Healthy Food

A stocked pantry is the foundation to preparing simple, healthy, and delicious meals. Having quality items on hand makes eating the rainbow easier.

Buy organic whenever you can to avoid pesticides and unwanted chemicals. Organic standards ensure producers rely on natural substances, and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods as much as possible. The standards also prohibit the use of most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which can be harmful.[1] Learn more about USDA organic standards here.

The widely used pesticide glyphosate, has been classified as “Probably Carcinogenic to Humans” by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. Learn more about glyphosate here. [2]

Also avoid GMO foods, some of which are grown to be resistant certain pesticides. You can do this by choosing organic food since it is not allowed to contain GMOs and also avoiding foods with the Bioengineered label.

Organic Spices & Seasoning

Buy organic and fresh spices.

Spices are best when fresh and organic. Conventional spices can contain avoidable contaminants like pesticides and unnecessary colorants.[3] Choosing certified organic spices will reduce exposure to these.

Another concern with spices is the presence of heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Consumer Reports tested 126 products for heavy metal. View the results of their heavy metal testing on spices here.

Note that spices beyond expiry lose flavor and benefits, so it’s good practice to clean out your spice cabinet periodically.

Organic Ceylon Cinnamon 

Choose ceylon cinnamon over cassia or korintje varieties. Ceylon cinnamon has a slightly sweeter and milder flavor, and is a better quality cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon has a lower concentration of coumarin which acts as a blood thinner and can be dangerous to the liver in high amounts. It is perfect for baking, on top of oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and more.

Redmond Real Salt

Redmond Real Salt is unrefined salt mined in Utah that contains no additives. It contains over 60 trace minerals that help our bodies function properly. Many salt products on the shelves are stripped of minerals and contain anti-caking agents such as calcium silicate. Some even contain dextrose (sugar). Redmond Real Salt tastes great and comes in several varieties - fine (for your salt shaker), kosher, and coarse (for your salt grinder). Get 15% off Redmond Real Salt with discount code Switchnatural.

Organic Black Pepper

Not only does black pepper add flavor to food, but it has health benefits such as reduction of insulin-resistance, anti-inflammatory effects, and improvement of hepatic steatosis thanks to the alkaloid piperine.[9] Black pepper has antioxidant properties and provides manganese, iron and vitamin K.[8]

Organic Cumin and Paprika

Cumin and paprika are my favorite spices to add to when cooking beans or lentils. Cumin has numerous health benefits as it contains minerals such as sodium, iron, zinc, copper, phosphorus, and calcium, and vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin B complex, and folic acid.[4] Paprika is also a great on top of hummus.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is a good source of B complex vitamins. The flavor of Braggs nutritional yeast resembles a mild cheese and is great for adding creaminess to salad dressing, pasta, and is used in plant based cheese recipes.

Vanilla Extract

Look for non-alcoholic organic vanilla extract like this one from Simply Organics.

Oils, Vinegar, & Sauces

Avoid vegetable oils such as canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and cottonseed oil.

Most oils are highly processed, heated, and treated with chemicals which are not listed on ingredient labels. Canola oil is commonly extracted with the chemical hexane, which is a neurotoxicant.[5] High temperatures during processing can cause oils to go rancid. [6][7]

Coco Goods Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is delicious and perfect for baked goods. I use coconut oil as a substitute for vegetable oil and butter in sweets. Coco Good organic cold pressed coconut oil is my favorite as its smooth with a mild flavor. Tip: Use coconut oil as a makeup remover.

California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Olive oil has an amazing taste and nutritional profile. But not all olive oils are great and labels can be misleading. Many olive oils are labeled as pure olive oil but actually contain a mixture of vegetable oils which are heavily processed and treated with chemicals & high heat rendering them harmful. When shopping for olive oil, look for certified extra virgin olive oil that meets the Olive Oil Commission of California (OOCC) standards. [7]

Apple Cider Vinegar

Raw organic apple cider vinegar has been used for centuries for various natural remedies. It is a must have for my homemade salad dressing and is a wonderful addition to numerous recipes and dressings.

*Note: While avocado oil is a mild tasting oil that can be used in high temperatures, the integrity and quality of most avocado oils has been put into question, and I have temporarily stopped cooking with it.

Unsweetened Ketchup

Did you know most ketchup contains added sugars? Buying organic sugar free ketchup is an easy and impactful way to ditch unnecessary sugar without sacrificing flavor.

Tomato Sauce

Otamot organic tomato sauce tastes delicious and is perfect for quick pastas or homemade pizzas. Unlike most tomato sauce, Otamot does not have added sugar. Instead it is full of organic vegetables and comes in spicy or regular.

Tahini

Tahini is 100% made from sesame seeds and is a great source of vitamins, minerals, that contains healthy fats and protein. Tahini has an nutty flavor is delicious with bread and honey, in homemade hummus, and is a creamy addition to salad dressings. Mighty Sesame Seed Company tahini is organic and comes in a convenient squeezable bottle (tahini is sticky!).

Wheat And Grains

Bread made with sprouted grains like barley, brown rice, corn, millet, oats, rye, packs a nutritious punch and is delicious and satisfying.

Food For Life Sprouted Grain Bread, Corn Tortillas, & Pitas

Food For Life offers many sprouted grain options like the 7 Sprouted Grains Bread, Sprouted Whole Grain and Seed Bread, Pocket Bread pitas, and Sprouted Corn Tortillas. These are found in the freezer section and soften when warmed.

Alvarado Street Sprouted Grain Bagels

Alvarado Street Sprouted Grain Bagels are soft and chewy with the same consistency as white bread bagels, and are delicious and filling.

Organic Oatmeal.

Choose rolled oats or steel cut. Steel cut oatmeal is cut from whole oat groats and digests slower than rolled oats.

A concern with oatmeal (even organic) is residual glyphosate since it is so widely used. Residual glyphosate was not detected in the 365 brand organic rolled oats. One Degree sprouted oats are certified residual glyphosate free.

Tolerant Lentil Pasta

This delicious lentil pasta is made from just one organic ingredient.

Snacks, Crackers, and Cereal

Thunderbird snack bars are made with simple ingredients and no added sugar. Tasty flavors include pistachio pecan goji and cashew fig carrot.

Flackers are great for topping (they don’t break easily) and for getting a dose of healthy omega-3s. They come in several flavors like sea salt and savory.

Organic cereal without high amounts of sugar are hard to come by. Nature’s Path Flax Plus Multigrain flakes contain just 7 organic ingredients and have 5 grams of sugar. Lovebird cereal is made with organic ingredients and is gluten-free, grain-free, and glyphosate-free. Lovebird is the perfect alternative for those that like Cheerios. Use code ANDREA for 10% off Lovebird cereals.

Protein and Collagen

Centenarius grass fed whey protein has no flavors, gums, or harmful additives. Centenarius froths up nicely in smoothies and gives a nice protein boost for pancakes and waffles.

Tonic Beauty is great for hair, skin, and nails. Mix one packet of collagen powder with a liquid like coffee, juice, or smoothies.

Both Centenarius and Tonic are from pasture raised animals and are tested for heavy metals.

Save 10% off of Centenarius with code SWITCHNATURAL.

What are your must-have pantry items? Let me know in the comments below!

References & Resources

[1] https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means

[2] https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/glyphosate-fact-sheet

[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713516307149#:~:text=Various%20chemical%20hazards%20may%20be,deliberate%20contaminants%20such%20as%20dyes.

[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cumin

[5] https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/hexane.pdf

[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6296546/

[7] https://www.oliveoilcommission.org/

[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30740986/

[9] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27671817/#:~:text=Piperine%20has%20many%20pharmacological%20effects,and%20improvement%20of%20hepatic%20steatosis.