Why and How to Shop in Bulk
When I first started along my healing journey and cooking more, stocking up on pantry staples was one of my main tasks. I’m talking about rices, whole grains, nuts, etc. I went on a grocery shopping binge to get my hands on everything I just might need in order to cook awesome plant-based meals (since that was what I was focused on back then). Now, I may have gone a little overboard, but one thing I learned in the whole process was the beauty of buying bulk.
I can hear you now: “Bulk? Like at BJ’s?” No, my friend, I’m not talking about stocking up on 25 rolls of toilet paper- though that might not be such a bad idea seeing how often I run out! Rather, I’m talking about buying basic pantry items from the bulk bins, whether those be at your grocery store, the local food co-op or somewhere else. Buying from the bulk bins is the key to curating a well-stocked (but not uselessly overstocked) kitchen, filled with interesting foods that make cooking feel like a fun adventure rather than a tired chore.
Do you need more encouragement? Read on. for the top 5 reasons to shop from the bulk bins.
Top 5 Reasons to buy Food from the Bulk Bins
You can buy the exact amount you need.
Let’s say you want to bake some cookies for a friend’s birthday, and the recipe calls for almond flour. So, you head to your local grocery store to pick up almond flour, and lo and behold, the only option is to purchase a three-pound bag. But you only need two cups! Solution: buy from the bulk bins and buy only as much as you really need.
This is also a great strategy when you need a small amount of less-used ingredients that tend to be expensive. For example, some spices can be quite pricey, and buying from the bulk bins means you can really buy just a couple of teaspoons instead of an entire jar- especially if it’s a spice you’re trying out for the first time. Which brings me to the second reason to shop from the bulk bins….
You can easily try new foods.
Take a look at the bulk foods aisle of your local grocery store and see how many new foods are there that you’ve never tried. You can get ideas for meals just with a quick glance around! Never cooked millet? Now’s your chance, and you can purchase just a little bit to see if you’ll like it.
A few months ago I was at my local bulk foods store and they were selling Madagascar red rice. It was totally new to me! I ended up buying that instead of my usual brown rice. The nutritional value is just as good (because it’s a whole grain rice) but it cooks up a little faster than regular brown rice and adds a new color to my meals. There’s so many cool new foods you can try in bulk, I could go on forever.
You’ll get fresher food.
Something you might not have considered is that your pantry staples will usually be fresher (and therefore higher quality) if you buy from the bulk bins. Assuming you purchase from a high traffic store, bulk items have a quick turnover rate. Also, when you buy just the amount you need, you won’t have old food sitting around in your pantry.
You’ll save money.
In most cases, shopping from the bulk bins will save your money. First of all, you’ll buy only what you know you need- so you’re not paying for extra. Second, bulk food is often cheaper by weight because you don’t have to pay for packaging or the marketing expenses that go into packaged brand-name foods. Taking it one step further, the difference in price between purchasing a can of beans and cooking those beans from scratch is pretty huge.
All of that said, be aware that for certain items, the cost of buying from the bulk bins might not be cheaper. Sometimes, that’s because the bulk version is organic or higher quality. This all means that you need to decide what’s important to you, and if cost is important, you may need to do a little homework.
You’ll be helping the environment.
By only buying what you need, you’ll be cutting down on food waste. Every year, many millions of tons of food are wasted in the United states, and most of it ends up in landfills. Think about the resources that went into that wasted food and you can start to see the magnitude of this problem: land, water, fertilizers and pesticides, labor, and transportation, and energy. In short, wasted food taxes our natural environment.
Buying in bulk helps the planet in a couple other ways. Much less packaging is involved in delivering bulk foods from their place of origin to your kitchen. And because bulk foods require so much less packaging, it can be transported more efficiently.
BONUS (and most important) Reason: buying bulk can help you eat healthier
I’m just extrapolating from my own experience, but generally speaking when you fill your kitchen with bulk food items, fruits and vegetables, you will cook your own meals more often, setting the stage for healthy eating because you’re working with wholesome ingredients. I can’t tell you how many times my boyfriend has become frustrated because I have no junk food in the house, only real food! In short, buying from the bulk bins (and severely limiting your use of processed, packaged foods) forces you to be healthier.
What You Can Get in Bulk
Depending on what you’ve got access to locally, the variety of items that you can purchase in bulk will differ. I’m super lucky to have a local bulk foods store that carries almost everything I need for cooking except fruits and vegetables. I buy very few packaged foods.
Here’s a list of possible items you can buy from the bulk bins:
Rices & grains
Beans & lentils
Nuts & seeds
Nut butters
Flours of all kinds
Dried fruits
Sweeteners
Chocolate chips
Granola
Coffee
Dried herbs & spices
Cooking Oils
Pastas
Cleaning supplies
Shopping Tips
Here’s a rundown of my bulk shopping strategy: First, all my bulk food items are stored in glass jars in the pantry. When I run out of something, I write it down on a little magnetized notepad I keep on the fridge. When I’m ready to replenish (once or twice a month), I place sticky notes on the jars (if they’re not already labeled), indicating what they should be filled with. I bring all those jars to my bulk food store, South Coast Organics and Bulk Foods. If you live in southern Rhode Island, I highly recommend you check them out. I bring them my containers and they do all the filling up for me. Sometimes I’ll drop off the containers and come back later so I don’t have to wait. Often, when I’m there, I’ll discover some new food or spice that I want to try out. It’s fun!
if you want to start shopping in bulk, here’s some tips:
Have airtight containers ready to store your bulk foods in. I suggest using glass rather than plastic storage containers whenever possible in the kitchen (to avoid the hormone disrupting toxins in plastic ). I’ve purchased canning jars, but I also like to save and reuse glass jars from pantry items like pasta sauce or peanut butter.
If you’re just starting out buying bulk, start small and transition your pantry gradually.
Figure out what you need before you shop. Plan ahead, and if it’s the kind of place where you can bring your own containers, do that!
Shop high traffic places where you know there’s a lot of turnover (ie replenishment) of product, so that what you buy is super fresh.
If the bulk bins are self-serve, keep an eye out for quality and cross-contamination. For example, if I’m looking for dates at the grocery store bins, and I see they’re really dried out, I’ll usually skip and look elsewhere.
If you have a nut allergy or are celiac, shopping from bulk bins probably isn’t for you. Sorry folks.
Want a comprehensive guide to filling your kitchen with all the bulk (and other) plant-based essentials? Download my plant-based pantry checklist today!
