I'm a dietitian and former Trader Joe's employee who shops at the store weekly. Here are 10 of my favorite things to buy in the summer. (2024)

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Watermelon is the perfect refreshing summer fruit.

Nothing says summertime like biting into a juicy watermelon. I recently made a watermelon, feta, and mint salad as a refreshing side dish for a summer gathering.

I simply cube up some watermelon, crumble feta on top, and garnish with mint or basil sprigs, a drizzle of olive oil, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. The savory feta complements the sweet watermelon, the lime contributes tanginess, and the olive oil adds richness and depth.

From an intuitive-eating perspective, I find that this watermelon salad satisfies my cravings for light, hydrating foods during the hot weather.

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Trader Joe's authentic Greek feta cheese is delicious in salads.

I also love to use feta cheese in Mediterranean salads. I make a Greek salad with chopped romaine lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, red onion, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta. Sometimes, I'll add protein-rich chickpeas, chicken, or tofu to optimize the salad and create a full meal.

As an intuitive-eating dietitian, I encourage my clients to have salads with a source of carbs for a complete, satisfying meal. I recommend pairing this salad with crusty bread, roasted potatoes, couscous, or rice pilaf.

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I make mini sandwiches with the help of the sweet pull-apart aloha rolls.

Growing up, packing cold-cut sandwiches to eat on the beach was a crucial part of summer. Recently, I've been spicing up my sandwiches with these sweet pull-apart aloha rolls.

I love that these rolls are small, so I can make mini sandwiches when I'm not hungry enough to commit to a whole sub. From a satisfaction perspective, I like to make a few different kinds of sandwiches — this way, I don't get bored or have to commit to just one type of filling.

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Trader Joe's Magnifisauce adds a great tangy, salty flavor to a burger.

When I was living in the diet mindset, I felt guilty eating a burger and fries because I thought these were morally bad foods. As an intuitive-eating dietitian, I know that although a burger and fries have an objectively different nutrition profile than a salad, these foods are morally neutral.

To move past the guilt of eating certain foods, I recommend thinking about what they offer. In this case, burgers provide protein and iron from the meat, carbs from the bun, fat from the cheese, and some fiber from the lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles.

I like my burgers loaded with all the sauces — ketchup, mayo, mustard, and relish— so I buy Trader Joe's Magnifisauce. It's a combination of all my favorite condiments in one bottle, and it tastes sweet, savory, and tangy all at once.

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I pair the organic strawberry lemonade with savory meals.

I love pairing savory meals with sweet drinks because I find that the flavor contrast is very satisfying. For me, fun drinks like Trader Joe's strawberry lemonade optimize the eating experience.

Though diet culture often warns against drinking your calories, I encourage clients to consider what they can add to an eating experience to increase satisfaction. When food is more satisfying, we can move on from a meal without dwelling on what we just ate.

I know my body can handle the sugar, so I'm OK with drinking some of my calories.

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Trader Joe's pineapple salsa is essential for summertime snacking.

Crisp, salty chips alongside this cold, sweet pineapple salsa make a great summer snack. Easy snack options allow me to honor my hunger when it strikes without doing much prep work.

Many of my clients initially fear snacks when we start working together, but I help them learn that they're actually our friends. If we don't honor our hunger by allowing snacks between meals, we risk triggering the body's compensatory urge to overeat.

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If you like smoothies, I recommend grabbing the organic frozen mango chunks.

I recently enjoyed a mango lassi (an Indian yogurt-based beverage) when I was out to eat, so I recreated the delicious drink at home. I blended Trader Joe's frozen mango, honey, yogurt, milk, and cardamom to make my own creamy, Indian-inspired beverage.

I don't like to drink my meals, so having a smoothie on its own doesn't feel very satisfying. For this reason, I paired the drink with a savory egg, arugula, and hot-sauce breakfast quesadilla, which kept me full for hours.

If you enjoy mangoes, I highly recommend stocking your freezer with a bag to make summertime smoothies.

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Trader Joe's Just a Handful of pitted, salted Manzanilla olives satisfies my cravings for a briny snack.

My friends and I discovered these olive packs while grocery shopping for a hiking trip a few summers ago, and I quickly became hooked.

A juicy, salty, on-the-go snack comes in clutch on hot summer days. I crave salty snacks like olives in the summer since my body is losing salt from sweating.

I love bringing these on hiking trips for a burst of sodium, which is a crucial electrolyte. However, they also pair nicely with cheese, crackers, and fruit on a charcuterie board.

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The organic shredded red and green cabbage with carrots makes a delicious coleslaw.

Making homemade coleslaw is surprisingly easy — all you need is some cabbage, mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Plus, you can chop walnuts, raisins, or apples and toss them in.

This bag of red and green cabbage is my go-to for making coleslaw. I love that it's pre-chopped (cutting up cabbage feels like a pain) and colorful, so it's aesthetically exciting.

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Trader Joe's Fruit Frenzy bars are packed with tasty raspberry, lemon, and strawberry flavors.

I often hear people ask, "What's the point of eating a Popsicle if it's just empty calories?" But the truth is, all foods have something to offer the body.

Ice pops, like these delicious raspberry, lemon, and strawberry ones from Trader Joe's, offer hydration, refreshment, and quick energy from the sugar on hot summer days.

Diet culture prompts us to think about how food supposedly harms us, but intuitive eating teaches us to think about what it offers.

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