Healthy Food Staples to Stock up Your Kitchen
Trying to eat healthy and throwing together a nutritious meal can be challenging. This is where a well-stocked Kitchen comes in handy to keep your sanity and will make life easier. Getting your Kitchen organized and fully stocked is one of the easiest and most effective ways to stick to a healthy lifestyle.
Make sure to always have a plan the weekend before, especially with fresh produce as working with fresh Whole Foods can be perishable and must be used within a few days. Making a plan, prepping, or chopping a few days before will help tremendously.
You can still keep a number of healthy, long-lasting staples in your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator in addition to fresh produce to incorporate to make some amazing high nutrient-dense meals and snacks.
Below is a helpful guide to help you get your Kitchen organized and fully stocked. You do not have to buy everything on this list, this is just a guide on items that will come in handy while cooking your healthy masterpieces.
Condiments
- Bragg Liquid Aminos (taste like soy sauce but with a protein kick)
- Hot sauces
- Ketchup (watch the ingredients)
- Mustard & Dijon mustard
- Nutritional yeast
- Salsa
- Sriracha
- Tamari (Similar to Soy Sauce but Gluten-Free)
- Vinegars-Balsamic (I get pure Balsamic Vinegar and a variety of different flavors), White, and Apple Cider
Dairy or Non-Dairy (Small limited amounts of Dairy)
- Almond Milk, Oat Milk, Cashew Milk, Coconut Milk
- Greek Yogurt
- Non-Dairy Yogurt like Coconut Milk or Almond Milk
- Natural Low Fat cheese (fresh mozzarella, fresh parmesan, fresh goat cheese, & fresh Feta)
Grains
- Amaranth
- Brown Rice
- Black Rice
- Buckwheat
- Bulgur
- Farro
- Millet
- Quinoa
- Oats, Rolled or Instant
- Orzo
Legumes
- Dried or Canned Beans-variety of all kinds (canned is great for convenience to keep on hand if you don’t have time to cook dried beans however, dried is more cost efficient)
Nuts/Seeds/Berries (Limited Amount)
- Nut Butters- Peanut Butter or Almond Butter & Cashew Butter (If allergies to peanuts)
- Chia seeds, raw (great for Omegas)
- Flax seeds ground, raw (great for Omegas)
- Hemp seeds, hulled & raw (great for Omegas & Protein)
- Sesame seeds or Tahini store bought
Oils (Limited amount)
- Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) Make sure not to cook on high heat
- High-heat cooking oils: grape seed oil, sesame oil, refined coconut oil, and/or avocado oil
Pasta (Wheat, Gluten-Free, or Bean Pasta)
- Bean pasta (high in protein)
- Buckweat pasta
- Gluten-free pasta (rice pasta, quinoa pasta, & spelt pasta)
- Wheat pastas of different varieties (if not Gluten sensitive)
- Soba Noodles (ususally made with Buckwheat or Wheat)
Produce
- Fresh fruits and vegetables, organic and in-season if possible
- Frozen fruits and vegetables (great to have for convenience and you don’t have to worry about the produce going bad)
- Avocados
- Herbs, fresh (if you prefer over dried)
- Lemon, fresh
- Limes, fresh
Proteins
- Seafood
- Lean Meats (make sure to watch the portion size)
- Eggs
- Tofu & Tempeh (limited amount)
- Seitan (limited amount and be careful if gluten sensitive)
Spices & Baking
- All Purpose Seasoning
- Black Pepper, Ground or Peppercorn
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
- Chipotle seasoning
- Chives, dried
- Cinnamon, ground
- Cacao Nibs
- Raw Cacao Powder (taste like Cocoa powder and comes from the seed of the same plant but more nutritionous and in a raw form)
- Coconut flakes, unsweetened
- Cumin powder
- Curry powder
- Italian Seasoning mix
- Garlic powder (you can also get fresh or frozen crushed garlic if you don’t want powder)
- Ginger powder (you can also get fresh or frozen crushed ginger if you don’t want powder)
- Lemon Pepper
- Onion powder
- Oregano
- Paprika & Smoked Paprika
- Red pepper flakes
- Rosemary
- Sea Salt, Himalayan or Celtic
- Thyme
- Turmeric powder
- Vanilla extract, pure
Sweeteners
- Honey (if not vegan)
- Maple Syrup
- Stevia
Superfood Powders
- Amla powder (cancer-fighting)
- Ashwagandha Root Powder (Indian Ginseng)
- Baobab Powder (African Super fruit) High in Antioxidants
- Goji Berries (antioxidant-rich as well as anti-aging properties)
- Maca powder (energy booster and hormone adjuster)
- Matcha Green Tea Powder (high in antioxidants and metabolism booster)
- Moringa (cardiovascular heath benefits)
- Super Greens
*Great Add on for Pre/Post Workouts or Smoothies
- Protein powder of choice (pea, hemp, brown rice, or whey)
- Superfoods & Superfood Powders
- Hemp, Chia, or Flax seeds
Hopefully this list has inspired you to incorporate more healthy ingredients and start your journey in a healthier lifestyle and joy of mastering some amazing healthy meals.
