New Pantry Evansville: Stock up on these staples

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

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