Stocking Your Pantry 101
One of the biggest decisions we make when grocery shopping is what items to buy for our pantry. That is- deciding what shelf-stable items to keep in our home to cook with, snack on, and serve ourselves and others. Oftentimes in healthy eating people give the recommendation “only shop on the outside aisles of the grocery store.” This advice is well meaning in encouraging you to eat primarily fresh or frozen produce and meat. However, for most of us this turns out not to be entirely practical. In fact, shelf-stable ingredients can provide us with nutrient-dense ingredients to add to our snacks or meals. Instead, it’s better to be prepared and informed about how to make better decisions when considering both what we have on hand and what we buy.
Re-think the items you already have
Most of us already have shelf-stable foods stored in our homes. When making healthy changes people often feel as though they are supposed to go and throw away all of the foods they already have and replace them with wholesome ingredients. But instead of wasting food and money by throwing everything out, try to re-think some of the ways you use your existing items.
The goal is to use pantry items as additions to or part of our meals and snacks, not as substitutions for them entirely. It’s all about combining foods in a balanced way. So even if you have a pantry item you think of as “unhealthy,” try balancing it with a fresh fruit, vegetable, or lean protein source to balance it out. For example, chips alone aren’t a very nutrient dense snack. However, to use up what you already have you can try portioning out the chips before eating, and pair them with a banana, greek yogurt, or carrot sticks. Then, once you’ve used up all of that item (once you’ve eaten all of the chips), you can purchase differently the next time you go to the store to buy snacks. All foods can fit into a healthy diet, and using up our pantry items is a great way to practice that.
Re-think the items you buy in the store
When purchasing items for your pantry it is important to keep several things in mind. First, if you are not already in the habit, start checking the nutrition facts label. Our last post was all about what to look for in the different sections of the food label and is a great resource for this. Look for unexpected added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat that you may not realize you are consuming through the foods you are buying. You may be amazed by just how much your spending may change by just checking this one thing.
The next thing to do is ask yourself what purpose the food you are about to pick out is going to serve in your diet, and then modify your purchases from there. For example, if you are looking for a protein bar that will serve as a balanced snack for you, then you want to look for a product that has <10% of your daily value of added sugar and >8g protein per serving. Furthermore, if the food you are about to purchase doesn’t serve a helpful purpose, then you can then choose not to purchase it.
The next thing to ask is if there is a more nutritious alternative to the food you are buying. This usually takes some comparing and contrasting. For example, if you are needing a snack cracker to serve as a source of whole grain paired with peanut butter, after comparing two different items you may realize that one has more fiber than the other. As a result, you can make the choice to purchase the more nutrient dense product that will fuel your body better.
In the end, it’s all about asking ourselves questions and being mindful about the foods we are surrounding ourselves with at home. Book a discovery call at nutrition502.com today to learn more about how we can help you in making mindful and helpful decisions both in the grocery store and at home (both in person and virtual appointments offered).