The Well-Stocked Pantry
After our sugar detox a few years ago, I did a massive purge of our pantry, removing all the sugar-laden goods (including some surprising ones) and anything tempting me to fall back on old ways.
Suddenly my pantry looked very bare, and I realised it was time to re-stock. But with what?
I did a lot of research, following Sarah Wilson‘s advice regarding always choosing the most nutrient-dense option, and slowly filled my pantry with the best.
After living with the new pantry and re-stocking it over the last few years, I’ve come to realise the true importance of this for healthy living, especially if you want to do it on a budget and lead a busy life (and let’s face it, if we are parents, we are busy).
So what does our pantry look like a couple of years down the line and how does it help us stay off sugar and eat more healthily?
Let’s take a look:
Oils + Vinegars
Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Butter, Walnut Oil (occasionally, as this is more expensive)
Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (especially useful if you are lowering your sugar intake as it helps to regulate blood sugar levels), Balsamic Vinegar*, Rice Wine Vinegar
Cereals
Porridge Oats, Steel Cut Oats
Wheat Biscuits, Shredded Wheat (these are the only cereals I have found to contain minimal amounts of sugar in supermarkets)
Homemade Sugar & Dried Fruit Free Muesli and/or Granola
Sweeteners
Fructose-Free: Rice Syrup (our most used liquid sweetener), Xylitol (our most used natural granulated sweetener, but dogs cannot process this and it can be fatal to them, so dog owners would be better off using a different sweetener), Erythritol, Stevia, Natvia (all of these are mostly for weekend baking in our house – use in moderation)
Vanilla (as a homemade extract, as beans, or as powder)
Coconut (desiccated, as flakes, milk, cream, butter or oil)
True Cinnamon – Ceylon, not Cassia (ground and as sticks) and other spices
Natural sugar for occasional use in treats – I usually have one or two on hand: Honey* (raw and organic where possible), Maple Syrup* (pure Grade A), Coconut Sugar*, Pitted Dates*, Organic Unsulphured Dried Fruits*, Organic Blackstrap Molasses*
Sauces, Condiments, Herbs & Spices
Mustard, lowest sugar Hot/Chilli Sauce* we could find (finally found a sugar free one), Mayonnaise (whole egg/full-fat – often homemade due to rapeseed oil in shop-bought ones, but we do sometimes buy it for ease), Tabasco, Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
A large selection of herbs & spices (fresh and dried), particularly: true cinnamon (great for sweetening naturally), ginger, coriander, cumin, chilli powder, chilli flakes, garam masala, basil, oregano, thyme and mint
Sea Salt (usually Cornish sea salt) & (Fairtrade) Black Peppercorns
Tinned Goods
Chickpeas, Beans & Lentils (although I mostly buy these organic dried and cook them myself as it is cheaper, healthier and the slow cooker does it for me)
Coconut Milk, Coconut Cream (I often buy “creamed coconut” and dissolve in different amounts of water to make these as it is cheaper and doesn’t contain the extra additives I’m not entirely comfortable with in canned ones)
Chopped Tomatoes & Passata (organic when possible)
Grains, Pulses, Dried Beans
High Fibre or Wholegrain Pasta (usually once a week, often wholegrain spelt)
Quinoa (I buy British for ethical reasons), Millet, Raw Buckwheat (all gluten free)
Basmati Rice, Brown Rice, Arborio (Risotto) Rice occasionally too (all gluten free)
Polenta Flour (Cornmeal – gluten free)
Dried Beans (Various Kinds), Lentils, Chickpeas, Split Peas
Nuts + Seeds
Walnuts, Cashews, Almonds, Hazelnuts (usually 2 or 3 different options at a time, and nearly always activated and kept in the freezer)
Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Chia Seeds, Activated Buckwheat Groaties
Ground Flaxseed/Linseed (same thing, but flaxseed has made a name for itself as a so-called “superfood” and tends to be more expensive under this name as a result, so linseed is sometimes a cheaper choice)
Desiccated Coconut and Coconut Flakes (unsweetened)
Flours
Organic Plain Flour (I try not to use this on its own, but usually combine with one or more of the below)
Wholemeal Flour, Wholemeal Spelt Flour
Gluten-Free Plain Flour, Ground Almonds, Coconut Flour, Gram (Chickpea) Flour, Rice Flour and other gluten free flours
Cornflour (cornstarch)
Semolina (to dust baking sheets for bread and pizza to get a nice crispy base or for making pasta)
(I do sometimes use oat flour or quinoa/millet flour, but I tend to just make these myself in a blender!)
Baking Ingredients
Dried Yeast
Baking Powder (I often make my own with bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar as its cheaper and takes all of 3 seconds!)
Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda)
Homemade Extracts (always vanilla, usually also orange, lemon, coffee and chocolate)
Other
Occasionally we have nut milks (homemade and unsweetened)
Oat milk (unsweetened)
Cow’s Milk Yogurt and Coconut Yogurt (both homemade)
Coconut Water (a great low sugar alternative to fruit juice)
Fizzy Water
Milk Kefir (rare)
Lowest sugar kombucha we can find (rare)
Selection of caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks including: Coffee (Swiss water decaf if using decaf), Tea, Rooibos Tea, Earl Grey Tea, Fennel Tea, Barley Coffee, Peppermint Tea
Unwaxed (Organic) Lemons & Limes (I always keep these on hand for adding to hot or cold water or for flavouring dishes)
Avocados (they’re a hit in the health world for a reason)
Organic (or at least free range) Eggs (we get through a lot of these)
Frozen Veggies & Fruits
Frozen Croissants or Pains aux Chocolat* (these contain sugar, but for “treat” breakfasts, considering the brand we get only contain 1/2 tsp sugar in the croissants and just over 1 tsp in the pains aux chocolat – not to mention they are all-butter ones rather than palm oil or vegetable oil containing ones – it still makes a better option than some cereals)
Peanut Butter and other nut butters (since we eat very very little jam as an occasional treat, nut butters are a staple in our house! I tend to buy “no added sugar” peanut butter and make other nut butters)
Marmite (I’m told that Marmite outside of the UK often contains sugar so check the label – I believe Vegemite is usually a safer option for sugar free)