Commusings: The 11 Healthiest Foods at 7-Eleven by Jeff Krasno

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Dear Commune Community,

Today’s musing is the product of some in-the-field research. As you will read, I spent a Sunday morning meandering the aisles of a local 7-Eleven in search of healthy food options. If this project sounds akin to seeking a yoga mat at a Jets game, read on… you might be surprised at what I discovered.

If you want the macronutrient spreadsheet, shoot me an email at [email protected], and for regular health tips follow me on IG @jeffkrasno.

In love, include me,
Jeff

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The Top 11 Healthy Food Options at 7-Eleven

One of Commune’s primary missions from inception was to democratize access to well-being. This objective has shaped our business model and is the reason why we offer a tremendous amount of content for free.

Too often, however, healthy lifestyles have been reserved for the affluent. Indeed, while hyperbaric chambers and float tanks and cryotherapy are intriguing innovations, they are beyond the means of many people.

Most of the basic protocols that confer health benefits, though, are free. In fact, many of them are older than fiat currency. Almost everyone can access cold water. Intelligent application of fasting saves you money. There’s no credit card required for getting light in the morning as no one has yet found a way to charge for the sun. Meditation is free (and can set you free). Walking does not require a membership – nor do push-ups. Connecting your bare feet to the ground or your bare soul to your neighbor’s comes with no fee. Adopting these practices will take you a long way to becoming your healthiest self.

But what about food, glorious food?

Purchasing nutrient-dense, organic whole food is unduly expensive. And while farmers markets and organic grocers have expanded their respective footprints, healthy food remains cost-prohibitive and unavailable to many people. 20 million Americans live in complete food deserts with limited access to a supermarket. Of course, what lines the aisles of most grocery stores is as much of a problem as inaccessibility. The constellation of Big Food, industrial agriculture and governmental policy colludes to produce a surfeit of refined, shelf-stable, cheap calories under the true cost of production. This foodstuff is leveraging our biology against us. Plain and simple, it is making us sick.

I have often quipped, “You can pay the farmer or you can pay the pharmacist.” A lifetime supply of statins or insulin or metformin is likely going to cost you more than fresh veggies. But insurance doesn’t cover broccoli. And this aphorism assumes there is a farmer around to pay.

While shopping at the convenience store often leads to a very inconvenient assortment of diseases, in many cases, it is the only option. In light of this problem, I spent last Sunday morning on a research project to determine the 11 healthiest food options at 7-Eleven. Is there a way to shop affordably at a convenience store and eat healthy? This was the question.

A couple of asterisks. I am NOT contending that shopping at 7-Eleven is a preferable choice. Cooking your own food is almost always going to be a healthier choice than buying prepackaged food. But if your options are limited by time, money, or access – or if you are traveling – I think it’s important to know the alternatives.

While the foods that I identified represent the best options, none of them are organic (with a few exceptions). So, most of them have been grown with pesticides and herbicides and they also may contain harmful antibiotics.

Lastly, the 7-Eleven that I visited is in the San Fernando Valley, just north of Los Angeles. The prices at this 7-Eleven, given its location, will be 25-50% higher than in areas with cheaper rent. Also, I cannot guarantee that the items that I have picked out are available at all 7-Elevens. For example, there was one pre-packaged salad at my 7-Eleven that made the list. Is this Cobb salad available in Arkansas? I don’t know.

Of course, 99% of the foodstuffs on the shelves are pure crap at any 7-Eleven. The range of candy products is jaw-dropping. Who knew there were twenty varieties of Skittles? I won’t dwell too much on the ubiquity of sugar-laden products, but the top three ingredients in Skittles are sugar, corn syrup (also sugar), and hydrogenated palm kernel oil. There are 43 grams of sugar in a serving size. And then we wonder why over 50% of Americans have diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Sharing the same aisle as Skittles are an ample selection of pharmaceutical products. The irony is thick. Sell them the food that makes them sick. Then sell them the medicine. That’s a superlative business model!

Here’s what I was looking for:

• Sufficient protein
• Minimal ingredients, additives, and preservatives
• Fiber
• Minimal added sugar
• Not too many calories
• Organic where possible

What I wasn’t looking for:

• Micro & phytonutrients. Not because they are not important but because it would be nearly impossible.
• Essential fats. There are some Omega-3s, but they’re hard to find.

Here are my results of the top 11 healthiest foods in no particular order.

Let me start with Amy's Broccoli & Cheddar Bake. This is the most expensive item at $9.29. The option is actually organic. It has a solid amount of protein at 17 grams. Quite a lot of carbs at 50 grams. You’re getting almost 25% of your total calories here with 460.

Number 2 is a banana, which reps as the only whole food in the store. Lots of potassium and decent Vitamin C and magnesium.

Number 3, the 7-Eleven “private label” California Cobb salad. Ringing in at $6.49. The Cobb is pretty satiating with a good amount of water volume and 25 grams of protein.

Next on the list is Chobani Greek Yogurt, the only other organic option. Yogurt is a solid source of protein with 12 grams per serving. For only $2.79 that’s a good deal. Only downside… 9 grams of added sugar.

Numbers 5 and 6 are both protein bars. First is the Quest Protein Bar coming in at an impressive 20 grams of protein. The RXBar is $3.49 versus $3.99 but only has 12 grams of protein. The RX Bar was notable in terms of its minimal ingredients – all things I could actually pronounce.

At Number 7, I have the Jack Links Beef Jerky. Obviously, this is factory-farmed meat but the protein load is decent. Why they have to add 7 grams of sugar per serving is beyond me.

Number 8 is the 7-Eleven private label whole cashews. Solid magnesium, iron and protein. But holy calories … 510 per serving overwhelmingly from fat. Remember fat is the most caloric macronutrient at 9 calories per gram. One serving of cashews has 40 grams of fat. If you’re eating nuts by the handful and gaining weight, now you know why. Still, in comparison to most options at 7-Eleven, cashews make the list.

Numbers 9 and 10 are similar in nutrition profile. We have Hormel Canned Chicken breast and Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna. The chicken is $1.10 more per serving. They are both extremely lean with very little fat. Virtually all of the calories are coming from protein. They each boast a whopping 22 grams. In terms of value, both these items would be at the top of the list.

Last but not least … coming in at number 11 is the canned Del Monte Green Beans. Green beans are pretty neutral in terms of macros. Their role is fiber! About 3.5 grams per serving and will set you back only $1 per serving.

There you go with the top 11 options! The next big question …

How could you eat exclusively and affordably from a 7-Eleven across an entire day? I tetris’d together a couple of options. My nutrition goal was 100 grams of protein and between 1,700 and 2,000 calories.

Option 1:
Breakfast: Yogurt & banana
Lunch: Salad (add canned chicken) + one serving of green beans + RXBAR
Snack: Cashews
Dinner: Amy’s Broccoli & Cheddar Bake (add canned chicken) + one serving of green beans

This combination yielded a whopping 127 grams of protein, 2,080 calories and seems like quite a bit of food. You could certainly skip the cashews and save some calories. This rather beefy menu cost $37.32. Pretty expensive. But, again, these are Los Angeles-area prices.

Option 2:
Another rather tedious option was eating four Cobb salads. This unimaginative affair yielded 100 grams of protein and 1,680 calories for $25.96. Not too bad.

There are many different combinations to this and, if you are interested, email me at [email protected] and I will send you the spreadsheet and you can tinker with it.

I will also mention that there were many wolves in sheep’s clothing lurking mostly in the refrigerated section. Naked Might Mango Juice presents itself as a healthy option. A 15.2 ounce bottle has 57 grams of sugar! And was $5.19 to boot. Another deceptive drink was Health Ade Kombucha, which contained 17 grams of carbs including 12 grams of added sugar. And I thought drinking a fungi-fermented beverage was supposed to be good for you.

While it is possible to piece together some semblance of a healthy regime from a convenience store, the moral of the story is really this: We need to upend our food system. It should not be so difficult to access healthy food.

We need a new Farm Bill that really supports farmers. Too many farmers are barely scraping by with subsidies that incentivize the planting of GMO cash crops. This system allows Big Food to produce ultra-processed crap under its true cost. They can turn around and sell it both cheaply and profitably. The result of this vicious cycle is cresting rates of chronic disease. Imagine if we could sell regeneratively and organically grown products under their true cost of production? Well, that’s a separate article.

In the meantime, we must fend for ourselves and leverage the knowledge we have to live the healthiest lives we can within our means. I hope this helps.