Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to create a variety of exciting and delicious dishes. Making sure that the items in your pantry are healthy and wholesome will ensure that your meals are not only delicious but also nourishing. This guide will help you to pick the best, most healthy pantry items for your kitchen creations.
Cooking Oils
Cooking oils are often categorized by their smoke point, which is the temperature at which the oil begins to burn. Oils like canola, peanut, and safflower have very high smoke points, meaning that they can be heated to extremely high temperatures without burning. This is why they are often used for deep-frying. The trouble with these oils is that they have very little nutritional value. In addition, unless the canola oil is organic, it is highly likely that it is genetically modified. As vegetable oils are heated, the molecules are altered and trans fats are created. Because of the amount of trans fats that are created during the cooking process, deep fried foods are generally unhealthy. Instead of using the standard vegetable oil, try substituting coconut oil. One of the most versatile oils, coconut oil can be heated to high temperatures without converting to trans fats. Coconut oil is also a superfood and has excellent health benefits. One of the only oils to contain medium chain triglycerides, coconut oil actually can help promote weight loss. Studies have also shown that coconut oil may have positive effects on stopping the progression of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s.
For medium heat cooking or salad dressings, oils like olive and sunflower provide outstanding flavour and are heart healthy. Olive oil has essential fatty acids that promote good cholesterol levels, and sunflower oil is an excellent source of vitamin E.
For cold preparations, use oils like avocado or hemp. These oils should not be heated, as high temperatures will damage their beneficial nutrients and delicate flavour. Hemp oil is one of the best sources of omega 6 fatty acids and avocado oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and low in saturated fat.
Vinegars
The healthy pantry must contain apple cider vinegar. An amazing liquid, apple cider vinegar is an acid that, like lemon juice, becomes alkaline when it is digested by our bodies. pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity on a scale from three to ten, with three being extremely acidic and ten being extremely alkaline. The human body should have a slightly alkaline pH of between seven and eight. An acidic body is more prone to inflammation and disease, so many natural health professionals recommend eating foods that promote alkalinity, such as green vegetables, nuts, and apple cider vinegar. With a pleasing, mellow flavour, apple cider vinegar can be used in place of white vinegar, which is extremely acidic and difficult for our bodies to process.
Seasonings
Every well-stocked pantry needs sea salt and black peppercorns. Sea salt has a flakier texture, which many people prefer to table salt. Using fresh ground black peppercorns in cooking instead of pre-ground pepper will give a deeper flavour profile. Organic dried herbs like oregano, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and sage will provide aromatic flavour when the fresh versions are unavailable, and organic spices like cinnamon, cloves, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, chili powder, nutmeg, paprika, crushed red pepper, and coriander are essential for creating well-rounded, flavourful meals.
Canned Goods & Tetra Packs
The most important thing to look for when choosing canned goods is the can itself! Be sure to check that is made from BPA-free aluminium. Bisphenol A is a chemical that is used in plastics and aluminium. It has been banned for use in baby bottles due to concerns over possible hazards to infants and young children. Companies like Eden Organics offer canned goods that are guaranteed BPA free.
Keep organic canned whole tomatoes on hand to add depth to soups and sauces, and organic canned beans to provide protein to salads. Sustainably caught canned fish like tuna or salmon are great lunchtime meal solutions. Finally, a well-stocked pantry should always include a few containers of organic chicken broth, which is a staple for so many recipes. Look for low sodium options so you are able to control the amount of salt that you add to your dishes.
Grains & Legumes
Grains and legumes aren’t just for side dishes anymore. In many meals, like risotto, they are the stars of the show. For a healthy pantry, choose whole grains like brown rice, barley, and quinoa. What sets these grains apart from their refined counterparts is fibre. Just as the name suggests, these grains are intact, endosperm, hull and all. Refined grains, like white rice, or white pastas, have had most of their fibre removed. Essential for health, fibre slows the digestion of sugars, causing them to be released into the bloodstream over time rather than all at once. Slow digestion prevents the spike of blood sugar and resulting insulin release. In addition to fibre, grains can be excellent sources of vegetarian protein. Quinoa is one of the highest sources of vegetarian protein, offering as much as fourteen grams per 100 gram serving.
Sweeteners
Similar to grains, the most common sweeteners, like white sugar, are refined. Consuming these refined sugars is extremely difficult on our bodies and can lead to obesity and diabetes. When selecting sweeteners for your pantry, choose items like honey and maple syrup. Aside from adding sweetness, these foods also provide health benefits. Honey is well-known as being antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal, and maple syrup has over 50 antioxidants and is high in zinc and manganese.
