As a Clinical Nutritionist, I get a lot of questions about what I eat in a day and what I keep in my home. I know firsthand that having a well-stocked pantry can play a HUGE role in helping you stick to healthy eating habits. If you’re just starting to change your buying habits or if you’re a seasoned label-reader, this post is for you!
1. Collagen
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies! It makes up connective-tissue, supports our skin, and strengthens our bones. In my pantry at any given moment, I’ll have bovine, marine, or a multi-collagen to use. Most mornings, I’m adding collagen to my coffee before my morning workout for a bit of fuel. If I’m not working out in the morning, I’ll use it later in a smoothie. I usually have at least one serving of collagen daily.
2. Ceremonial Grade Matcha
At home and at work, I have the luxury of having high-quality matcha close at hand. #blessed Matcha is the ground up dried leaves from the green tea plant and has significantly more antioxidant and nutrient value than traditional steeped green tea. It has also been shown to boost attention, memory, and reaction time. This is invaluable to me, as I am seeing patients throughout the day and need my brain as sharp for my first patient as for my last one each day. Quick tip- ceremonial grade matcha is made from the youngest tea leaves and results in the most smooth flavor and texture. Culinary grade matcha is great for baking or to use in smoothies!
3. Protein Bars
I always like to have something that’s grab-go-nourishing. This way, if I don’t have time in the morning to make a smoothie or if I’m heading out the door and I know I’ll be stuck in LA traffic, I have a backup plan that I can feel good about. Most protein bars have a lot of junk ingredients, so I look for whole foods based ones with as few ingredients as possible. Lately, I’ve really been digging Elemental Superfood bars (though technically they’re in my refrigerator, not pantry!)
4. Canned Sardines
Sardines are an excellent source of Omega-3’s, protein, B-12, calcium, and several minerals like iron, potassium, and magnesium. Having a few cans of sardines in the pantry ensures I will always have an easy source of protein to toss onto salads if I don’t have any leftover protein to use.
5. Assorted Raw Nuts And Seeds
I can safely say my pantry is never without some nuts and seeds! Often, I have a huge variety to choose from! I love adding raw nuts to smoothies for a bit of fat or tossing them on salads to provide a crunch. Nuts and seeds are such versatile foods, depending on the type, you’ll be getting Omega-3s for brain health (walnuts) or zinc for thyroid support (pumpkin seeds). You’re also getting great sources of nourishing fats (critical for hormone production!) and fiber. Variety is the key to a nutritionally dense diet, so I suggest rotating your choices weekly.
6. Fresh, high-quality olive oil
I am so passionate about fresh, bright, vibrant olive oil. It’s really one of life’s greatest pleasures! Unfortunately in the United States, often, we’re exposed to rancid, sad, inflammatory or imitation olive oil. If you’re interested in a part food love letter, part true crime book, I highly recommend Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller, a book that explores the global olive oil crisis. But I digress… REAL olive oil is full of beautiful antioxidants and monounsaturated fats, that are known to reduce inflammation and protect against cardiovascular disease. It’s also truly delicious. And it has a shelf life- the moment the oil is pressed from the olives, it starts to degrade, that’s why the key to choosing the freshest and best olive oil is to look for a harvest date and a bottling date. Your olive oil is good for 2 years from that date, but best consumed within three months after opening.
7. Bone broth and bone broth soups
On a cold morning, when a smoothie sounds like the very LAST thing I want for breakfast, I turn to broth. Simple, nourishing, hug-in-a-mug broth. Ideally, I’d be making my own, fresh bone broths to have on hand all the time, but let’s be real for a moment- making bone broth is a time-consuming process! And it needs to be! You need hours of simmering to allow the bones and connective tissues to fully release their nutrients. So when time is not on my side, I turn to shelf-stable broths. When purchasing, however, you want to find broths that only have ingredients that you would also have in your kitchen, so avoid additives, coloring, and flavor enhancers (like sugar, hydrolyzed proteins, yeast extract, etc). Bone broths are also an amazing way to add nutrients and flavor to grains like quinoa in the cooking process!
8. Local honey
Since we’re heading into spring and allergies will begin to surface, I always make sure to have some local honey on my shelf. When you eat local honey, you’re also consuming local pollen. In a way, it’s like getting an allergy shot. I stir 1 tsp into tea or into my smoothies daily from Spring onward to ensure I’m inoculating myself. It may be a placebo, as the research shows the amount of pollen you’ll actually ingest is small and varied, however, I have found it to be helpful since moving to California. As an additional benefit, honey is very soothing on an irritated throat!
9. Ghee
The popularity of ghee has surged over the last few years, and I happily jumped on the bandwagon. Ghee is a great option for higher-heat cooking, as it has a smoke point of 485 degrees. It’s also free of lactose and casein and has quite a few fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E and vitamin K.Most excitingly, ghee is a fantastic source of butyrate- a short-chain fatty acid that helps lower inflammation and is imperative in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. Plus, it’s tasty. Incredibly tasty. Have you ever pan-roasted some garlic in ghee and then drizzled the result over grilled veggies? It’s life-changing.
10. Raw dark chocolate
I have literally saved the best for last. My #1, ride or die, pantry staple is raw dark chocolate. Raw dark chocolate is a superfood! It has living enzymes that support healthy digestion, raw cacao has the most magnesium, iron, Vitamin B, and zinc content per serving, out of all foods (!!) and specifically important for me is that raw dark chocolate is mycotoxin free. When I lived in England, our home was infested with toxic mold, and I had to go through a lengthy detoxification protocol afterward! I now keep my personal intake of mycotoxin-rich foods to a minimum because my body is more prone to handling them poorly. My absolute favorite raw dark chocolate comes from Addictive Wellness- it’s creamy and lovely, and does not have the sharp bitter flavor of most other raw chocolate. Plus, they create different “flavors” with different herbs and adaptogens for increased benefit.
And there you have it! My pantry staples that keep me moving, grooving, and healthy.