Today, I’m going to show you how to eat healthy and save money. We are going shopping at Grocery Outlet, which is based in Emeryville, with Mark Lynn, a fitness trainer and the owner of Bay Functional Fitness.
[SPONSORED VIDEO]
Insights, stories and interviews about homeownership and living in the East Bay
From a Piedmont native, Emmy award-winning television journalist-turned-home matchmaker, part-time radio anchor, UCLA graduate, wife and mother of 3.
LISA: HI, MARK. SO YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU LOVE SHOPPING AT GROCERY OUTLET. WHY IS THAT?
Mark: Well, who doesn’t love a bargain? It’s so nice they named it twice. Bargain market.
LISA: SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY FIND HEALTHY THINGS HERE?
Mark: Tons.
LISA: OK, LET’S GO!
Mark: Organic blueberries. If you make smoothies with blueberries, don’t make it with banana too. There is an enzyme in bananas that actually kills the antioxidants in blueberries.
$3.99 for this whole bag of sweet potatoes. And $4.99 for avocados.
LISA: HOW GOOD ARE THE DEALS ON WINE?
Mark: So good. This bottle is $15.99, and it’s usually 30 bucks. I eat cottage cheese every single day. Organic cottage cheese. Only 110 calories per serving for 12g of protein. No added sugar. Do you eat it for the protein or what are we eating it for? I eat it for the protein and the deliciousness.
LISA: HOW DO YOU MAKE IT MORE DELICIOUS?
Mark: I put all kinds of weird stuff in it. Not everyone does what I do. I’ll put mixed nuts and hot sauce in it sometimes.
$6.49 for 18 eggs.
LISA: WOW, THAT’S A GOOD DEAL.
Mark: That is a great deal. That is cheap! That’s what I’m trying to tell you.
Okay, so as an Italian American, I don’t buy a pasta sauce. But if I did, I would buy this. So here you do have to pay attention to one thing. Expiration. Look at the expiration date.
Mark: Chickpea Pasta. For every serving it has two grams of fat, no added sugar and 14g of protein. Find me another pasta that’s that good. And usually $5 and here it’s $3.
LISA: SO THERE AREN’T ANY HEALTHY YOGURTS HERE TODAY?
Mark: Not today.
LISA: OKAY. SO I WOULD LOOK AT THIS NORMALLY AS A PROBIOTIC WHICH IS GREAT. AND IT’S YOGURT. I’M GOING TO DRINK MY PROBIOTIC THAT IS SUPER HEALTHY AND IS ONLY 1.5% MILK FAT.
Mark: However, we’ve got 12g of added sugar.
LISA: DO YOU EVER DRINK COFFEE CREAMER?
Mark: Never. That’s terrible.
LISA: WAIT, WHAT ABOUT THIS ONE, THOUGH? THIS IS WHAT I DRINK.
Mark: That’s fine. It’s got MCT oil in this one. Monk Fruit. There’s your sweeter. Although monk fruit is a-ok. Monk Fruit is a non-nutritive sweetener. Anything with monk fruit in it as a sweetener is going to be just fine. No problem there.
Stuff like this, like Impossible Burgers. These taste delicious, but I can’t say that this is much better than just eating a regular hamburger. It’s very, very processed. I eat it every once in a while. But I tell you, it’s not a go to for me.
LISA: SO YOU CAN’T REALLY RELY ON THEM ALWAYS HAVING WHAT YOU WANT HERE?
Mark: That is true. You are at the whim of the Grocery Outlet gods, but…you know, it’s rare that I leave unhappy. You think they’ll have me for an ad?
LISA: MARK LYNN, A FITNESS TRAINER AND THE OWNER OF BAY FUNCTIONAL FITNESS. WELL, THAT WAS FUN. THANKS FOR SHOWING US AROUND. GROCERY OUTLET.
Mark: Yeah. Sure thing.
LISA: I GUESS I’LL SEE YOU AROUND THE AISLES.
CONTACT ME
Who should I interview next for Local with Lisa? If you have a suggestion I’d like to hear it! Or if you’d like to talk about real estate and want to know your home’s current market value, I’m happy to provide you a complimentary assessment. Get in touch!
For more Local with Lisa, click here.
Great info and I shop at a Grocery Outlet each week in PA. Can you tell me the name of the coffee creamer you were discussing with monk fruit. I also did not know they carried wine, the one in PA does not. Thank you , Julie