Five easy steps to a revamped pantry

To win this battle of the pantry, you have to begin with a clear-cut plan that puts you in control of your food choices and minimizes opportunities to binge on the bad stuff.  Remember we talked about cleaning up the pantry last year when we tried a Spring Kitchen Cleanup?  Well, look at your pantry makeover as an opportunity to build greater awareness of unhealthy habits and to recalibrate your thinking about what qualifies to live in your pantry and, eventually, in your body.  Think of food as a healer and approach your pantry choices that way.

Here are five easy steps to a revamped pantry:

Fruits and veggies  

Some fresh produce can remain unrefrigerated (potatoes, bananas, apples, some varieties of squash, onions and garlic). Purchase just enough of your favorites so that you’re not under pressure to use them before they go bad.  Less-perishable fruit like raisins, Medjool dates, dried cranberries, and apricots are also very welcome.

Legumes

Beans, peas, and lentils are great sources of protein, fiber, and potassium.  Get adventurous and try adzuki, mung, cannellini, pinto, and broad beans, as well as congo peas, black-eyed peas, and all colors of lentils.  If you have to buy canned beans, please choose BPA-free cans or organic items.  Extra points for you if you buy dry beans in bulk and soak them overnight before preparing them. 

Whole grains

How about a walk on the wild side with some wild rice?  Instead of the go-to white rice, which often has been stripped of its key nutrients, wild rice, brown rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, quinoa, rolled oats, kasha, and millet are great gluten-free carbohydrate choices.  Same with flour: you can use whole grain or nut flours just as successfully as their white counterpart.

Seeds and nuts

Eaten as snacks–ideally raw–seeds and nuts are excellent sources of protein and a host of micronutrients.  Stock up on nut milks, butters and spreads, but please check the labels of nut butters to make sure they aren’t high in food preservatives, salt, sugar, and trans fat. You can also toast pumpkin and sesame seeds and a variety of nuts and use them to garnish salads. 

Seasonings and cooking liquids/oils

Low-sodium vegetable and chicken broth, wine, beer, vinegars (white, balsamic, white wine, rice wine), liquid aminos, apple cider vinegar (ACV), dijon mustard, Herbamare, and nutritional yeast are tasty additions to your cooking repertoire.  Welcome extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and ghee.  Give table salt and MSG-heavy seasonings the heave-ho, and enjoy more Celtic or Himalayan salt, dried herbs and spices, and salt-free seasonings.

Apply the less/more rule to your pantry

Your pantry rehab will benefit as you crowd out less healthy choices and add in more nutritious, filling foods.   

• Less canned food; more food in bags, pouches, and boxes.
• Less focus on the pretty label on the front of an item; more focus on the ingredient list and nutrition facts on the back. 
• Less highly refined and salty foods; more whole foods that are naturally salt-lite or salt-free.
• Less artificial flavors and sweeteners with unpronounceable ingredients, more five-ingredients-or-less items.
• Less sugar and salty seasonings; more natural spices and healthy condiments.
• Less plastic packaging; more nuts and grains stored in glass containers.