Pantry & fridge staples
Check off this list of pantry and fridge staples to help ensure you alway have on hand nourishing food at home.
WHOLE FOOD PANTRY & FRIDGE STAPLES WITH SUGGESTED DAILY SERVES:
1. Legumes: daily (this can be beans, lentils, chickpeas, unprocessed dips like bean dip/hummus or lightly processed legume products like tofu & tempeh)
2. Tempeh (Organic Village is a great brand but a Non-GMO soy tempeh is also fine if you cannot get Organic Village Tempeh or similar in your area)
3. Organic Non-GMO Tofu a couple of times a week. I like this brand
4. Whole Grains: daily (brown rice, basmati rice, whole rolled oats, steel cut oats, whole-wheat pasta, barley, farro, quinoa, wild rice, buckwheat and spelt.
5. Ancient grain sourdough bread including brands like: Edwards Sourdough, Ancient Grains, Healthy Bake are a couple of favourites. Check out your local sourdough bakery; they might do a spelt loaf! Also another favourite is the dense https://purelifebakery.com.au range. A tip is to slice this bread and freeze and take a slice out and toast as needed. This is a super nourishing product and very easy to digest.
6. Noodles: Spiral foods do wonderful noddles and products in general. Another good (but does contain some wheat) brand of noodles is Hakubaku. These are gluten containing.
5. Gluten Free grains: One of the biggest problems with gluten free is the refined nature of the product. They often use poor quality, nutrient devoured flours and a lot of additives. Just because it is ‘gluten free’ does not mean it is good for you. However, if you have an autoimmune condition or are highly inflammatory I will most likely recommend you to go on to a gluten free diet. It is super important you make an effort to purchase quality gluten free products. Organic oats are ok.
Gluten free grains include - brown rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, red and black rice, quinoa, amaranth, millet, corn, buckwheat, sorghum, teff, tapioca, arrowroot, soy, bean flours, potato flour
Gluten containing grains include - wheat, barley, rye, triticale, malt, spelt, kamut, farro, durum wheat
Quality gluten free breads include: https://purelifebakery.com.au - I enjoy the 5 seed loaf https://deeks.com.au , https://gfprecinct.com.au, https://www.oliverlanefoods.com.au.
San Remo have a pretty good selection of gluten free pasta that ticks the box San Remo Free
7. Dark Leafy Greens: 2-3 servings per day – Spinach, Kale, Chard, Bok choy, Silverbeet, all lettuces i.e. roquette,
8. Cruciferous Vegetables (broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprout): at least 1 serve per day
9. Other Vegetables: at least 3+ serves per day i.e. (Mushrooms, Cucumber, Zucchini, Fresh Beetroot Sweet potato, Carrots, Potatoes, Asparagus)
10. Berries: a serve most days. (Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries) Berries are low calorie and so high in anti-cancer and cardiovascular protective phytonutrients/antioxidants
11. Other Fruits: 2-3 serves per day (e.g Banana, Apricots, Pineapple, Apple, Kiwi fruit & Pears)
12. Avocado: ¼ - ½ per day depending on your energy requirements
13. Omega 3 Seeds: 1-2 serves per day (1 serve – 1 tablespoon) (hemp seeds, flax meal, chia seeds)
14. Nuts and seeds: 1-3 serve per day ( ¼ handful = 1 serve) , more seeds if you have digestive disturbances. (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds)
15. Fermented Foods: Sauerkraut, Kimchi (The Fermentary), Miso and miso soup , dairy free Kefir, kombucha, coconut yoghurt: aim for 1 serve daily
15. Plant Milk (Rice, Oat, Soy, Almonds, Hazelnut, Macadamia or Cashew)
15. Spices: 1 serve per day (Turmeric, Ginger, Garlic) Add to smoothies, tea, plant milk latte, curry, or other savoury meal. Include fresh and dried.
16. Fresh Herbs: 1 serve per day
17. Seasonings: Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper, Cumin, Mustard Seed Powder, Pink Sea Salt, Cracked Pepper, Wakame Flakes: include a variety of these daily. Do not go overboard with salt though.
18. Yoghurt Pure Cocobella and Coyo. Coyo can be quite rich though as it is high in coconut fat so I tend to recommend Pure Cocobella. Goat and Sheep dairy may be ok for some clients. I recommend Meredith Dairy yoghurt and soft cheese for these people
19. Dips – my favourite dip is:Monja Mezza and another that I enjoy: Monjay mezza, Naked Byron bay , Organic Indulgence, Castlemaine Kitchen and Dari’s Table
20.Vegetable burgers Bite me organic patties and one of my favourite burger brands Syndian - in the freezer section
21. Green Tea and your choice of herbal teas. 2+ per day. My favourite green tea
22. Crackers - Rice crackers, wholewheat/spelt crackers, corn thins - be sure to always top with quality toppings. Such as dips, avocado, tofu. This prevents you from going back for more crackers!
23. Sprouts - daily! Broccoli and sunflower seed sprouts are next level in terms of antioxidants, fibre and nutrition density but good old alfalfa are great too!
24. Vegan Cheese brands that I like - a lovely alternative to goats cheese is Botanial Cuisine or Hello Friend. For a regular ‘tasty’ like cheese I like MyLife
GOOD FOODS TO BUY IN BULK
1. Hemp seeds, Chia Seeds and ground flaxseed (we do not digest whole flaxseeds. Best bet is to buy them whole and grind what you need fresh each time you consume them) Ensure you keep any ground seeds in the freezer.
2. Hemp/Pea/Rice combination Protein Powder (not to replace whole foods, only as a supplement for someone who is super active or really needing to build lean muscle tissue. WelleCo is a great brand. Head to https://www.welleco.com.au/products/welleco-nourishing-protein?variant=8651922669682
and type in to the checkout johanna and you will receive 10% off the product.
3. Oats, Lupin Flakes (organic Lupin only recommended due to herbicides used in non-conventional Lupin farming), Quinoa (remember to soak overnight!), Barley, Pearled Barley, Wholegrain Freekeh, Farro
4. Nuts and Seeds (Sunflower seeds ,Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Almonds, Walnuts, Brazil nuts, Pine nuts)
5. Brown rice, Wild rice, Basmati rice, Jasmine rice, Black rice, Red rice
6. Legumes (i.e. black beans, chickpeas and lentils). Organic beans in cans are great; super cheap too. Also, highly recommend getting raw beans and soaking them for 24hrs prior to cooking with them for a few meals a week. Add a dash of apple cider vinegar and a strip of kombu in the water to help with you being able to digest the beans as well.
7. Fresh herbs - Basil, Coriander, Parsley, Mint, Chives
8. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (to use very sparingly if required)
9. Nutritional Yeast
10. Cacao Nibs or Cacao Powder