In this week’s Healthy Cooking segment, Cindy Ross of Bodies by Cindy has your go-to healthy cooking shopping list.
Keep these items on hand so it is always convenient to make the correct choice when eating healthy:
Produce & Whole Foods
Fruits – Apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, cherries, grapes, blueberries, avocado, raspberries, nectarines, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, pineapple, honeydew melon…
Vegetables – Onions, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, zucchini, broccoli, celery, asparagus, beets, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, squash, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, kale, brussels sprouts, radish…
Beans – black, pinto, kidney, navy, and/or garbonzo. These are easy to toss into the slow cooker or crock pot with a little salt and pepper; buy large bulk bags for the cheapest and lowest sodium options.
Nuts – Almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.
Whole, unprocessed grains-
• Quinoa
• Whole wheat pasta
• Steel cut oats
• Couscous
• Brown Rice
Meat
• Chicken Breast
• Ground Turkey
• Fish & Seafood (salmon, halibut, cod, etc.)
Dairy
• Low fat milk, Almond Milk, Coconut Milk
• Eggs
• Plain yogurt or Greek yogurt for more protein- This can also be used as sour cream. Pick up some honey to sweeten it if you can’t stand the thought of eating plain yogurt.
• Cottage cheese
• Butter – no imitations or zero calorie sprays, you’ll just end up hungrier and pumping your body full of chemicals
• Cheese – as little processed as possible; avoid cheese “products”, imitation cheeses, or anything that’s insanely low calorie as it’s probably nutritionally null and void, at best. Goat Cheese and Feta Cheese are great choices
For flavoring dishes & cooking
• Spices, buy or grow fresh when possible for best taste – cinnamon, oregano, cilantro, black pepper, garlic cloves, cumin, cayenne pepper, ginger, parsley, red pepper flakes, coriander, pure vanilla extract (not imitation) …
• Pure Honey – Best organic & unpasteurized, great for naturally sweetening things up
• Cooking oils – Sesame oil, vegetable oil, olive oil (do not cook with high heat when using olive oil)…
Other, miscellaneous
• Canned tomatoes
• Nut butters
• Whole wheat wraps & almond flour
Watch more: Healthy Recipes For Weight Loss
