Give your kitchen a healthy uplift by adding delicious staples of the African Heritage Diet. It’s not necessary to have everything on this list to be healthy. Use it to help you keep a variety of items on hand so you can always make a healthy meal:
In the Pantry
- Beans (low-sodium canned or dried): Black eyed peas, kidney beans, pigeon peas, fava or broad beans, butter beans, black beans, chickpeas and lentils
- Whole Grains & Flour: Barley, millet, oats, sorghum, brown rice, wild rice, cornmeal, teff and whole-grain flours
- Breads: Flatbreads and other breads (mostly whole grain)
- Light Coconut Milk (canned)
- Canned Seafood: Dried shrimp, saltfish, anchovies, clams, salmon, sardines, tuna
- Cereals: Oatmeal, plus other hot or cold cereals using rice, Kamut®, corn, and other whole grains. The best choices list the first ingredient as “whole grain”
- Preserves & Pickles: Jams and pickled fruits (like mango), and pickled vegetables
- Garlic & Onions: Keep a garlic bulb or two within easy reach. Red, yellow & Vidalia onions keep best in a cool, dark pantry.
- Coffee & Tea (for iced or hot)
- Herbs & Spices: Berbere, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, crushed red pepper, cumin, curry powder, dill, garlic powder, ginger, harissa, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme, turmeric, dried peppers, or blends like Caribbean seasonings
- Low-Sodium Soups & Stocks: Lentil, vegetable, tomato, potato and leek, red bean and rice
- Nuts: Peanuts, cashews, pecans, brazil nuts, almonds
- Honey, Molasses, &/or Brown Sugar
- Oil: Coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, or red palm oil
- Pastas: Whole wheat couscous and pastas; rice, quinoa and corn pastas and macaroni are also available
- Tubers & Plantains: Sweet potatoes, yams, yucca, cassava, breadfruit, potatoes
- Seeds: Sesame, pumpkin, sunflower seeds
- Tomatoes: Canned, paste, sauce
On The Counter or Your Table
- Fresh Fruit: Select favorites from the African Heritage fruit list, including: avocados, apricots, cherries, grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, melons, bananas, mangos, apples, peaches, or papayas. These fruits keep best at room temperature
- Squashes & Tomatoes: Squashes are healthy and filling, and best stored at room temperature too (like butternut squash and pumpkin), as are tomatoes
In The Refrigerator
- Certain Fruits (berries, watermelon)
- Hot Sauces and Salsa
- Hummus
- Pickles
- Eggs
- Vegetables
- Cooking Greens and Salad Greens
- Fresh Herbs
- Dried Herbs and Spices
- Natural Peanut or Almond Butter
- Fresh Seafood
- Yogurt
- Milk (soy, rice or lactose-free milk are available alternatives)
- Water and Sparkling Water
- Leftovers!
In The Freezer
- Frozen Fruit
- Frozen Poultry
- Frozen Seafood
- Frozen Beans & Peas
- Frozen Vegetables