Come to Costco With Kate: Finding Healthy Foods from Costco

I have been having so much fun going to Costco with my boyfriend…said only by someone in their late 30s OR a baby boomer. But, really! Groceries are one of the biggest line items in my monthly budget and I’ve found that buying a few healthy foods from Costco can really help! 

Grocery shopping as a nutritionist is a fun part of my work. When I can, I love to take my time, meander around the store, find a product a client has mentioned, look at new flavors, purchase seasonal fruits and vegetables, and occasionally convince myself to buy the new ($$$) salsa because it’s “market research” of course. 

Ultimately, I’m looking for foods that make eating well easy during a normal week. The best food isn’t necessarily the food with the “perfect” nutrition label. It’s the food that nourishes you AND actually makes it from your grocery shop to your plate. 

Repetition matters. Variety matters. Convenience matters. Cost, taste, and nutrition matter too.

This blog is about a recent Friday night spent at Costco. It wasn’t a massive haul, I was there for some essentials. I’ll outline what I’m looking for, what I’m reading on the label, and what actually ended up in my cart. This is definitely not an exhaustive list of all the options you can find at Costco. 

Healthy Foods from Costco: Label Reading

I’ve written before that nutrition is nuanced. When I am reading a food label, I’m not looking at just one number, I’m scanning for protein, calories compared to protein, fiber, added sugar, and ingredients. Then I’m thinking, how might this fit into my meal? Let me explain … 

Protein → Calories → Fiber → Added sugar → Overall Ingredients 

Protein: If I’m buying something specifically as a protein source, is it actually providing a meaningful amount? (I’m looking at you, “high protein” granola) 

Calories: This is not a “calories are king” moment. I’m looking at calories for context. Is this meant to be a snack? Part of a meal? The entire meal? Does the amount of calories it provides make sense for how I plan to use it? A 300calorie protein bar and a 300calorie frozen dinner may have the same calories but they are playing very different roles in my day. 

• Fiber: The nutrient of 2026! Does the food contribute to my daily fiber intake? What type of fiber is it?

• Added sugar: This is not a “sugar is bad” moment, either. How much has been added versus what is naturally occurring in the food? How frequently am I eating it, and where does it fit into my day-to-day? 

• Ingredients: What’s actually in here? Are there Kate-safe ingredients with my food allergy? Are there flavors/sweeteners I don’t like? Do I understand what I am buying and why those ingredients are there? 

I don’t need every food in my cart to check every box. Olive oil doesn’t need to contain protein and chicken doesn’t need to contain fiber. I’m looking at the role each food is going to play in the bigger meal, not asking every individual food to do everything. 

Protein: The first thing in my cart

Are all Costco’s set up the same? It feels like the handful I’ve been in from Maryland, North Carolina, and now Colorado, follow roughly the same path: 

Electronics → clothing → alcohol → bread → meats → refrigerator items → non-refrigerated produce → the freezing cold produce refrigerator → cleaning products → pet products → freezers → packaged food → pharmacy → cashier. Your’s too? 

Protein is sprinkled all throughout the store but my first stop is the meats and fish section. Compared with Sprouts and Whole Foods, organic meats at Costco are often less expensive per pound. (Please note I have no idea how much Costco prices vary by location, so make sure your grocery-shopping math is mathing!

In my “perimenopause prep” era protein is vital. I’m after 100+g of protein daily, so I’ve got to get protein-prepared! I prioritize protein for muscle maintenance, satiety, blood sugar regulation, recovery, and healthy aging. My Costco protein staples are organic meats, wild caught fish, pasture-raised eggs, organic greek yogurt, Amlyu frozen sausages, canned fish. If I veer into Costco snack-land looking for protein-rich snacks, I turn the package around and make sure it is, in fact, a meaningful source of protein, not just a product with the word “protein” on the front.  

Fiber + Color: Produce doesn't have to be complicated 

I’m eating fiber for digestive health, to support a healthy microbiome, to help balance my blood sugar and support satiety, and for cardiovascular health. 

This is not a place to overcomplicate things. My general goal is to make ½ my plate non-starchy vegetables and/or low glycemic fruit and I love getting two or three different colors onto my plate at a meal. Rather than obsessing about what you shouldn’t have, think about what you can add. Add more colors! Way more fun and way more beautiful! 

Many people will say fresh is best … but what if you can’t get it? What if it’s too expensive? What if your favorite fruit had a three-week season? What if you simple don’t have time to chop vegetables tonight?

I always say to clients, if it's not on your plate to begin with we can’t even start talking about good → better → best options. Frozen fruits and vegetables are fantastic convenience items. 

I will always buy bags of frozen organic berries from Costco. I add them to yogurt bowls, smoothies, and baked goods. Even when I can get fresh berries in season, I still get a bag of frozen. They are always a good backup option for keeping my fiber and polyphenol-rich fruit intake high. 

Some other frozen favorites are single and mixed variety of vegetables. I don’t opt for many of Costco prepared frozen items as I like to make my own foods. But if convenience meals work for you, use them! Check the ingredients and sodium if either is something you’re monitoring, and think about what you could add to round out the meal. 

For more on fiber, check out Rebecca’s blog on best sources of fiber and her blog on why fiber is essential in mid-life! 

Healthy Fats at Every Meal 

Heck yes, I am buying olive oil at Costco, either the Kirkland brand or another name brand like Graza. Consumer Reports reviewed extra-virgin olive oils in 2024 and America’s Test Kitchen also reviewed Costco’s olive oil offerings in 2023 if you want to nerd out on olive oil with me.  

Some other fat options often in my Costco haul are olives, tinned fish, fresh avocados, and butter…you read that right Kerrygold butter! 

I want joints that feel good, a healthy cardiovascular system, clear vision, a healthy brain, and hormones as long as I got ‘em! I eat fat at every meal! Healthy fats are part of every meal 

Convenience Foods that Belong in a Healthy Diet 

We often confuse “heathy eating” with doing everything from scratch. But convenience reduces friction, and reduced friction increases the likelihood that we will actually follow through. If I get done seeing clients for the day and I’m exhausted but I still have to  wash, chop, season, and cook every component of dinner, I’ve created a lot of opportunities to say “Forget it!”. 

If I have some cooked protein, frozen vegetables, rice, and a flavor factor sauce I love … dinner takes 10 minutes. 

Set yourself up for success. 

Buy the frozen vegetables. Buy the pre-washed greens. Buy a prepared frozen meal that you can add more vegetables and protein to. Buy the tinned fish. Buy the individually portion foods. Keep flavor factors like hummus, pesto, parmesan cheese, salsa, or a dressing you love around. Convenience isn’t cheating! It’s planning for real life, not instagram life! 

What Doesn’t Automatically Make It into My Cart 

Foods I don’t realistically eat: Don’t buy aspirational foods just because you think you should eat them. I also do not buy many packaged snacks like chips and popcorn from Costco, those bags are TOO big for me to have around. This is a “know thyself” moment. 

Foods with health halos: “Keto,” “natural,” “high protein granola,” “gluten-free,” etc. These don’t automatically mean a food is healthier or the right choices for you.

Bulk foods I can’t finish: A bargain isn’t a bargain is half ends up in the trash. 

Something I already have six of at home: Costco problems! 

The Costco Meal Formula 

Costco inventory changes often. I’ve outlined some specifics below but also want to give you a framework of shopping in categories. 

• 2-3 proteins 

• 2-3 vegetables (mix of fresh AND frozen) 

• 2-3 fruits (mix of fresh AND frozen) 

• 2 starches (beans, grains) 

• 2-3 healthy fats

• 2 flavor factors 

Let’s do some Costco math. If I take just two proteins, three vegetables, two carbohydrates, two fats, and two flavor factors, and build a basic meal using: 

1 protein + 1 vegetable + 1 carbohydrate + 1 fat + 1 flavor factor

I have 48 possible meal combinations! A relatively simple grocery list → 48 possible combinations! This is all before I start combining vegetables, using beans differently, or bringing the Greek yogurt, berries, figs, and hemp heats into breakfast and snacks. 

Healthy eating doesn't require planning seven completely different dinners. I prefer to shop for components that I can mix and match throughout the week. It reduces food waste, decision fatigue, and the dreaded "what am I going to eat?" conversation. It gives me enough variety that I'm not eating the exact same chicken-and-broccoli bowl five nights in a row.

Kate & Rebecca’s Favorite Costco Items by Category

Protein:  organic chicken, Kirkland wild sockeye pre-portioned salmon filets, organic greek yogurt, canned sardines, organic ground turkey, PB fit, Archer grass fed beef jerky, organic eggs

Vegetables: frozen broccoli, frozen vegetable blend, fresh carrots

Fruit: frozen organic berries, fresh figs, citrus, golden kiwis

Carbohydrates: Lundberg short-grain brown rice, case of canned black beans or garbanzo beans, One Degree rolled oats, rice ramen noodles

Fat: olive oil, avocado oil, hemp heart, organic nuts, Chosen Foods avocado oil Mayo, organic peanut butter, Kerry gold butter

Flavor Factor: parmesan cheese, sauerkraut, Rao’s pasta sauce, Kirkland basil pesto, organic hummus

Fun Foods:  Kirkland Cauliflower Supreme pizza, Omega trail mix snack packs, organic seaweed snack packs, Rx bars

The Most Important Take Home 

The most important thing for me around food is reducing friction and decision fatigue. You are not shopping for the imaginary version of yourself who has unlimited time and cooks beautiful meals every evening. You are shopping for: 

• Tuesday when you are tired. 

• Wednesday when work runs late. 

• Thursday when you realize you’re starving at 3pm. 

The food you bring home creates your food environment, and your food environment influences your habits. Healthy and consistent eating isn’t built from one perfect grocery haul. It’s built from having enough nourishing, enjoyable, easy foods around that caring for yourself through food becomes the easier choice.  

You don’t need a nutritionist-approved Costco cart. You need a Costco cart that works for your body, your budget, your household, and your actual life. So instead of asking “what are the healthiest foods at Costco?” I want you to ask “what can I bring home from the grocery store today that will make nourishing myself easier this week?” If that means an easy protein + frozen vegetables + microwaves rice + a really delicious sauce? 

That’s dinner. And sometimes, an easy dinner is exactly the goal. 

Feeling stuck or overwhelmed? Let’s chat! Book a free 20-minute call and we’ll figure out what really works for you.