Doctor's Trader Joe's Picks: Longevity Diet Cuts Sodium

A board-certified internal medicine physician who studies longevity outlined eight items she buys at Trader Joe's and four she avoids. The doctor, who spoke to Business Insider, said the driving principle is fiber, healthy fats, and protein with low sodium and added sugar.

Her cart includes legumes, olive oil, avocados, frozen wild sockeye salmon, unsalted walnuts and almonds, plain Greek yogurt, frozen berries, and chia seeds. The reason: fiber supports the gut microbiome, and omega-3s from salmon and chia support cardiovascular health. She noted that fiber is the most under-consumed nutrient in the American diet.

Items she avoids: frozen premade meals, bagged salad kits, sweetened dried fruit, and processed meat. Premade meals often contain several hundred milligrams of sodium per serving, with some approaching 1,000 milligrams – nearly half the daily recommended limit. The World Health Organization classifies processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, she said.

Trader Joe's plain whole-milk Greek yogurt contains 17 grams of protein per ¾-cup serving and 5 grams of added sugar, compared with 9 grams in the apricot-mango variety. The doctor said she sweetens plain yogurt with berries instead of buying flavored versions.