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Pantry Power
Stocking a Healthy Kitchen
By Donna Smith
And while fresh is best, frozen vegetables are not that lacking in the nutrition department, and they make up for it with convenience. "Frozen vegetables are my favorite staple since they retain nutrients as well as or better than fresh since they are flash-frozen immediately after being picked," Meyer says.
Frozen vegetables are a staple in the Ruban household. "I definitely lean toward fresh fruits and veggies but will buy frozen in a snap and for convenience," Ruban says. "I know that frozen vegetables don't lose many nutrients in the freezing process so I feel good about serving them. It's also a convenient way to serve vegetables that are out of season."
Foods that lead to that blank stare should be kept out of the kitchen, or to a minimum. "Keep fat-laden cookies and high fat chips and crackers out of the kitchen as these can lead to mindless munching," Andrews says. "Think of ice cream as a summer treat, and keep it out of your freezer during the colder months. Skip the high-fat, high-salt frozen meals and chicken nuggets if you can avoid them."
Meyer agrees. "Keep easy-to-snack-on and processed foods out of the healthy kitchen," she says. Chips, ice cream, high-fat crackers, cookies, fruits drinks that are not 100 percent juice, soda and sugary cereals top her list.
A list can be invaluable when heading to the grocery store. Sticking to a list saves you money, time and makes it less likely you'll wind up on the snack aisle staring down a bag of chocolate-dipped cookies.