Setting Up Your Pantry

As you begin to make the lifestyle change to eating a plant-based vegan diet, you will need to re-evaluate your food choices and how you prepare food. To begin, you’ll want to take some time to “veganize” your pantry. The following steps are designed to help guide you.

Step 1: Out With the Old

The first step to get rid of all the products you no longer want to be using. Here’s what we recommend throwing out:

  • Outdated food
  • Prepackaged foods that contain chemical ingredients or ingredients you need a dictionary to understand what they are
  • Canned or prepackaged foods that contain corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fructose (unless it states the product is certified organic or nonGMO)
  • Refined sugars (white and brown sugar)

Download the PDF:

Plant-based4Health-Food-Pantry-Essentials

Be sure to take a Vitamin B12 supplement, or a multi-vitamin with B12. Best to check with your doctor first.

Step 2: In With the New

You’ll want to fill your pantry with staple foods ready to use when needed. When refilling your pantry, it is important to read the labels carefully to ensure they are free of chemical additives and that the ingredients are all natural. The basic rule of thumb on ingredient lists is, if you don’t know what it is or can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.

When shopping, try to buy locally grown organic produce when possible.  You might want to investigate your local natural health foods stores or produce stands. Allow yourself extra time in the store so you don’t feel rushed.

Below is a list of suggested items that we always keep on hand. You may want to begin by focusing on the items you prefer to use or would like to try to incorporate into your cooking. The items asterisked (*) are those that are also alkalizing in the body.

 

Pantry Essentials

Beverages

  • Water (plain or with lemon)
  • Plant milks (almond*, organic oat and soy*)
  • Tea
    • Decaf green tea*
    • Herbal tea
    • Hibiscus tea*
    • Rooibos
    • Tulsi Tea
    • Turmeric & Ginger tea

Hibiscus and Rooibos teas are naturally caffeine free and rich in antioxidants. Hibiscus tea is known for its ability to aid with digestion and both Hibiscus and Rooibos support healthy blood pressure.

When purchasing plant milks, make sure to read the ingredients carefully. Some varieties include sugar and other additives.

Adding lemon to your water increases its alkalinity

Grains

  • Barley (if not gluten-free)
  • Buckwheat*
  • Millet*
  • Oats* – organic (old-fashioned and steel cut)
  • Quinoa*
  • Rice (arborio, basmati, black, brown, jasmine)
  • Rye – (if not gluten-free)
  • 100% Whole Stone Ground Organic Wheat  – (if not gluten-free)
  • Wild rice*

Store grains in airtight containers in your pantry. It’s fun to mix different kinds of rice when cooking to add variety and texture.

 

Flour

  • Almond*
  • Buckwheat*
  • Cassava
  • Chick pea
  • Fava bean*
  • Kumat
  • Sorghum
  • Teff*

If you don’t use flour often, it is best to store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

Pasta

  • Chickpea
  • Mung bean
  • Quinoa-brown rice pasta
  • Red lentil

Legumes

  • Beans (black, pinto, kidney, red)
  • Black-eyed peas
  • Chickpeas/garbanzo beans*
  • Lentils* (black, green, French (mini), red)
  • Split peas*

Beans are acid forming. Soaking beans overnight in a strong concentration of lemon or lime water to help lower their acidity and make them easier to digest. Also, to de-gas the beans, begin cooking by bringing to a fast boil for 10 minutes then turn off heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Rinse beans well before refilling the pot with water and continue cooking as usual. You can also add a bit of dried seaweed to the beans while cooking to improve digestibility.

Nuts

  • Almonds* (raw and roasted)
  • Raw cashews
  • Raw pecans
  • Walnuts

Nuts are cheaper to purchase in bulk. Storing them in the freezer will extend their life.

Seeds

  • Chia*
  • Flax*
  • Hemp*
  • Pumpkin* (raw)
  • Sesame*
  • Sunflower* (raw and roasted)

Chia and flax seeds are great substitutes for eggs when baking. Seeds are also cheaper to purchase in bulk. Storing them in the freezer will extend their life, especially flax.

Herbs

  • Basil*
  • Cilantro*
  • Dill*
  • Mint*
  • Oregano*
  • Parsley*
  • Rosemary
  • Stevia*
  • Thyme*

If possible, grown your own fresh, organic herbs. Fresh herbs are alkalizing.

Seasonings

  • Garlic* (fresh and granular)
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Raw cocoa powder
  • Salt (sea salt and some with iodine)
  • Tamari, soy sauce, and/or Braggs amino acids
  • Various spices

Fill your spice cabinet with the flavors you enjoy tasting. The spices we use more often are: basil, oregano, cumin, chili powder, garlic, curry, turmeric, cayenne pepper.

Oils/Vinegars

  • Apple cider vinegar*
  • Avocado oil*
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Coconut oil* (cold pressed)
  • Flaxseed oil*
  • Hemp oil*
  • Grapeseed oil
  • Olive oil*
  • Rice vinegar (unseasoned)

When purchasing vinegars, watch out for vinegars that have caramel coloring added. Store flaxseed and hemp oil in the refrigerator. For high heat frying, use coconut oil since it has a high flash point.

Sweeteners

  • Date paste* (see recipe below)
  • Honey*
  • Pure maple syrup
  • Raw agave syrup
  • Raw coconut sugar*
  • Stevia leaf * (ground)

Avoid using white processed sugar (i.e. cane sugar and brown sugar).

To make date paste, in a small bowl add 1 cup of dates and 1/4 cup of water. Let sit for 15 min then put in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Store in airtight container in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Prepackaged foods

  • Almond butter*
  • Baking Powder & Soda (aluminum-free)
  • Canned beans (preferably make your own)
  • Dark chocolate
  • Dates*
  • Miso paste
  • Raisins
  • Shredded coconut*
  • Seaweed* (dulse, nori, kelp, etc.)
  • Stewed tomatoes
  • Tahini*
  • Tomato paste
  • Vegetable broth

Avoid prepackaged foods with added sugar and preservatives.

When purchasing dark chocolate, read the ingredients carefully as many brands include milk and refined sugars. We enjoy eating Theo’s 85% dark chocolate and Alter Eco’s 95% dark chocolate mint.

A Note About Gluten

If you have celiac’s disease, a wheat allergy or gluten sensitivity, it is recommended to avoid all forms of wheat. The impact of wheat consumption on the health of individuals who do not have gluten issues is still under investigation.

If you choose to include wheat in your diet, we recommend consuming 100% whole stone ground organic wheat and avoiding wheat fillers found in processed foods.

Choose Organic!

According to the Environmental Working Group, “In its latest report on glyphosate residues on common children’s foods, EWG found that, like oats and wheat, chickpeas and other beans and lentils come with a dose of Roundup, a weedkiller formerly manufactured by Monsanto, now Bayer.” In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”