If you’re like the majority of party hosts and potluck participants, it’s not uncommon to find you wandering down the grocery aisle, looking for healthy dips to buy! We all know the struggle… do you want to go with a ranch or cucumber-dill dip? Does anyone like bleu cheese dip on veggies anymore? Or should you try that new yogurt dip so-and-so told you about?

Running that gauntlet can be tough sometimes, especially when you’re trying to serve something that’s both tasty and healthy. Especially today, our markets are chock full of options fighting for your attention—so how do you choose?

It is important to know the facts about what you buy. Many products will masquerade as healthy store bought dips, when they are actually full of artificial preservatives, useless filler ingredients, and pesticide-laden produce.  Definitely not the sort of stuff you’d want to put in your body, or serve to your family and friends!

Hummus: The Healthy Store Bought Veggie Dip

Even after over 600 years of history, traditional hummus is still one of the most nutritious dips to buy, because it is made up of whole and nutritious ingredients. But unfortunately, today’s market being what it is, you still have to check the label. Have you ever read a nutrition label and found one of the following ingredients?

• Canola Oil – You might think that all store bought hummus contains olive oil. Wrong! Olive oil costs more to use, so many hummus brands use canola oil, which is far less healthy.
• Olive Oil – This is better… but what about extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)? Many brands buy cheap olive oil instead of more nutritious EVOO because they think people don’t know the difference between the two!
• Natural Flavors – This is a term you see everywhere in foods. While not artificially man-made, natural flavors are generally isolated from food compounds to enhance taste without adding nutritious value.  They are essentially a cover-up for companies that want to trick your taste buds.
• Preservatives to “Maintain Freshness” – It’s hard to find a person anywhere who doesn’t know that preservatives are bad for you. But they are a staple of the modern food market.  Though you are probably used to seeing potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, or potassium benzoate on food labels, you may not know that some hummus brands use no preservatives at all!

This is why reading labels is an important factor in choosing any food, not just hummus!  But now that you know what you DON’T want your labels to say, how about we show you some things you DO want them to say!

Only the Best Ingredients for the Best Veggie Dip to Buy!

Traditional hummus has such a great reputation as a nutritional and flavorful dip, mostly because it is traditionally made from healthy ingredients, through a process that does not add any unnecessary products to it. When you’re looking for healthy dips to buy, here are some terms that will help you identify the best options for your body:

• USDA Certified Organic – guaranteed to contain ingredients that have not been treated with GMOs, artificial additives or preservatives, or unhealthy pesticides or antibiotics.  The rules governing certified-organic products are stricter and more health-conscious than those governing conventional products.
• Cold Pressure Processed – This revolutionary process of cold pressure processing allows for food sterilization without subjecting it to high temperatures or chemical additions.  By subjecting the food in-container to extremely high pressures, harmful bacteria are crushed while preserving the integrity of vitamins and minerals.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Olive oil designated as “extra virgin” is not treated by chemicals or altered by temperature.  It is also unrefined, so it contains the highest percentage of its original ingredients.

At HOPE Hummus, we want to make sure you you have only the best ingredients in your body, and that’s why we’ve created the very best store bought veggie dip. Certified organic and cold pressure processed, we use only extra virgin olive oil in all our products.  We want to make sure that our hummus preserves all the amazing benefits of traditional hummus—while adding a few fun flavor twists along the way!

Grab a tub of HOPE at a store near you, and taste the difference.  We know you’ll love it.  As always, cheers and happy eating!