Gentle Pantry Makeover

By Author: Patrick Torres
Total Articles: 7
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In my experience as a nutritionist, I know that gentle change when practiced with consistency over time, leads to long term success. Here is a list of healthy, versatile staples that you can incorporate into your pantry so your family will have tasty snacks and meals at their fingertips.

Quinoa: When it comes to grains, most everyone has heard that moving from white to brown rice is a healthy choice. An even healthier choice is quinoa (Keen-wah). This ancient grain is unrelated to wheat, has no gluten, is a great source of fiber and is a complete protein containing all essential amino acids. It cooks in 12 minutes, making it a quick cooking nutritional powerhouse. Quick Tip: when preparing quinoa use a 1:1 ratio of grain to water, regardless of what the recipe or box says. This ratio provides a more favorable texture to grain dishes.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: EVCO has a high smoke point, meaning you can sauté at higher temps without the risk of creating carcinogens and it adds a fantastic exotic flavor to green vegetables, like asparagus and green beans. Although it is a saturated fat (solid at room temperature) ...
... it is processed differently in the body than other saturated fats and does not affect cholesterol levels.

Canned Beans: Beans contain large amounts of phytonutrients and fiber making them a superfood that should be consumed at least three times a week. They are one of the most economical sources of protein as compared to the price per pound of meat products. If you are not eating beans on a regular basis, challenge yourself to eat one vegetarian dinner each week using beans as your main protein source. Choose beans that list only the bean and sea salt on the label and always rinse and drain beans thoroughly before adding them to your salad, soup, or casserole. This will rinse away the non-digestible starch particles that leach out into the fluid that surround the beans, increasing digestibility. For those watching their salt intake, rinsing the beans will reduce the overall sodium content.

Whole Wheat Flour: Unrefined flours, like whole wheat flour, have the bran and germ intact, offering naturally present phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, such as selenium, potassium and magnesium, as opposed to refined white flour that have had the bran and germ removed. To improve the nutritional make up of your baked goods, simply substitute ½ whole wheat flour in any recipe that calls for 100% all purpose white flour.

Raw Nuts and Seeds: Let's round out our healthy pantry with some of the richest sources of phytochemicals, fiber, protein and healthy fats by adding nuts, seeds, and nut butters. Since most seasoned nuts have added oils and are heated to high temperatures during processing, which creates trans fats, you should instead choose raw, dry roasted, and tamari roasted nuts and seeds. When choosing jarred nut butters look for natural versions which contain only the nut and sometimes sea salt. Most natural foods stores offer grinders where you can grind freshly ground nut butters. To include nuts and seeds in your diet, pair them up with dried fruit (15 raw almonds and 4 dried apricots) for a great tasting and nutritious on-the-go snack that is quick and convenient. Be sure to choose dried fruit that has no added sugar.

All of these options are available at your local grocery store - your local nutritionist can point them out to you. Preplanning goes a long way when choosing to eat healthier. Take the first step towards a gentle healthy change for you and your family by including these foods in your pantry - stock up today!!

Seattle nutritionist Angela Pifer has been writing professionally since 2005, with her work published on MSN Health and Kashi.com. Pifer creates custom Seattle weight loss programs in her private practice with offices in Bellevue and Seattle, WA. Pifer holds Masters of Science in nutrition from Bastyr University.