Healthy Ingredients List
Healthy meals start with healthy ingredients. Here is a list of many choices based on food groups to help you get started with a healthy pantry!
GRAINS
Rice- brown, red, black, or wild
Whole-grain bread
Sourdough bread
Quinoa, technically a seed, but used as a grain a lot
Farro (an ancient grain found on the rice aisle)
Corn
Oats
Whole-grain pasta
Barley
Bulgur
DAIRY
Low-fat cheese stick/squares
Plain Greek yogurt
Low-fat milk/ regular/chocolate
Low-fat cottage cheese
Kefir
Cheese- the harder cheeses are best in terms of fat content, Ex, parmesan, romano, asiago
HEALTHY FATS
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- first cold pressed
Avocado oil/avocados
Grapeseed oil
Nuts and Nut butters
Chia seeds
Fatty fish - salmon, sardines, mackerel
Nuts
PROTEINS
Nuts
Eggs
Low-fat cheese sticks/bars
Plain Greek yogurt
Low-fat cottage cheese
Lean meats- turkey, chicken, pork, beef
Fish
Quinoa
Cottage Cheese
Lentils
Peanut butter
Tofu
Beans-black, kidney, and pinto especially
Chickpeas
Chia seeds
Soybeans
FRUITS & VEGETABLES
* No bad ones! The darker and more colorful the better. Citrus does have a lot of sugar, so use it in moderation.
My favorites for nutrient density:
Greens- spinach, chard, kale, collards, bok choy, romaine lettuce
Cruciferous- broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts
Root veggies- sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, garlic, onions
Others- bell peppers, asparagus, peas, red cabbage, mushrooms, green beans, butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash
Low glycemic fruits- berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries), apples, cherries, kiwi, pears
Other fruits- peaches, nectarines, grapefruit, oranges, plums, apricots, bananas, pomegranates
