Costco's Best-Kept Secret: Its Amazing Organic Food Section

I'll always remember the thrill I felt when Costco opened its first store in Australia. Finally, I could buy giant TVs, oversize bags of popcorn, bulk wine, beauty products, and high-thread-count sheets at wholesale prices. Now I live in L.A., where they have a Costco in every suburb; in fact, I have one just around the corner from my house. Thankfully my awesome mother-in-law is a Costco regular—she knows all the Costco shopping secrets—and she shared their best-kept one with me recently: Costco has a huge organic food section. As a self-professed health geek (and a vegetarian), I spend a huge chunk of my paycheck each week on organic groceries, so of course my eyes lit up at hearing this exciting news. From fresh organic produce to USDA-certified organic chicken and steak, Costco has it all at an affordable price. Scroll down to discover some other organic foods you should add to cart on your next Costco shopping trip.

Cashews are the perfect snack. They also make a great pesto, too, but they're definitely the more expensive of the nut varieties. Thankfully Costco sells organic cashews in bulk, so you can savor them as a daily office snack or pack them in your kids' school lunches. Healthy and wallet-friendly.

How does organic, non-GMO, all-natural, and gluten-free sound to you? If this is music to your ears, you'll love the Robert Rothschild Farm Thai Sweet Chili Sauce because it's all of these things and more. Not only is this delicious sauce the perfect condiment for your Asian-inspired meals, it's also the perfect dip. This gourmet sauce was made for spring rolls, chicken fingers, and raw vegetables. I guarantee they will all taste better with this sauce. Win-win.

As someone who recently cut dairy out of my diet, I have been on the hunt for affordable milk alternatives. I'm a huge fan of all the nut varieties but love nothing more than a soy milk latte in the morning. Costco's in-house brand, Kirkland Signature, makes its own organic soy milk that's super tasty and a great value. The carton is a streamlined shape, too, for easy storage. 

Coconut oil was one of the hottest health trends last year for a reason. It has a myriad of health benefits, including stress relief, cholesterol maintenance, weight loss, and proper digestion—it's also the perfect cleanser—and it makes everything taste like you're on a tropical holiday. Costco's in-house version is organic, cold-pressed, unrefined, and chemical-free. What's not to love?

Chia seeds are a game changer. What they lack in size, they certainly make up for in nutritional value. Chia is packed with protein, fiber, magnesium, and calcium, so you should probably throw them in everything you cook, including this delicious morning snack. With Costco's organic packs, you'll never have to worry about running out again.

If you work long hours and exercise often, protein is something you shouldn't have in short supply. Proteins are the main building blocks of our body: We use them to make everything (including muscles, tendons, organs, and skin), so we really can't afford to run low. A simple plant-based protein will help you up your intake, and this organic one is priced so you can take it daily without breaking the bank—or your body.

You might think prepackaged popcorn looks odd in this organic lineup, and you'd be right for thinking that, but this isn't the usual buttery, old-fashioned snack. Popcornopolis has transformed the traditional bite-sized treat into a wholesome and truly gourmet morsel. It's certified USDA organic, free of fructose syrup, air popped, and made with non-GMO corn, so you can eat it free of guilt.

If you love your coffee as much as we do, you know how crucial it is to find the right beans. These 100% Arabica beans are a dark roast, so the coffee they yield is rich and aromatic in flavor (minus the bitterness). According to Costco, these organic beans are hand picked by a cooperative of Maya Indian farmers in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. 

One of the things I love most about Costco is the company's large range of organic kids' snacks. These animal crackers are a great after-school snack with yogurt, or pop them in your kids' lunchboxes. Despite the container's large size, these crackers never last long.

They're the pantry staple you never knew were good for you, but dried fruits are packed with fiber, phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals such as potassium and magnesium. They are also a great natural sweetener, so pop them in your smoothies or on top of your cereal instead of sugar. These Costco organic snack bags make it easy to have them on the go.