With festive indulgence now firmly behind us, you’re ready to make a fresh start of it. “This year,” you tell yourself, “I’ll quit sugar, run a half marathon, cook more and bench press my own weight.” All power to you if you can pull that off.
But there’s no point in setting yourself up to fail. Why schedule in feeling bad about yourself when you order a takeaway or snooze your gym alarm? Why not give yourself some flexibility instead?
You don’t need to make drastic changes to your lifestyle to reap the benefits. Eating more healthily, for example, can be far easier if you do a bit of prep work. Rather than expecting that you’ll make elaborate, nutritionally dense meals three times a day, just stock up on some cupboard staples you can fall back on.
That way, when you fancy a snack, or have limited time to throw together your lunch, you’ll have shelf stable, reliable items in reach. No lofty goals, no faff, no emergency trip to the supermarket: just simple, reliable ingredients you can chuck together.
With that in mind we asked three registered dietitians (Emma Shafqat, Lucy Upton and Dr Frankie Phillips from the British Dietetic Association) to recommend the best pantry items for a healthy January – including the best brands you can always rely on, and any red flags to look out for.
Tinned fish
Tinned fish is a shelf-stable source of protein as well as many essential nutrients. “These are a great way to get Omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA), and fish with soft bones are a great source of calcium,” Upton says. Omega 3s are essential fats that have been linked to benefitting your heart, brain and eye health. All our experts recommend going for oily fish like sardines, salmon, pilchards or mackerel.
In terms of what to buy, Shafqat says “I recommend going for fish tinned in spring water or olive oil and avoiding products tinned in brine (as they are higher salt).” She particularly enjoys the John West (no drain) and says John West tinned sardines in tomato are great on toast.” But the supermarket brands are great too.
Ready whole grains
The invention of pre-cooked grains has made throwing a quick meal together all that easier. However not all pouches are created equal. “Avoid flavoured rice that is high in salt and saturated fat,” Shafqat says. Upton adds “I’d suggest looking for 100 per cent whole grain brown rice, quinoa, barley, which are low in salt or have no added salt. Brands like Tilda Rice and Merchant Gourmet have good products for ready whole grains.”
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“Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is a perfect way to enrich your diet with polyphenols, the healthy plant-derived chemicals that act as antioxidants and give an array of flavours,” Dr Phillips says. Cold-pressed means the natural aromas and antioxidants are preserved while extra virgin means the oil is unrefined and of the highest grade.
Brands wise you have a few options. “Filippo Berio, Karyatis and Casolare are all good brands,” Shafqat says. But she adds that as long as they’re cold-pressed and EVOO, supermarket own brands can be good too.
Upton agrees, saying “for a more accessible/cheaper option, I love the Aldi Specially Selected Terra Di Bari Castel Del Monte EVOO”.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are a great addition to your diet, whether as a snack or sprinkled over meals. They boast a combination of unsaturated fats, fibre, plant protein, vitamins and minerals – all of which contribute to their healthfulness.
“Any nuts are good for protein, fibre and unsaturated fats as well as vitamins and minerals,” Dr Phillips says. However, to get the most benefits from both nuts and seeds, Upton says, you should “consider mixed nuts and seeds to draw on the benefits of their diversity.”
Green flags are raw or dry roasted (not the flavour but the method), and they should have no additives. This is also true for nut butters: “if you are choosing nut butters the ingredients should be mainly nuts only,” Shafqat says. She recommends the brands Meridian, Pip & Nut and Whole Earth. However for mixed nuts or seeds, supermarket brands are highly recommended too – and affordable.
Dried fruit
“Dried fruit gets a bad press as it’s high in sugar but as part of a meal it isn’t harmful to teeth and provides plenty of fibre,” Dr Phillips says. She particularly recommends dried apricots as “they add iron to the diet and are really versatile in savoury dishes.”
Be mindful of added sugar or fruit concentrates, Shafqat says, and “check for sulphites if sensitive (they are common in apricots)”. She adds that Whitworths and Freddie’s Farm for kids can be a reliable brand.
Pulses (tins or pouches)
“Across the board, I’d encourage everyone (kids and adults) to add more pulses to their diet,” Upton says, “so any inclusion is good inclusion.” These are particularly easy to stock and keep available to chuck into or onto a meal at a moment’s notice.
Dr Phillips says she keeps canned cannellini beans, kidney beans and chickpeas in the cupboard, and also has a regular store of red lentils. “They don’t need soaking and can easily be added to soups, stews, bolognese and savoury mince dishes without much change to taste or texture but can make meals more affordable and nutritious”.
As ever, avoid added sugar or unnecessary flavourings, and try to choose ones that are low salt. Upton and Shafqat recommend Biona and Bold Bean Co as well as supermarket’s own brands.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate, famously, counts as a health food thanks to its high polyphenol count. But that’s not its only benefit, Upton says: “it surprises many people that dark chocolate also contains fibre – with the amount tending to increase with the cocoa percentage e.g. around 1.8g per 18g in 70 per cent and 2.3g per 18g in 85 per cent.”
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To really optimise the health benefits, Shafqat says to “choose chocolate that is 70 per cent cocoa or higher for better polyphenol content. Fewer ingredients is better too.” Lindt 70–85 per cent, Green & Black’s, Divine Fairtrade, and even Aldi’s Moser Roth (70 per cent) and Lidl’s own brand (85 per cent) are great, accessible options.
Oats
When it comes to healthy breakfast staples you can’t go wrong with oats, Upton says. “All plain oats are great: they are a cheap, accessible and nutritious food for all.” This is in part thanks to the specific type of fibre they contain, Dr Phillips says. “Plain porridge oats of any size are great for providing beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre which helps to manage cholesterol levels.”
Our experts recommend picking whole rolled oats or steel-cut oats over instant sachets which often have added salt and sugar. Shafqat recommends Quaker rolled oats, Mornflake and Flahavan’s, adding “these are my favourite. I buy these every week.”
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