For many health-conscious Americans, the idea of shopping for quality groceries at Walmart comes with a side of skepticism. “Most people are shopping at Walmart, wrong,” says food influencer and author Bobby Parrish. “They think finding healthy items here is just not possible.” But with grocery costs soaring, Parrish set out to prove that with the right know-how, you can build a nutritious, high-quality pantry at Walmart—often for less than specialty stores.
On a recent episode on the food expert’s YouTube channel,Parirish shares the best (and even worst) you’ll find on the Walmart shelves.
“There’s this idea that if you want to eat well, you have to go somewhere fancy,” Parrish acknowledges. But as he walks the aisles, he debunks that myth. “I’m going to show you exactly what you need to be buying at Walmart,” he says. From top-notch proteins to healthy snacks, it’s possible to fill your cart with “Bobby approved” staples if you know what to look for
Bobby Parrish’s Top Food Picks at Walmart
Parrish’s top Walmart picks start at the meat deparment, where he’s bullish on the quality of the store’s grass-fed options. “They have so many selections of grass fed beef, whether it’s ground or steak,” he says, zeroing in on the 80/20 grind because “more fat, more flavor. This is the one you want.” He even waves off the extra label chasing: if it’s already grass fed, the “organic” tag is unnecessary.
From there, he steers shoppers to poultry with a warning about marketing fluff. True pasture-raised is rare, so “don’t even look at free range, cage free—their marketing gimmicks.” The smart move? Parrish suggests opting toward organic breasts or thighs. Rounding out his protein-focused top tier is the freezer case. Parrish advises, selecting the store’s selection of wild-caught Alaskan sockeye and cod as standouts—“this is wild caught USA, really good stuff here,” he says. However, make it a point to skip anything that says farm-raised on the label.
Parrish builds a practical cart of clean, satisfying staples. If you are to snack, he highlights Siete tortilla chips and Jackson’s sweet potato chips—“best in class, and really, really tasty”—and points to Walmart’s Better Goods blue corn chips cooked in avocado oil. Cheese snacks are fair game too: “organic string cheese at Walmart for a great price.”
If you want portable protein, Chomps’ grass-fed beef sticks score for simplicity and satiety: “no BS filler ingredients…fat plus protein satiates our hunger a long time.” In the dairy case, he tags “old Croc Aussie, grass fed cheese” as a budget-friendly Kerrygold dupe—“for my dollar, this is where it’s at”—and recommends whole-milk yogurt (organic or non-GMO) plus European-style, grass-fed butter like Kerrygold as “Bobby approved” for its clean, higher-fat profile. Pantry-wise, he singles out fresh, organic grain breads from One Mighty Mill and Ezekiel, and Dave’s Killer Bread Power Seed for its lower sugar; for pasta, look for Italian protein pastas labeled “glyphosate free” or go gluten-free with Jovial—just “organic brown rice” as the single ingredient. To sweeten smarter, “the easiest swap you can do is cane sugar out, coconut sugar in,” with monk fruit or pure stevia also on the menu (just read labels). And when you need a ready-made dressing, Parrish keeps it simple: “Primal Kitchen…they’re always with avocado oil, no matter which one you get.”
Foods and Traps to Avoid
Even amid the healthy options, Bobby Parrish warns that “Walmart has a solid base of things to get, but there are traps everywhere.” One first red flag is in the protein aisle: He emphasizes skipping farm-raised salmon—“It’s low quality, in my opinion”—and don’t be fooled by what he calls “marketing gimmicks” on poultry labels like “free range” or “cage free.” w
The same label-reading vigilance applies to snacks. Many seemingly clean brands stumble on the oil choice: “Simple Mills’ crackers are cooked in sunflower oil. Organic or not, sunflower oil is processed and inflammatory.”
Carb staples can be pitfalls, too. Conventional breads and pastas often come loaded with added sugars and heavy processing, so Parrish urges shoppers to scrutinize ingredients rather than trusting the front-of-package claims. He’s even more emphatic about sweeteners: “Please, please, please stay away from the sucraloses, the aspartames—these are horrific artificial sweeteners,” he pleads. And when it comes to salad dressings, most bottled options don’t make his cut—“almost all from the grocery store…never use good quality oils.” In short, look past the buzzwords, check the oils and additives, and avoid the ultra-processed shortcuts that undermine otherwise solid choices.
Bobby’s Shopping Advice: Read the Labels Carefully
What’s the key to a healthy trip? “Never judge the front of the cover of the box,” Parrish warns shoppers. Read ingredients closely, and don’t be swayed by catchwords like “natural” or “no hormones added.” Seek nutrient density, authentic sources, and clean labels with minimal additives.