{"id":631653,"date":"2026-09-21T18:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T18:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/631653\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T18:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T18:32:13","slug":"sophie-morris-people-are-really-confused-in-the-supermarket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/631653\/","title":{"rendered":"Sophie Morris: “People are really confused in the supermarket”"},"content":{"rendered":"

“People are really confused in the supermarket,” says Sophie Morris, a prominent healthy food advocate, who has gone viral with her no-nonsense approach to doing a well-informed food shop.<\/p>\n

From calling out needlessly confusing labels on well-known brands to misleading placements in popular supermarket chains, Morris has garnered an incredible 657,000 followers thanks to her practical tips for Irish consumers.<\/p>\n

Although she has risen to fame in the last two years, Morris has been working within the food industry for most of her life, training at Ballymaloe Cookery School and founding a number of Irish food start-ups.<\/p>\n

It wasn’t until 2024, though, when she returned to work part-time following the birth of her two sons, that Sophie’s interest in ultra-processed foods and ultra-confusing packaging came about.<\/p>\n

\"Sophie<\/p>\n

Going viral<\/p>\n

Coaching local women on cooking from scratch, Morris found herself chatting with clients who were completely caught up in the ongoing protein craze, but totally baffled by the marketing around it.<\/p>\n

“All the high-protein marketed foods in the supermarket, people were clearly very confused by,” she says. “The first video I did was off the back of a conversation I had with these women.”<\/p>\n

Setting the record straight on protein, the “off-the-cuff’ video quickly went viral, leading Sophie to an entirely new career online.<\/p>\n

“It was just about giving people that awareness,” she explains, “and being more conscious about the food that you’re picking up.”<\/p>\n

\"Sophie's<\/p>\n

Flip, Flag, and Fuel<\/p>\n

In her new cookbook, Sophie’s Swaps Homemade Wins, the author shares a long list of uncomplicated recipes (her carrot cake overnight oats and creamy sun-dried tomato chicken filling have become firm favourites in my house), as well as practical lessons for shopping, storing and freezing foods.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest lessons in the book is navigating a supermarket like a pro with the flip, flag, fuel method.<\/p>\n

First, you must flip the product around to see what’s really going on inside: “You have to turn the packet around to see what’s truly in it, and to make a fully informed choice,” she insists, noting that claims on the front of ‘high-protein’ or ‘low-fat’ are marketing tools.<\/p>\n

Next, you look at the nutritional information to flag any excess sugar, salt, or saturated fats: “Maybe something is high in protein, but maybe it’s also high in sugar or high in salt.”<\/p>\n

Finally, you can check to see how the product can fuel you. Is it providing protein, fibre, or healthy fats?<\/p>\n

“They’re the things that really will fuel us and help us feel satiated,” she says. “When you’re having a snack, let’s say, you want to be fuelled, not just getting a sugar kick that will make you hungry and craving more sugar soon after.”<\/p>\n

\"Date<\/p>\n

Saving time <\/p>\n

With over 70 ‘homemade swaps’ recipes, a handy store cupboard ingredients list, and tips for repurposing ingredients throughout the week, Sophie’s cookbook is about making meals as straightforward as possible. Ideally, saving you time and money in the process.<\/p>\n

“The philosophy throughout the book is: cook once, eat multiple times,” she says.<\/p>\n

“Doing that sets you up for eating really well throughout the week, but saving money as well. I know the cost of food is a huge thing for people. We do have to be clever if we want to eat well and buy more local produce.”<\/p>\n

\"Sophie<\/p>\n

Saving money<\/p>\n

Reflecting on her hopes for her latest cookbook, the mum of two says that she hopes consumers will get into the habit of making their own snacks. Not only for their health, but for their wallets.<\/p>\n

Rather than buying expensive, ultra-processed bars and treats on the go, she insists that a quick bit of baking can be far more satisfying.<\/p>\n

“A lot of your cost can go to those kinds of things,” she says. “If you can find a few recipes that you absolutely love, and you don’t feel you’re sacrificing on flavour, you save so much money.”<\/p>\n

\"protein<\/p>\n

Morris’ cookbook has a variety of on-the-go recipes, including muffins, smoothies, and chocolate bites, but she says her black bean protein bars are a must-try.<\/p>\n

“It’s amazingly delicious,” she promises. “It’s so quick and easy to make. So simple and uses ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboard.”<\/p>\n

Not only that, but you’ll save a substantial sum.<\/p>\n

“I actually did the maths on it, and my recipe costs 46c per bar, and it’s around the same size as a typical protein bar, which can cost \u20ac3.30.”<\/p>\n

\"Lamb<\/p>\n

Saving the planet<\/p>\n

By saving time and money through clever swaps and frugal habits, you may also be saving the planet.<\/p>\n

A list of handy, eco-friendly tips is listed in the cookbook, ranging from blending fruit on the turn into a smoothie to stirring wilting leafy greens into a curry.<\/p>\n

According to Sophie, these tactics can help consumers save money, with recent research claiming that food waste costs the average Irish household approximately \u20ac60 per month.<\/p>\n

By chopping and freezing an onion before it turns or shopping seasonally by opting for fruit and veg grown in Ireland, we can all make a difference to our wallets and the environment.<\/p>\n

“If everyone makes one small change like that, that will have a real impact,” she insists.<\/p>\n

Sophie’s Swaps Homemade Wins by Sophie Morris is on sale from 21 September 2026. <\/p>\n

Her new show, How to Shop Well Now, airs on RT\u00c9 ONE at 9.35pm on 5 and 12 October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“People are really confused in the supermarket,” says Sophie Morris, a prominent healthy food advocate, who has gone…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631654,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[93,61,60],"class_list":["post-631653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}