Healthy Pantry: Stock Up on Good-For-You and Good-to-Eat Essentials

The holidays are over and the New Year is here! After weeks of overindulging (those croquets/pernil/bunuelos were just too good to put down), it’s time to refocus and restart and make some healthier choices, starting with stocking a healthy pantry. Set aside those processed sugar cookies and preservative-added snacks and make space for wholesome options. Because the simple truth is that we’ll eat what we have on hand. So if you replace those cheese doodles with kale chips, you’ve already done the hard work. 

“When you have healthy items on hand, you will prepare better food choices for you and your family,” says Ximena Jimenez, nutrition expert and national Spokesperson for Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “It is all about eating for wellness.”

To help you get started, we turned to some of our favorite chefs, nutritionists, and dietitians, for the basics on a healthy pantry. From beans and nuts to heart healthy oils to whole grain breads and pastas, here’s what you need to know to start a New Year with a new you. 

Next up, baking supplies and canned goods…

Flour and Baking Supplies

Delicious as they are, the truth is that baked goods are often overflowing with carbs and bad fats, said Venezuelan chef and Master Chef contestant Alejandra Schrader. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t ever enjoy another cookie, crumble, or slice of cake. Start by replacing your white flour with whole grain options like quinoa or flaxseed meal. Then focus on the sugar. Swap out canisters of the powdery stuff for dried fruits, honeys, and applesauce. Shrader stocks up walnuts and golden raisins. “They help add healthy fats and a nice share of fiber to any dessert,” she says.

Canned Goods

Canned goods have a long shelf life and offer you lots of versatility. But don’t be fooled by labels. Look for low-salt or no-salt-added vegetables and avoid fruits packed in sugars and syrup. Instead, choose canned goods packed in water or 100 percent juice. Also stock up on tomato paste, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes, as well stewed and diced tomatoes which you can use for soups, chili and sauces. Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack from Muy Bueno Cookbook makes homemade salsa with canned tomatoes and roasted ling green chilies, saying the salsa “adds a healthy and spicy kick to any dish.”

Beans & Legumes

Beans are a staple of Latin cooking and are a must for your pantry. But again, beware of buying precooked beans that secretly loaded with fat. Focus on whole lentils, garbanzo beans, black beans and kidney beans, which are high in fiber and protein and can be used in a lot of recipes (including dips, soups, stews, even burgers!). Plan ahead and you can enjoy them all week. “Make a pot of beans weekly and freeze small containers,” Marquez-Sharpnack said. “Beans are a simple and healthy side dish.”

Protein

Canned meats and fish may not be glamorous but they’re tasty and handy in the kitchen. To give yourself a healthy head start on meals, pack your pantry with cans or pouches of proteins like salmon, chicken, and tuna packed in water. You can turn them into sandwiches, add them to salads, whip them up with a side of veggies for a protein-packed dip. Other proteins to have? Nut butters like peanut butter and almond butter, which can be used for classics like sandwich spreads or as a flavorful add-in for stir-fries. Just grab an all-natural version with only one ingredient: nuts! 

Breads, Grains, Rice and Pasta

Forget bagels and white bread. Choose whole grains instead by reading food labels and looking for words like “whole wheat” and “whole oats.” Jimenez recommends breads “that are 100 percent whole grain and contain three or more grams of fiber.” Go for whole grain pasta as well as brown rice, both of which are healthier than their traditional counterparts. Check out quinoa, a gluten-free, go-to grain and use it in salads, risotto, and soups – anyplace you would use white rice. 

Next up, dairy, oils, spices and seasonings…

Dairy

Think you can’t stock dairy products in your pantry? Stock up on unsweetened almond milk or soymilk, as well as nonfat evaporated milk or dry nonfat milk. These options are usually lower in fat than whole milk and gentler on the digestive system. Bonus: since you can keep them in the pantry, you’ll have less of those “running-to-the-store-in-my-pajamas” moments. Use these milks for baking flan, making drinks like Mexican hot chocolate, and prepping sides like sweet corn.

Nuts & Dried Fruits

Nuts are heart healthy and a great addition to your pantry. They’re ideal for snacks and can be used in many sweet and savory dishes, says Garcia, who also suggests seeds, like sunflower, pumpkin and pomegranate seeds. “You can even mix pomegranate seeds into guacamole to give it extra texture and a sweet-tart component,” he says. Use dried fruits in moderation for a sweet kick in oatmeal, muffins, and salads. And to help you stay on the right tract, portion out 100-calorie bags of mixed nuts to take along with you wherever you go. They’re help you stay full and give you a burst of energy! 

Oils

The right oils can help you get healthy fats into your diet. Dr. John La Puma, an MD and a professionally trained chef, who cooked at Rick Bayless’ Topolobampo in Chicago for nearly four years, recommends sesame oil and avocado. Use them as you would your regular kitchen oil for broiling, sautéing, even salad dressings. You can also try peanut oil, which helps to reduce cholesterol, and coconut oil.  “This healthy oil is delicious and works great at high temperatures so I love to use it for stir-fries and sautés,” Schrader said.

Spices and Seasonings

Add some zing to your cupboard with healthy and tasty spices and seasonings. Stock up on chili powder, basil, parsley, cayenne pepper, and cilantro, as well as oregano, turmeric, thyme and rosemary. Schrader keeps cinnamon, ground cumin, smoked paprika and cardamom in her pantry. “Even if heat isn’t your thing, you can always find a spice to suit your taste,” she says. Keep vinegars like balsamic, wine vinegar and rice vinegar for salad dressings and marinades. Stock up on jars of salsas, mustards and soy sauce, as well as hot sauces. When your food tastes good, you won’t be reaching for those less than healthy options. And if you have so many spices as your disposal, you’re more likely to sprinkle some into your food while cooking. 

Healthy Habits

Once you have a healthy pantry, you can make delicious meals at home, just the way you like them. You’ll avoid take out and foods laden with preservatives and additives and feel better about yourself and the food you’re feeding your family.