10 Food Staples for a Healthy Pantry
At our Green Living workshop this week, we were asked:
When wanting to eat healthily, what are the staples that go into a well-stocked pantry?
A great question! So I raided my pantry and pulled everything out!
How do you incorporate healthy eating into your home? Have on hand a few simple ingredients that make any meal healthier for you and your family!
Here, in no particular order, are my top 10:
1. A good oil. Actually several. Depending on the job at hand, you want to use the right one! Olive oil is a top choice and for baking, canola oil is great: it is low in saturated fat and has no flavor. That said, canola oil is genetically modified, it did not exist 50 years ago. These crops are genetically engineered to withstand specific pesticides. The health implication of GMOs are still not known, it doesn’t look good and they are being banned in France and other countries! But, a non-GMO canola oil is a good, heart-healthy choice.
2. Flavored Vinegar. You can make any salad taste amazing with a delicious vinegar. There’s no need for fussy dressing, just vinegar and olive oil. My 4 year old eats spinach salad because of our blackcurrant vinegar! (Singapore: I bought it here) Watch out for artificial flavours and colors – get the natural stuff!
3. Unrefined Sweetners. Unrefined sugar and raw honey are staples here, but I also love organic maple syrup and molasses ! Remember, no matter what the sugar, moderation is key! The World Health Organization suggests that you keep your daily added-sugar intake to no more 7 teaspoons. So a small bottle of Coke would max you out!
4. Salt. Too much salt is definitely a bad thing. Again, sea salt and rock salt are not better for your health – since too much of either is bad. But I recently discovered kosher salt, and because it is so rich in flavor, you need very little! I also like my chunk of rock salt – a bit of a novelty, it comes with a mini grater, and almost mists out salt – you can get away with a tiny amount.
5. Brown rice. Brown rice, red rice, even black rice! They still preserve all of the nutrients stripped from refined white rice… fiber, proteins, thiamine, calcium, magnesium and potassium!
6. Whole grains are essential to good health! Linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and other health problems, we often don’t get enough. Find new ways to add whole grains into your meals – cut the amount of white flour in a recipe with whole grain flour. Use wheat bran or flaxseed meal and sprinkle it into any dish: cereals, pancakes, salads, rice, muffins, breads or even smoothies!
7. Nuts and seeds. Different seeds can provide different benefits. Antioxidants which protect the heart, boost brainpower and more! Almonds are high in fiber and also vitamin E – great for skin and hair. One brazil nut a day delivers selenium, which may help prevent certain cancers. Sesame seeds help to clean out your digestive system… it’s amazing when you start reading about the benefits! I add them into my salads, and sprinkle them into my cereal. I like to have an assortment to play with!
8. Dark Chocolate and Cacao Nibs. Great to satisfy that craving for something sweet! Cacao beans are packed with antioxidants and found to reduce the risk of common killer diseases. A good dark chocolate with over 70% cacao is a fantastic treat!
9. Popcorn is a whole grain. A bag of kernels is great for when you get a craving for a crunchy snack! Experiment with flavors and toppings – parmesan popcorn could probably the best thing in the world.
10. Frozen fruit, vegetables and stock. A well stocked freezer will save you when you need it most! I can whip up a smoothie, add veg to any dish and create a soup on the go! Freeze things in small portions (try ice-cube trays) so that you don’t have to defrost more than you need.
That’s my pantry… ok, let’s be honest, what I didn’t show you was the collection of cheese in my fridge. We all have that one guilty pleasure, but food is to be enjoyed! Healthy eating is not about restrictions and guilt, it’s about making conscious choices – choosing beautiful and well-made ingredients, creating thoughtful meals and taking the time out to really savour and enjoy your food.
Now, what’s in your pantry?
yin
How about virgin cold-pressed coconut oil? There is abundant research to prove that it is the best cooking oil possible, even better than olive oil, since it doesn’t turn rancid at very high temperatures. From what I read, it’s the only oil that does not weigh on the liver as the saturated fat can be transformed directly into energy without being stored as fats. Plus it contains lauric acid. I’m not very articulate on the details; look for “The Coconut Oil Miracle” and it’s all there.
militza
Hi Yin! Absolutely, coconut oil is a superfood! As a cooking oil, it’s also great because it has a long shelf life before going rancid where some of your other oils, especially those that are unrefined, will go rancid quite quickly (which introduces a lot of free radicals into your body!). An open oil can go rancid in 3-6 months.
Also, coconut oil has a very high smoke-point, where some oils will release toxins when heated.
I have two coconut oils – one is refined and the other is unrefined virgin cold-pressed. When you don’t want that coconut flavor in your food, use the refined (which has no flavor). Virgin coconut oil will add a coconut flavor to your food, which sometimes is really lovely! I recently did some chicken fingers for my kids, soaked first in coconut milk, then breaded and lightly fried in virgin coconut oil – it was super yummy!!
Well said on describing the health benefits! Thanks so much for sharing :)