It's a new year, and for many of us that means a turn toward healthier eating. In San Antonio, there are plenty of places to stock up on wholesome fresh fruits and vegetables, but few offer the selection and value of the Sprouts Farmers Market chain of grocery stores.

Sprouts is best known for its wide selection of organic produce, the city's best array of bulk grains, beans and spices, and a near-endless assortment of health-focused packaged items made by nationally distributed specialty food producers.

The chain also has a robust line of products sold under its own label that you won't find anywhere else. This week, Taste Team writers Chuck Blount and Paul Stephen scoured the shelves to find the best and worst of those.

If you're looking to spice up your diet in 2023 or need to know what to avoid consider the following.

On ExpressNews.com: 5 things to buy and 5 things to avoid at H-E-B

A selection of food items from Sprouts Farmers Market

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Sprouts Original Grass Fed Beef Jerky

Sprouts Farmers Market has three locations in the San Antonio area.

Market Corner Artichoke Spinach Hummus from Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts Sparkling Lemonade

Sprouts Farmers Market has a large selection of bulk items.

Sprouts Organic Cappuccino Gelato

Sprouts Farmers Market has three locations in the San Antonio area.

Sprouts Organic Green Olive Tapenade

A selection of food items from Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts Farmers Market is known for its large selection of fresh produce and bulk food items.

Sprouts Farmers Market is known for its large selection of fresh produce and bulk food items.

Sprouts Farmers Market is known for its large selection of fresh produce and bulk food items.

The banana flavored pancake bites at Sprouts Farmers Market

The mashed potatoes and gravy from the Sprouts Farmers Market deli area is something to avoid.

The apple crisps at Sprouts Farmers Market don't contain any real apple.

The beet juice at Sprouts is allegedly healthy, but it doesn't pass the smell test.

The Everything Hot Dogs at Sprouts are pastry-wrapped dogs with cheese and garlic.

Market Corner Artichoke Spinach Hummus ($4.49): It's 2023 and we're all probably eating hummus regularly by now. And who doesn't love spinach and artichoke dip? Sprouts gives us the best of both by blending those nutritious veggies into chickpeas and tahini accented with garlic and cumin topped with a dollop of roasted red peppers. Sprouts takes its hummus game pretty seriously, and the deli counter is well-stocked with several flavors at any given time if spinach and artichokes aren't your thing.

Sprouts Organic Cappuccino Gelato ($7.99): Remarkably light and airy, this frozen delight delivers a big hit of coffee flavor with minimal guilt. Made from a base of organic skim milk fortified with a bit of coconut oil and a restrained dose of sugar, this gelato weighs in at about half the calorie load of a conventional coffee ice cream without sacrificing flavor. To double down on the caffeine, try pouring a shot of espresso over the gelato for a more potent spin on an affogato.

Sprouts Original Grass Fed Beef Jerky ($5.99): There's a lot of excellent jerky to choose from in Texas, and trying to narrow down the best in the state would be a fool's errand. But when it comes to grocery store versions, Sprouts is at the top of the heap thanks to its use of flavorful grass-fed beef that remains pliant and chewy without getting brittle or stringy. The all-organic blend of supporting spices gives the beef a classic flavor profile based on soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper with just enough sugar in a supporting role.

Sprouts Organic Green Olive Tapenade ($4.99): A scoop of this pungent and briny concoction made in Greece would be the chef's kiss to any charcuterie board or cheese spread. While olives are the primary flavor, this condiment's flavors are kicked up with hints of capers, garlic, roasted red peppers and just a touch of oregano. It's not exactly like the olive salad you'd find on a classic muffuletta sandwich, but it wouldn't make a bad alternative.

Sprouts Sparkling Lemonade ($4.99): Sold in elegant glass bottles with swing-top caps, the line of sparkling lemonades at Sprouts are an easy party pleaser and would make an excellent nonalcoholic option at any gathering where bubbles are required. Or if you are imbibing, it pairs well with a splash of tequila or rum. It comes in a few flavors pink lemonade, tangerine-lime and orange but it's hard to beat the classic plain lemonade. And hang onto those bottles. They're perfect for refilling with homemade beverages, infused oils or other concoctions of your own.

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A selection of Sprouts items to possibly avoid include an assortment of (clockwise from top left): Pancake Bites flavored with banana, beet juice, apple flavored snaps, mashed potatoes and gravy, unsweetened crunchy peanut butter and Everything Hot Dogs.

Sprouts 100% Beet Juice ($5.49): There is no denying that beets are one of the amazing superfoods in any grocery store. Beets are cited by multiple medical outlets as lowering blood pressure, and they're loaded with antioxidants. The unsweetened Spouts version in concentrated juice form, though, appears to be little more than water and smells like something you would not dare drink unless money was involved.

Sprouts Apple Pie Flavored Snaps ($3.49): You would think you cant go wrong with cookies, but Sprouts certainly does with these. While priced very reasonably per 14-ounce bag, you get what you pay for. There are no apples listed in the ingredients of what can best be described as a chemistry experiment. The snaps work OK dipped into a cup of coffee, but thats about it.

Mashed potatoes with gravy ($6.99 per pound): Over in the deli section, where a large selection of prepared meals and sides are offered, avoid this tater trauma that looks more like a caramel apple than a proper serving of mashed potatoes and gravy. Yeah, theres no getting away from gravy looking like a blanket once it cools, but this brown stuff failed to improve once heated. I would rather buy the potatoes at a cheaper price point, toss in a full stick of butter with salt and pepper, and save my money.

Sprouts Everything Hot Dogs in Puffed Pastry ($5.49): There are four to a package, and kudos that the packaging looks appealing. And then you cook them, and the all-beef dogs turn into a rubbery mess. The rest of the ingredients are akin to a prescription drug produced with a garlic concoction that used ingredients that had to be looked up in the dictionary. Celery juice? Who knew you needed that to make a hot dog in a blanket?

Sprouts Banana Pancake Bites ($5.49): The good news is that you can cook these in less than a minute in the microwave and there is actual banana listed in the ingredients. The bad news is that you would be much better off using a simple pancake mix (or making your own) and slicing off some bananas to top those cakes. You'd get bigger boost of flavor for just a few minutes more work. I tried to save them with some crunchy Sprouts peanut butter, but that didnt help either.

On ExpressNews.com: 5 things to buy and 5 things to avoid at Buc-ee's

pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen

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Eating healthier? 5 things to buy and 5 things to avoid at Sprouts. - San Antonio Express-News