And that's unfortunate, because as it turns out, corn really isn't all that great for us,
especially when consumed in excess. While rich in some vitamins and minerals,
it's also very starchy and can spike blood sugar levels.
So, the next time you're in Costco and you see stacks of Del Monte canned corn, just pass them
by. There's a good chance you're already consuming massive amounts of corn in other processed foods
already. If those aren't enough reasons to lay off the corn, consider this: Del Monte
has recalled their canned corn in the past from 25 states and 12 other countries due to toxins.
There's no denying that nacho cheese sauce is silky smooth and delicious.
One widely distributed brand of this particular treat is Que Bueno,
which is available at Costco in cans that weigh 106 ounces.
But before you buy some and invite half the block over for a taco party, consider that a single
serving of Que Bueno nacho cheese contains over 20 percent of your daily sodium. And
then ask yourself how likely you are to polish off nearly 7 pounds of nacho cheese before it expires.
Sky-high sodium and problematic leftovers aside, you should also consider the flavor factor.
Making this stuff from scratch is easy and creates an exponentially
more delicious sauce. So don't let the magnetic pull of Costco's bulk items suck you in; instead,
just make a reasonable amount yourself. Your taste buds and your circulatory system will thank you.
Chili is the perfect weekday dinner. Pair it with a simple bowl of rice,
eat it with some tortilla chips, or even mix it into some mac and cheese and you have a solid,
hearty meal. So when you're shopping at Costco and you notice the Nalley 12-pack of canned chili,
you might think about picking some up to save yourself some time.
Alas, in this case, saving yourself time also means pumping your body full of salt.
Pretty much all canned chili is super salty, and Nalley really takes it to another level.
"These go to 11."
Consuming one single 15-ounce can of Nalley original chili will put you at nearly
100 percent of your recommended sodium intake for the entire day. If you're in the mood for chili,
avoid Nalley and make it fresh instead. With just a few ingredients and a little time,
you can have a fresh pot that's even tastier than the canned stuff and way less salty.
Eating tuna offers a range of benefits, but there are also downsides that you should consider.
There are two main types of canned tuna fish: albacore, which is made from a larger species,
and chunk light, which is mostly made from a smaller species of tuna called skipjack.
Albacore reportedly has nearly three times the amount of mercury as chunk light. It's so high
in mercury, in fact, that most adults should only eat a serving of it once every 10 to 14 days.
Costco carries solid white albacore tuna from Chicken of the Sea, one of the most widely canned
tuna fish brands, and, no surprise, it's only available in bulk. Having more albacore tuna
around the house means that you'll probably be eating it on a regular basis. But now that you
know that it's high in mercury, you'll surely want to avoid buying it in bulk.
The Swanson chicken broth at Costco comes in 12 packs of 14.5 ounce cans,
which is an excessive amount, even for people who cook at home on a regular basis.
Just like most things you buy at Costco, it's important to really ask yourself if having that
much of this item is really necessary, and to also consider how it will affect your overall health.
Canned chicken broth tends to be extremely salty. The good news is that the version
at Costco is the Natural Goodness variety, which has 33 percent less
sodium than the standard Swanson can. But you can do even better than that.
Kirkland Signature organic chicken stock is higher quality and is a healthier choice
when it comes to both sodium and calories. It's a bit pricier per ounce than Swanson,
but we still think it's well worth the upgrade.
The nutritional difference between canned and fresh foods is on full display when it
comes to Del Monte cut green beans, which are sold at Costco in 12 packs of 14.5 ounce cans.
While the fiber, calcium, and protein levels between fresh and canned green
beans are about the same, there are some huge disparities in vitamin content.
Fresh green beans offer 20 percent of your daily value of vitamin C,
while the canned variety offer only a measly 4.5 percent.
Similarly, with vitamin A, fresh green beans boast 14 percent of your daily value while
canned only provide half that. So instead of buying them canned in bulk from Costco,
try opting for fresh green beans instead if they're available.
Sweet and tangy, the pineapple is one of the most delicious fruits that Mother
Nature has blessed us with – so it makes sense to can it. Trimming off that harsh
outer skin and cutting up a fresh pineapple can feel like a time-consuming undertaking,
so canned pineapple removes all that fuss.
One of the most well-known canned pineapple brands is Dole, which is sold in giant 108-ounce
cans or in bulk packs of six 20-ounce cans at Costco. But unless you're making the world's
biggest pineapple upside down cake, it's hard to imagine why you'd need that much.
"That's too much, man!"
And there's another problem, as canned pineapple contains a lot of
sugar. One serving of Dole pineapple chunks contains 15 grams of sugar,
nearly all that you should have for an entire day. And like other canned goods, the squishy texture
of canned pineapple leaves much to be desired. So buy fresh instead for a much healthier option.
Sausage may be delicious when it's freshly made,
but it's not terribly great for your health, and highly processed versions tend to be even
worse. The trouble only grows when it's waterlogged and sealed inside of a can,
as is the case with Libby's Vienna sausage, which is sold in bulk packs of 18 cans at Costco.
If you're going to get some mini sausages, why not just buy cocktail weenies in the
refrigerated section, which are guaranteed to taste better? It's hard to imagine why Libby's
Vienna sausages even exist, as the taste and nutrition are both absolutely dreadful.
They're also incredibly high in salt, saturated fat, and cholesterol. In fact,
one single 4.6-ounce can contains 95 milligrams of cholesterol, which equates to nearly a third
of the amount you should consume in an entire day. Here's the bottom line: a big part of what
makes Costco so appealing is knowing that you can easily buy these items in bulk for a great value,
but that doesn't mean much when your health is going to be affected so negatively.
According to the National Coffee Association, 66 percent of Americans consume coffee every day.
That makes it the most popular beverage in the country, even beating out tap water.
It's no wonder then that Costco sells its Kirkland Signature Colombian Ground Coffee
in mammoth, 3-pound cans. But unless you enjoy the taste of stale java,
you should leave this on the warehouse shelf.
The problem with buying ground coffee in such a large container is that it's
going to lose its freshness before you can finish it. According to PublicGoods.com,
an unopened, airtight package of ground coffee can last three to five months.
If you put it in the freezer, it can keep for up to two years. But when ground
coffee comes in contact with oxygen, it begins to break down and lose its flavor
and aromatic qualities. This means that once you open that 3-pound can of Costco coffee,
you only have a limited amount of time before you're drinking a subpar cup of joe.
It's recommended to consume ground coffee within two weeks of opening the package.
And if you're anything like the average coffee consumer, you're not getting through
3 pounds of the stuff in just two weeks. So chances are pretty high that the final third
of that Kirkland Coffee will end up stale, flavorless, and simply not worth the money.