What I keep in my fridge and pantry

A gluten-free, dairy-free (cow dairy, that is) lifestyle does not have to mean bare cabinets. Here are some essentials to help you and your family stay healthy without going hungry.
Veggies

• Any fresh veggie is a healthy one- my favorites include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and zucchini. Zucchini and broccoli are Cece's favs.

• Frozen peas, frozen broccoli, frozen spinach are must-haves when you run out of the fresh toward the end of the week. Add frozen spinach to ground meat, spaghetti sauce, and smoothies.
• Avoid canned veggies- they are high in sodium and the cans can be lined with a harmful chemical called BPA.

Grains

• Millet- cooks quick and delicious (nice substitute for couscous)
  
• Amaranth- very high in protein
  
• Quinoa
• Brown rice, wild rice, and my favorite- FORBIDDEN rice!
  
• Teff flour- good baking flour
  
• Gluten free oats- make oatmeal or throw some oats in a food processor to make a flour
• Brown rice pasta
  
• Brown rice bread- tasty when toasted!
• Brown rice tortillas- great for wraps and mexican burritos.
  

Oils/Fats- see previous post on "The Best Oils to Cook With"

• Grapeseed oil- use this oil for high heat cooking
• Olive oil- use this oil for salads and other cold items
• Coconut oil- also use for high heat cooking
• Organic Butter- yes, thats right, BUTTER...never margarine! Butter can be full of gut-loving butyric acid. Buying organic butter means there are no hormones or antibiotics.
• Avocados

Fruit

• Any fresh fruit is good. Deeply pigmented berries are some of the best source of antioxidants.
• Frozen fruit is just as good as fresh. Great for adding to smoothies and to morning oatmeal.
  
• Moderate amounts of dried fruits. I keep raisins on hand as an easy snack
• Moderate amounts of freeze dried fruit. Again, this makes for a healthy snack with all the nutrients intact. But it can be a concentrated source of sugar.

Protein

• Dried and canned beans- see post on "Beans, Beans, Beans" for recipes.
• Tempeh
• Nut flours- great for baking. See post on "Cooking with Protein Packed Nut Flours."
• Organic beef and organic chicken
• Eggs- see post on "Why eat organic eggs?"
• Nut Butters- almond butter and sunflower seed butter are my favorite
• Tahini- a sesame seed spread
• Hummus
• Nuts- walnuts are highest in omega 3 fatty acids!
  

Cow Dairy Substitutes

• Goat milk- see post on "Goat milk vs. Cow's milk"
• Plain goat yogurt
• Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• Goat feta

Snacks/Sweets

• Protein bars- great for on the go and you need a little pick-me-up. I like Lara bars, especially the peanut butter cookie one.
• Gluten free ginger snaps
• Bar of dark chocolate
• Blue corn tortilla chips
• Roasted seaweed snacks (great for teething babies who put everything, including paper, in their mouth. They might as well be getting nutrition while doing this!

Misc

• Salsa
• Stevia as an alternative, natural sweetener
• Maple syrup
• Honey
• Balsamic vinegar
• Nutritional Yeast
• Any and all herbal spices- I like thyme, oregano, dill, tarragon, and curry
• Flax seed, ground- add to yogurt, salads, smoothies, and oatmeal.
  
• Hemp protein powder- throw in your smoothie for a nutritional boost.
• Braags Liquid Aminos- a nice soy sauce (contains wheat) alternative
• Miso- add to soups and stews. It makes them DELECTABLE with an added bonus of probiotics (good bacteria colonized in your gut).
  

Functional Foods

One of my favorite sayings, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," is getting renewed interest lately. Functional foods are defined as any healthy food claimed to have health-promoting or disease-preventing properties beyond the basic function of supplying energy or calories. Today, these foods tend to be processed and fortified with vitamins or minerals. An example of a popular functional food that has gotten some media coverage is Cheerios and its ability to lower cholesterol.

In 2009, the FDA said in a warning letter to General Mills that language on the Cheerios box suggests the cereal is designed to prevent or treat heart disease. Regulators said that only FDA-approved drugs are allowed to make such claims.

But there is in fact solid science behind soluble fiber and its ability to lower cholesterol, thus decreasing the risk of heart disease. Now, I am not proposing that everyone go out and eat Cheerios every morning. What I am proposing is that you consume soluble fiber from REAL food. And REAL food is what I call FUNCTIONAL foods due to their health promoting and disease-preventing properties.

FLAX
Flax is an excellent source of soluble fiber (you know, the kind of fiber found in cheerios). The soluble fiber found in flax can lower LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) AND can regulate blood sugar (ie. great for diabetes). In addition to soluble fiber, flax contains omega-3 fatty acids, which is anti-inflammatory. As if all this wasn't enough, flax seeds can help regulate a woman's menstrual cycle. A dosage of 2-4 tablespoons of ground flax everyday for the first 15 days of a woman's cycle promotes the estrogen dominant follicular phase. This is paired with 2-4 tablespoons of ground sunflower seeds for the second half of a woman's cycle to promote the progesterone dominant luteal phase. For ideas on how to incorporate more flax into your or your child's diet, see post on seeds.

FERMENTED FOODS
There are ads all over tv for Activia yogurt, claiming to regulate your digestive tract within 2 weeks. Jaime Lee Curtiss does make a pretty convincing argument. It's true- probiotics ("good" bacteria) do wonders to your GI tract. However, I am arguing a better source of probiotics is in fermented foods. These foods include tempeh, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, and kimchi. See post on fermented foods for more info.

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES
These vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower, and consumption of these veggies are linked to a decreased cancer risk AND the promotion of liver detoxification. Cruciferous vegetables contain a substance called indole-3 carbonyl, which promotes the induction of phase I and II detoxification reactions. In other words, broccoli loves your liver! Indole-3 carbonyl may also reduce cancer risk by modulating estrogen metabolism. Translation- brussel sprouts makes your breasts happy!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...it all comes down to eating REAL food. To me, a functional food is not sugar-laden yogurt in a green container with a catchy tune. Functional foods are foods that are natural, come from the earth, and are vibrant in color.