T + T Pantry Guide

Created by Amanda Rohwedder, MS

 Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon, or not at all. – Harriet von Horne

 This guide helps you to create a food environment in your home that encourages a healthy lifestyle. Having these foods on hand enables you to avoid processed, low quality options and easily prepare nourishing meals for yourself, and for your family. Wholesome, nutritious food should taste good!

 Look at product ingredient lists. Good rule of thumb is usually the less ingredients listed, the better. Shop at local farmer’s markets or support local farms whenever possible.

 A note on organic foods: Our food supply has slowly and steadily become more processed, less nutrient-dense and tainted with dangerous chemicals, such as food additives, preservatives, dyes, etc. This has become so prevalent that “artificial ingredients” are often outnumbering “natural ingredients” on product labels. Organic products are a recognized, logical alternative to this issue because they are produced with agriculturally sound and sustainable methods. For a great reference on which produce is best bought as organic, follow this link to discover which fruits and veggies have the highest pesticide use: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/

 Recommended portion sizes in parentheses || (+) means eat these up!

  • Dry roasted nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, etc. (1.5 oz, roughly 1/3 cup, ~24 almonds, 14 walnut halves, 16 cashews)

  • Nut butters like almond butter or peanut butter, with limited ingredients, avoid palm oil or added sugars (1 Tblsp.)

  • Salmon or tuna, smoked or canned in water (3-4 oz for women, 4-6 oz for men)

  • Beans, any type of legume (1 cup to 2 cups prepared)

  • Steel cut or old-fashioned rolled oats, with no added sugars or flavors, or oat bran (1/2 cup dry)

  • Rice, brown, black or wild (1/2 cup prepared)

  • Pasta, whole grain or plant based (1/2 cup prepared)

  • Quinoa, farro or barley (1/2 cup prepared)

  • Whole grain or sprouted grain bread, 5g sugar or less per slice (1 slice)

  • Eggs, cage free when possible (1 to 4 eggs depending on protein needs)

  • Non-dairy milk, such as coconut or almond (1 cup)

  • Greek yogurt, whole or 2% (1 cup), great replacement for mayo in recipes

  • Dried fruit, such as dates, cherries and mango, without sugar in ingredient list (1/4 cup)

  • Fruits and vegetables, fresh, frozen or canned (no sodium or low sodium) *means long shelf life

    - Avocado (1/4 to ½)

    - Lettuces and other leafy greens (+)

    - Spinach (+)

    - Yams/sweet potatoes (1/2 of your fist)*

    - Broccoli (+)

    - Cauliflower (+)

    - Green beans (+)

    - Asparagus (+)

    - Tomatoes (+)

    - Cucumber (+)

    - Celery (+)*

    - Carrots, avoid “baby” (1 large or 2 medium)*

    - Onions, shallots, garlic*

    - Radishes*

    - Corn (1 cup or 1 ear)

    - Mushrooms (1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked)*

    - Edamame/soybeans (1/2 cup or up to 2 cups)

    - Peas (up to 2 cups)

    - All berries (up to 2 cups)

    - Apples (1)*

    - Bananas (1)

    - Melon, cantaloupe or honeydew (1 cup)

    - Pineapple (1 cup)

    - Oranges (1)

    - Grapes (1 cup)

    - Mango, kiwi and other tropicals (1 cup)

  • Lemons and limes, great to flavor water (+)

  • Plant-based oils, such as olive, coconut, grapeseed, sesame and avocado (1 Tblsp.)

  • Coconut or olive oil spray

  • Any type of vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar

  • Array of fresh and/or dried herbs and spices for seasoning (+)

  • Nutritional yeast

  • Liquid aminos

  • Teas, best are loose leaf, examples are green tea, oolong, rooibos, white

  • Natural sweeteners: honey (raw, if possible), coconut sugar, organic cane sugar, Grade A maple syrup, molasses, stevia (limit as much as possible)

Foods to avoid/limit intake: Not regularly purchasing these items allows you the freedom to make healthy choices from home

  • Palm, palm kernel or vegetable/canola oils

  • Nothing ever with hydrogenated oils – fractionated is okay

  • Nothing with bleached, unbleached or enriched flours – look for whole grain

  • Never anything with high fructose corn syrup

  • Margarine

  • Mayonnaise

  • White table sugar

  • Prepackaged salad dressings or sauces (typically have excess sodium and sugar)

  • Anything fried

  • Fruit juice

  • Pre-packaged cereal

  • Dairy – on occasion, dairy is fine but not a staple food – choose whole or 2% options when purchasing

  • Bottom feeder seafood like lobster and shrimp (limit intake, “swimmers” are preferred)

  • Processed snack items, such as chips, donuts, pastries, crackers, etc.

  • Alcohol – limit intake to social occasions, not regular consumption

  • Soda!