All the things you might already have lurking in your kitchen, you know..the stuff shoved at the back.. did you know how great they are for your diet?

Yup this is a stupidly simple idea. I’m not saying these are things you must buy, perhaps you already do buy them? 

This is just to provide all the basic kitchen go-to for quick and simple healthy eating, I’m going to include a weekly shopping list of the basic cheap health foods for bulk home-cooking and for quick meals on a budget. Hopefully you’ll pick up extra tips on how to introduce more veggies into your diet easily and sneakily!

The shopping list.

Your must haves;

You’ll notice a back-to-basics theme here, they’re all things you should already have. They’re basic foods on the food pyramid and they’re all really great for a basic food detox.

Tinned tomatoes; Yup, I know! These aren’t your once a year buys that you push to the back of the cupboard, they’re actually pretty nifty.
They were top of the list on my eating more veggies guide because they’re so important to have in your cupboard not only for their nutrient properties but they’re also packed full of vitamins ( vitamin C, vitamin K, Copper, potassium, manganese, vitamin B6 & folate) . Also Tomatoes are the best source of the cancer preventing ‘carotenoid pigment lycopene’. Yup I’ve never heard of it before either but.. Some studies suggest it can help prevent prostate, lung, and stomach cancers. 

Canned: roasted peppers, olives, pickles and chutneys are normally preserved with spices and other great gems. Keeping in all goodness and the spices will help speeding up your metabolism!

Fresh Fruit & Vegetables;
I’ve summarised the vegetables you should always keep in, on the list but here’s why. Fresh fruit and vegetables are super cheap, no matter what people say about eating healthily there’s always a green grocer or farmers market that are offering fresh produce for amazing prices. 

Not to mention the health benefits of eating fresh, there’s a whole bunch of diets dedicated to eating fruit and vegetables (vegan, vegetarian) and there’s a diet dedicated to eating raw foods, take your pick!

Nuts and pulses;
These are fab because they normally last for such a long time (unless you eat them daily like I do) In my house they’re on the list weekly! Nuts are rich in healthy fats, good for the brain, eyes and internal health and pulses are rich in carbohydrates that transform slowly into sugar and fat, instead of wheat based carbohydrates.

You may notice I left meat out of the summary list, this isn’t because I don’t agree with meat. I think it’s great for the body, it gives vital nutrients that help keep us healthy, but it’s not the only option to get those nutrients, thus making it not an essential (sorry).

I hope I’ve given a good basic guide for you to follow and if you think something is missing let me know! I wrote this within 2 hours without the internet so bare with me!

What are your kitchen essentials?

Links embedded to my amazon kitchen where I buy my kitchen essentials. The rest follow to helpful pages within my site!