Read the Label
We are all about using whole food, real food ingredients. Make sure you are bringing home only the good stuff by reading the labels! I recommend putting back any product with ingredients including weird words you can’t pronounce.
Watch out for sneaky “added” sugars. They like to hide unnecessarily in lots of foods. For example, if buying a pasta sauce, always opt for the one with zero added sugars.
When looking for products, choose those with good fats. We prefer products using olive, avocado, or coconut oils, NOT canola, vegetable, sunflower, or safflower.
Substitute Ingredients List
Grains, Beans, and Legumes
Every pantry should include grains, beans, and legumes. The preferred method of preparation for grains, beans, and legumes, is dried, soaked, and then slow-cooked. This is ideal for proper digestion and absorption. Always choose organic and non-GMO when possible.
Sweeteners
One of the easiest and healthiest ingredient swaps you can make is your choice of sweetener. If a recipe calls for refined sugar, swap it for maple syrup, coconut sugar, 100% monk fruit, muscovado, allulose, or honey. Find local raw honey for better nutrient content, antioxidants, and even allergy support!
Eggs
With all the labels on egg cartons, it’s no wonder people are confused about which to buy. When buying eggs, It is best to look for organic, pasture-raised, and certified humane. Search in your area for local farmers who abide by organic standards and support local. Store brands we recommend include Vital Farms and Farmers Hen House.
Dairy
We rarely use and recommend dairy unless it is an A2 source, so when it’s called for in a recipe, our first choice is the Kite Hill and Myokios dairy alternative brands. For the quality organic brands of dairy, cream cheese, or sour cream, we choose Miller Bio or Green Valley (lactose-free). Always check the labels as some ingredients in dairy-free products aren’t worth the substitute.
The only milk substitutes I buy are Elmhurst, Malk, or Califia 3 Ingredient Organic. Not only does the price of most milk alternatives keep increasing, but they keep sneaking in added ingredients that can cause major problems for the digestive system. You have to watch these manufacturers, they switch up ingredients constantly so you’ve got to read your labels!
The health of our gut is a direct correlation to our overall health. Therefore consuming ingredients like carrageen, “gums”, natural flavors, preservatives, and added sugars, which are found in so many milk substitutes, can totally disrupt the gut microbiome, inhibit absorption, and create an acidic environment.
Making your own dairy-free milk is cheap and easy! Look under “cooking basics” for how to make it yourself and control the ingredients.
Salt
Not all salt is created equal. Salt is an essential nutrient needed for many processes in the body. It is a staple in every meal, snack, and dessert so it’s important we choose a high-quality salt when preparing and consuming food. One that does not include any nasties such as artificial additives or pollutants and that is not stripped of all its nutritional benefits. I recommend Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt.
Oils
We only cook with avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, or ghee. Highly processed and refined vegetable oils such as corn oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, palm oil, and canola oil are highly unstable and inflammatory in the body when ingested.
When choosing cooking oils it is important to recognize their smoke point and the method in which you plan to cook your food. Oils have varying smoke points and when cooking with those with low smoke points, they can cause oxidization and break down under high heat, leading to the formation of harmful, disease-causing free radicals (cancer cells).
When your recipe calls for frying, sautéing, or roasting, it’s best to select a cooking oil with a high smoke point. While those with low smoke points are best for dips, dressings, and spreads.
Animal Products
The quality of animal proteins is of most importance when buying meats. Always buy from reputable farmers, choose organic, pasture-raised poultry, and organic grass-fed and grass-finished beef. When buying seafood always buy wild-caught and avoid all bottom feeders. Primal Pastures and Butcher Box are reputable farms we recommend but always search locally if applicable. We recommend avoiding all pork.
Flour
When it comes to flour, we tend to stick with ancient grains such as Einkorn, Spelt, Amaranth, Millet, Kamut, Barley, Sorghum, Quinoa, Bulgur, or Rye. I often use a paleo blend of almond flour, arrowroot flour, coconut flour, and tapioca flour. This recipe can be found under “cooking basics”
Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices can elevate a meal and provide many healing benefits. Include a variety of herbs and spices to your meals to ensure benefits such as reduced inflammation, boosted immune function, heart health, and even prevention of cancer.
The staples for every kitchen: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, ginger, dried oregano, dried parsley, and dried basil. *Choose organic when possible
Other Condiments
Ketchup: Organicville, Primal Kitchen
Mayonnaise: Chosen, Primal Kitchen, Sir Kensington
Soy sauce: Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos, Bragg Liquid Aminos
Marinara/Pasta Sauce: Primal Kitchen, RAO’S Homemade, Muir Glen