Community Corner

Steps to Stocking a Healthier Pantry

It's easy to fall back on processed food when you're in a rush. To avoid the usual bad-for-you fallbacks, here are four tips to stocking a healthier pantry.

Step 1:  Focus on whole food. 

Keep the pantry and fridge stocked with whole, fresh foods and avoid refined, highly processed foods with artificial ingredients and hydrogenated fats. Stock it with cans of diced tomatoes and frozen veggies. Unsweetened, 100 percent fruit juices and apple sauce are kid favorites. Instead of white rice, go with brown rice. Keep whole wheat and brown rice pasta in the pantry for a quick pasta dish.

Step 2:  Stock more plant-based foods.

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Your fridge should be full of fresh and frozen fruits and veggies. Keep the pantry stocked with beans (canned or dried) and whole grains like quinoa and barley. Whole grain flatbreads, rice crackers and tortillas are perfect for snacks and wraps. Keep raw almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds on hand to make salad dressings and to add a nutritious crunch to all kinds of dishes. Choose apricots, dates and raisins as natural sweeteners.

Step 3: Consider nutrient-dense foods.

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Make sure to keep the pantry full of foods rich in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. This includes easy-to-prepare lentils, kidney beans and oatmeal as well as quick snacks like nuts and seeds, 100 percent fruit juices and nut butter. Fresh nutrient-dense foods should pack the fridge, including greens, carrots, strawberries, blueberries and oranges.

 Step 4:  Switch to healthy fats.

Keep the pantry stocked with nuts, avocados, seeds and unsweetened, no-salt peanut and almond butters for healthy fats. 

-Article courtesy of , Whole Foods


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