Grains, Breads, Starches
- Pasta: whole grain products
- Yams
- Rice: brown, jasmine, wild, basmati; choose whole grain, avoid instant and quick-cook rice
- Beans & lentils: all kinds; dried or canned, low or no sodium, no added fat
- Bread and crackers: whole grains of any type; avoid white and/or enriched flour products
- Polenta (cornmeal): coarse texture for dinner, ground texture for cornbread
- Rolled oats: whole oats, not instant; steel-cut; gluten free oats
- Couscous
- Barley
- Millet
- Quinoa
- Bulghar
- Buckwheat
- Popcorn: non-buttered, microwaveable is OK (after checking for no additives to bag)
- Cereal: 100% whole grain (not the percentage of whole grain); note the type and amount of sweetener and oil
Oils & Fats
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Ghee
- Mayonnaise
- Salad dressings: Homemade: olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices; plain yogurt/dill dressings; Bottled: check sodium, sweetener, and preservative contents
Nuts
- All types! 1 – 2 ounces Everyday! sunflower, almonds, cashews, flax, sesame, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin, brazil, pinenuts and peanuts; avoid salted types or those roasted in oil – better yet, roast your own on the stovetop or in the oven.
Herbs
- Cumin, black pepper, cayenne, salt, curry, dill, thyme, basil, oregano, cardamom, nutmeg …
Dairy Products
organic whole milk products recommended
- Milk
- Yogurt without artificial sweetener or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
- Cream cheese
- Ricotta cheese
- Yogurt drinks (smoothies) without artificial sweetener or HFCS
- Butter
- Sour cream
- Crème fraiche
- Oat, goat, almond, soy, or rice milk in place of cow milk
Meat
- All types of wild meat
- Locally raised; without antibiotics, GMO feed supplements, growth hormones – ask the farmer!
- Store bought; consider organic and sustainably farmed and raised
Instead of the Meat Counter, consider
- Beans or lentils mixed with grains
- Fish: avoid farm-raised (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/conservation/research/seafood-watch)
- Albacore tuna, canned: packed in water
- Salmon, canned: packed in water
- Eggs: Local, free-range eggs from happy chickens
- Cheese: all types used as a condiment
- Nut butters: grind your own type, or from a jar—without added fat or sweetener
- Soy: fermented tempeh and miso
Condiments
- Balsamic vinegar
- Tamari (soy sauce)
- Rice wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Garlic-infused olive oil
- Fresh salsa
- Nuts
- Mustard
- Ketchup
- Pesto (home-made—it’s so easy!)
- Chutneys
- Red pepper aioli
- Jams or jellies
- Sour cream
- Raisins, currants, dried fruit without sulfur
Packaged/convenience foods
- Frozen, packaged, or canned veggies and fruits without added sugar or syrups; look for sodium content per serving to be ~ 300 mg; avoid products with trans-fats, caramel color, high fructose corn syrup (hidden, with names such as maize syrup, glucose/fructose syrup, isolated fructose, natural corn syrup)
- Freeze your own!
- Minimize reliance on processed convenience foods
Read food labels
- Avoid: partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solids, caramel coloring, artificial sweeteners, food dyes, and the multitude of other ingredients that are too difficult to pronounce!
- If the ingredient list contains more than 5 items; if you cannot pronounce the ingredients
