What are your healthy staple foods?

[Jiffer]

I'm really working on eating healthier. Less processed foods, sugar, preservatives and more whole foods, veggies, etc. I buy a lot of organic. I have worked on eating this way for years with some success, making a life long change here and there, doing better at some times than others, but still had a long way to go when I started having health issues, which caused me to get way more serious about it. One of the harder things for me to do is add veggies. I'm not really supposed to eat a lot of fruit right now, but some is ok. Since changing my eating, I have developed some "staples" I tend to eat a lot of as my go to foods. I need to develop more go to foods and figure out how to add more veggies to my life without randomly buying veggies and never actually eating them!

Here are some of my staples.

Eggs, Tomatoes & Avocados

I usually have two eggs for breakfast, sunny side up (the closer to raw, the more nutrients). I just decided a good way to add veggies to my breakfast is to add sliced tomatoes and avocado. It's quick and easy and yummy, and something I can see myself actually doing consistently.

Apples and Peanut Butter

Once a day I usually have apple slices with peanut butter. I need to have protein with every meal or snack. I also have whole wheat toast with peanut butter a lot.

Carrot Sticks

I try having carrot sticks dipped in ranch with a sandwich sometimes. It's really not my fave, but it's good for me. Not the dressing so much, but gotta do something to make myself eat veggies!

Spinach

I try to make salads with either all spinach or spinach mixed with romaine. I also put spinach on a sandwich instead of lettuce a lot. I'm not a big salad person, but trying to work on that.

Nuts

I found small prepackaged bags of various combinations of nuts at Trader Joe's. I LOVE this! I try to keep some handy in my car, so I have them whenever I'm hungry. It was perfect yesterday when I was going to the grocery store and realized I needed a little boost before trying to make food decisions.

That's all I got for healthy "staples". What do you guys do?

[Veronica]

Fage yogurt.

Veronica

[shootingstar]

Healthy staples for me which is more of last 12 months:

Light noodles (durum wheat, seminola, buckwheat, green tea or light egg noodle...)
red/ yellow/orange peppers (I find green peppers just boring)
egg whites (I haven't bought real round breakable eggs for a long time)
cornflakes (no sugar) or oatmeal
skim milk (Canada's version is not a terrible blue-white milky stuff.)
Chinese green veggie (different varieties here)
onions
garlic
ginger root
tomatoes
couscous


I don't eat much bread nor white rice anymore. When I have bread, it's an artisan bread, so good that it needs no spread of any kind.
I have not bought peanut butter for home in...the past decade or so. I have peanut butter on toast at restaurants.

[indysteel]

I make a lot of soups. Vegetable, black bean, mushroom and barley, red lentil and lemon, Italian lentil, minestrone, and split pea are my favorites. We also eat beans in a number of other dishes. My DH's favorite is a black bean and sweet potato filling for burritos. We make stir fries and eat a lot of steamed or roasted veggies as side dishes, along with salad. This week we ate grilled portobella sandwiches on whole wheat with pesto, roasted red peppers, red onion, spinach and feta. We also eat pasta with any number of fresh sauces and pestos.

I try to make one vegetarian main dish and one meat-based main dish each week to cover all of our dinners. We usually get some lunches out of that, too.

[Jiffer]

egg whites (I haven't bought real round breakable eggs for a long time)


Thanks for your post. I wonder why don't you eat the yokes? That's where all the nutrition is. It's one of the most nutritious foods you can eat.

[Catrin]

The yolks are where the cholesterol and fat are found, egg whites have lots of protein and few carbs. It is a great low-fat protein source. I do consume quite a lot of these, with the occasional whole egg.

Other staples are skinless chicken breasts, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, apples, bananas, peanut butter, salad greens, onions, tomatoes, carrots, and other veggies. Some brown rice and low fat granola.

[KnottedYet]

Miso (red miso is my favorite)
Chili sauce (love Sriracha)
Green leafy things (like kale and chard)


It is so very easy to make a hearty satisfying soup of miso, chili sauce, green things, and maybe some rice noodles and a whipped egg.

Miso is also good spread on crackers or toast, kind of like Vegemite.

Miso makes a great broth, and a great base for just about any stew or pot roast.

(and it keeps for about 3 years in the fridge, though a jar never lasts me that long)

Not sure if it's really "healthful" or not, but it adds a world of taste to many things!

[nscrbug]

My healthy staples include -

raw almonds
walnuts
plain greek yogurt (Fage & Chobani)
ground flaxseed
Ezekial 4:9 low-sodium bread
natural peanut butter (no salt, no sugar)
natural almond butter (no salt, no sugar)
oatmeal
brown basmati rice
whole grain pasta
bananas
berries (fresh if in season, otherwise frozen)
broccoli
baby carrots
eggs
hummus
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
ground turkey breast
fat-free, low sodium chicken broth (I use this a lot in cooking)

[KnottedYet]

Eggey-bits http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food)#Nutritional_value

My doctor had me start eating 1-2 whole eggs a day.

My total cholesterol DROPPED. My good cholesterol got HIGHER than it had been.

Niiiiice...

[emily_in_nc]

Eggey-bits http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html

My doctor had me start eating 1-2 whole eggs a day.

My total cholesterol DROPPED. My good cholesterol got HIGHER than it had been.

Niiiiice...

Yep. My DH eats a fair number of whole eggs. Just got his cholesterol counts done: Total chol = 187, HDL = 100...Now that's a great ratio! Also his triglycerides were only 23. Wow. Whatta guy! :D

[KnottedYet]

Yep. My DH eats a fair number of whole eggs. Just got his cholesterol counts done: Total chol = 187, HDL = 100...Now that's a great ratio! Also his triglycerides were only 23. Wow. Whatta guy! :D

My cholesterol changes were better than what would have been expected with a statin drug.

I'd much rather eat an egg or two than take a statin!

[shootingstar]

The yolks are where the cholesterol and fat are found, egg whites have lots of protein and few carbs. It is a great low-fat protein source. I do consume quite a lot of these, with the occasional whole egg.

I'm like Catrin....I will eat the whole egg occasionally at restaurants. Let's see we buy half dz. eggs once a year...it's for baking or he wants to prepare a special dish that requires whole eggs.

I don't see miso much of a health food. It's not something I would recommend having much several times per week, unless it's tiny amounts: it's high in salt. Like soy sauce. It horrifies me to see recipes that require alot of it.

I repeat soy sauce, unless you buy the low-sodium, is high in salt. My mother has been instructed (by her Chinese speaking doctor, Western trained) to avoid high sodium soy sauce. She has hypertension, high blood pressure.

So she cooks Chinese style dishes with very little soy sauce or none. It is possible...it's technique and how you combine other ingredients.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I seldom have days where I eat only healthy food. Usually it's a mixed bag. :rolleyes:

But now that I'm getting fresh lettuce, radishes, spinach, scallions, kale, and bok choy from my veg garden again, at least I can have fresh greens at some point every day.
Tonight we had a big salad from the garden for dinner, with crusty bread, chevre cheese, and fruit juice.
And I just ate some chocolate Rollos as a late night snack. :cool:
So I'd have to say my healthiest staple foods during Spring-Fall tend to be greens from the garden mostly.

[jessmarimba]

I could happily eat salsa or pico de gallo on almost anything. I love it on eggs/omelets, baked potatoes, meats, etc...Quick way to add mixed veggies.

[tulip]

So I'd have to say my healthiest staple foods during Spring-Fall tend to be greens from the garden mostly.

Same here. Right now I'm eating alot of salads and kale. Pretty soon, peas, beans, and tomatoes. I'm behind on planting my zucchinis!

(I wish they made Rollos with dark chocolate!)

[Pedal Wench]

To get veggies into breakfast, I love putting spinach and mushrooms in a bowl, cover with a mix of eggwhites and whole eggs (or a mix of egg-beaters and an egg) and microwave it all. Sometimes a little turkey sausage for flavor.

Another thing I just discovered are little packages of roasted seaweed sheets. Crunchy, slightly salty and just a bit of fat from sesame oil. Gets me through a chips craving.

[GLC1968]

I've gotten into the habit of buying multiple bags of frozen organic veggies during the off-garden-season. It makes eating them super quick and easy and they never spoil if I can't get to them in a couple of days!

We eat a LOT of eggs. We've currently got upwards of 7 dozen in our fridge! Fresh, free-range...and WAY tastier than store bought eggs. I find myself altering 'healthy' recipes that call for only egg whites so that I can add the yolks. I just cannot toss away dark orange yolks! Both my husband and I passed our life insurance physical with flying colors. I've always had low cholesterol, but his has traditionally been borderline and his numbers were really good.

Other staples for us: tons of fruit, cabot 75% cheddar cheese, almonds, homemade granola, steel cut oats, our crockpot and our grill. ;)

[Catrin]

I neglected to mention steel-cut oats, blueberries, really any kind of berry. Berries are my favorite fruit. I also tend to use walnuts and pecans quite often.

[Crankin]

My diet is similar to others here, but I still don't eat enough veggies. I do eat a lot of fruit. Lots of avocados, eggs, nuts, blueberries, and some Greek yogurt.
Eggs are low fat. Yeah, they have cholesterol, but since i started eating eggs for breakfast more frequently, my cholesterol has also gone down, too (well, 10 years of cycling helped, too). And Jiffer, I buy bags of those little packets of nuts and cranberries from Trader Joe's. They fill you up and are good for you. Last year, I made a concerted effort to eat tuna and salmon at least twice a week. I ate these foods before, but not always twice a week.
I only eat healthy food, but I eat a variety of stuff. I eat red meat (usually flank steak) and pork about once every ten days. Otherwise, it's chicken, turkey, fish, or vegetarian. I have dessert maybe twice a month? In the summer, I do indulge in soft serve ice cream with a dip of chocolate covering; it's low fat and I get a kiddie size.
I don't do supplements or any of the other things I read about, like fasting or detox. I try to eat a variety of natural, healthy foods and drink lots of water. Oh yes, and a glass of red wine at least 3 times a week.

[OakLeaf]

Veggie staples for me (besides onions and LOTS of garlic) would be mostly greens. Especially kale and chard, which have such a long growing season that they're available almost all year round.

I always have carrots and celery in the house, for soups and stews. Ordinarily I have tomatoes and tomato sauce, too, but last year's crop was mostly wiped out by bacterial speck, I've run through what little I was able to freeze, and commercial tomatoes in jars aren't easy to find around here. :( Squashes are high on my list too - costata romanesco zucchini in season, lots of butternut to overwinter.

Plenty of parsley, too - I think when you're using more than a half cup of something it graduates from a seasoning to a vegetable. :cool:

[KnottedYet]

All my food is healthy.

Nothing I eat has measles, or chicken pox, or mumps. All very healthy food.

Now, whether it's all healthful or not remains open to debate.

[/snark]
(I watched the word "healthful" die a sad unheralded death back in the 1990's. I still mourn...)

I do find it interesting how many of us either saw our own or our spouse's cholesterol improve eating whole eggs. Guess my doctor wasn't crazy, eh?

[daisylubob]

Fage yogurt.



Man, that stuff ROCKS!!! Wish it wasn't so expensive.....

Other staples include
Peanut Butter (just the peanuts, nothing added)
Carrots & peapods daily
Dark Chocolate:p

[spokewench]

All my food is healthy.

Nothing I eat has measles, or chicken pox, or mumps. All very healthy food.

Now, whether it's all healthful or not remains open to debate.

[/snark]
(I watched the word "healthful" die a sad unheralded death back in the 1990's. I still mourn...)

I do find it interesting how many of us either saw our own or our spouse's cholesterol improve eating whole eggs. Guess my doctor wasn't crazy, eh?


I agree with Knotted. There are a few things I avoid completely and try to eat lost of veges, fruit, whole grains, etc.; but the things I avoid are processed foods, sodas, things like that that I have no control over what is in them.

[Veronica]

A funny thing about cholesterol - my oldest sister spent 6 months or so living on Ensure after her bout with tongue cancer. It didn't change her numbers at all.

Can you imagine how sucky that would be... living on Ensure shots to the stomach (she couldn't swallow) and still have high cholesterol? :(

Back on topic - Trader Joe's whey protein.

Veronica

[Susan]

Here are some of my staples.

Eggs, Tomatoes & Avocados

Apples and Peanut Butter

Carrot Sticks

Spinach

Nuts


I eat the same things you do, Jiffer, and there are some more that I eat regularly:

Bell pepper
I grill them and eat them with my eggs or make omelet with them as a filling

Onions
Onions are great because you can add them almost everywhere and they make most things taste even better :)

You can also use Leek for the same purpose.

Garlic
In salads or in most meals I cook.

Zucchini
Broccoli
Eggplant
I grill them and add them to my meals.

Cucumber - mostly in salads
Various salads
I add a salad to almost every meal I cook.

Seasonal veggies:
For example it's asparagus- season atm, I try to add quite a lot of seasonal veggies.

Beans - not exactly veggies ;) but I add them regularly like in Chili or Curry.

I also use quite a lot of frozen berries in my oatmeal or in yoghurt. And a lot of fruit in general but I think you said you have to limit your intake.


In general, I try to add at least 2 handful of veggies to every meal and try to get some variety.



Regarding the whole-egg discussion: My husband and I both eat about one egg per day - and both have low cholesterol and high "good" cholesterol. I couldn't live without them, honestly :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

(I watched the word "healthful" die a sad unheralded death back in the 1990's. I still mourn...)

I don't know, i like correct word usage, and I like old fashioned terms too. But 'healthful' is one word i don't miss. It sounds so....Puritan or something. Plus, it's a mouthful to say. Try saying 'healthful mouthful' three times fast. lol! :D

[KnottedYet]

I agree with Knotted. There are a few things I avoid completely and try to eat lost of veges, fruit, whole grains, etc.; but the things I avoid are processed foods, sodas, things like that that I have no control over what is in them.

Actually, I was being a sarcastic grammar grinch over the words "healthy" and "healthful."

I eat all kinds of processed cr@p. Love the stuff. And it's all healthy, cuz none of it is in a state of poor health. (it doesn't have mumps, or fever, or chicken pox, etc.) It is not healthful, however, because it doesn't contribute to a state of good health for the person who consumes it.

[Melalvai]

Since I quit eating sugar (where "quit" means I mostly don't except for occasional guilty binges), I go through phases where I have my favorites "healthier" food. Such as:

Olives, tomato juice, goat cheese, and home made bread (made with more wheat flour or corn flour than white, and honey)

Dried apricots and pecans. (Careful not to go overboard. Too many dried apricots generates the STINKIEST farts ever!)

tostidos and salsa (check the label)

grapenuts with raisins and milk. I feel guilty about this one because all those have a fairly high GI, but they aren't sugar, and I think if I can cut sugar out entirely then it will get easier to cut back on the high GI foods.

If I were to identify one food as a staple, I'd pick bananas. I don't like that it's my staple, because they are environmentally unfriendly, and they don't have the best GI. But they cut the sugar cravings very well at 10 am which is my weak moment with the coke machine just up at the top of the stairs...

[indysteel]

I neglected to mention steel-cut oats, blueberries, really any kind of berry. Berries are my favorite fruit. I also tend to use walnuts and pecans quite often.

When we were in Utah, we went to a cafe for breakfast every morning call the Mean Bean where I got a daily bowl of steel-cut oats that came with almonds, raisens and dried cranberries. To that, I added a side of really fresh blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. It was delish!

[angelaslc]

Rice Protein Powder
Amazing Greens Superfood - chocolate flavor
Chlorophyll w/ mint
Borage/flax oil
Ground flax and chia seeds.
Asparagus, Broccoli, Zucchini
Organic Mixed Greens or Arugula
Organic Lemons
Organic Dijon Mustard
Wild Cod
Wild Salmon
Organic Quinoa or Brown Rice
Roasted sweet potatoes and onions
Cilantro
Coconut Aminos
Coconut oil & Olive Oil

For snacks occasionally I add in:
Almonds or Walnuts
Coconut yogurt
Coconut water
Organic berries
Kombucha
Hummus with veggies or brown rice chips
Larabars
Bananas
Apples
Oranges
Avocados
Pasture raised farm fresh eggs when I can get them….I love the orange yolk!

I always have a rice protein shakes for breakfast with the superfoods, chlorophyll, borage/flax oil, ground flax and now chia seeds.
I keep a bag of frozen cod and frozen veggies in the freezer at work and use a steamer I keep at work to cook them.
I bring a bag of organic lemons, costco size box of organic mixed greens and organic dijon. I make my own dressing with lemons and Dijon and poor over the fish and veggies and or salad.
Dinner varies but we’ll have marinated salmon on a bed of greens or soups that I make or buy from Whole Foods, Salmon burgers and sweet potato baked fries when we splurge.
My sweet tooth is satisfied with coconut yogurt sprinkled with berries, bananas and walnuts or Endangered species 88% dark chocolate or 72% Deep forrest mint. When we splurge we go to Red Mango for frozen yogurt.

[spokewench]

I agree with Knotted. There are a few things I avoid completely and try to eat lost of veges, fruit, whole grains, etc.; but the things I avoid are processed foods, sodas, things like that that I have no control over what is in them.

Oh, Dear, I need to read Knott's post more carefully. You never know what is being discussed when the grammar police is out patrolling!

[spokewench]

I always have in my fridge and kitchen:
eggs
1% milk
coffee
oj
Whole grain bread
corn tortillas
salsa
parmesan cheese
cheddar cheese
blue cheese crumbles
pasta (many types)
brown rice
white rice
potatoes white and sweet
onions
garlic
lettuce
avocado
cucumber
red bell peppers
canned hominy
canned tomatoes
canned beans (many varieties)
dry beans (many varieties)
chicken broth
veges - whatever looks good right now, beets, artichokes, arugula, escarole, parsley, tomatoes, zucchini,
strawberries
bananas
Right now I have raspberries and blackberries and watermelon, oranges, limes, lemons, and grapefruit, apples, grapes (always have fruit)
eat mostly chicken, but I do eat sirloin and pork occassionally.
Lots of herbs
pecans (unsalted)
almonds (unsalted)
red and white wine
beer
and, of course, tequilla for an occasional margarita!

[ultraviolet]

My kitchen staples (i.e. the stuff that almost always has a presence in my kitchen):

Raw almonds
Dried blueberries (unsweetened)
Quinoa
Eggs
Green onions
Red onions
Kale, or other dark leafy green thing
Broccoli (fresh or frozen, depending on season)
Herb salad mix
Garlic
Walnut oil
Balsamic vinegar
Hummus (or ingredients for hummus)
Black beans
Canned tuna
Canned salmon
Fresh fish and meat -- this varies, because I just tend to buy whatever is on sale when I happen to be shopping
Coconut oil


I eat other things, but those are the items that I eat most often. For instance, in the summer, I'm a sucker for Rainier cherries...can't keep my hands off of them.

Fage 2% plain yogurt, chevre, and cheddar used to be on that list...but I'm working on giving up dairy. Given that I've already tossed out sugar, gluten (I'm allergic to wheat), caffeine and most refined carbs, dairy is the last of the potentially "problematic" foods left in my diet.

[Jiffer]

Thanks for all your replies. I knew this was going to be a popular thread! I forgot that onions and garlic are a staple for me as well. Bananas used to be until I was told I shouldn't eat them (for now anyway).

On the subject of eggs, I posted a new thread on the subject, because it's kind of a big "thing" for me. I love that so many people commented that they eat whole eggs and they and/or their spouse's cholesterol is normal. I just had mine checked too, and it was normal.

On the subject of "healthy" verses "healthful" ... haha! It's such a normal thing for me to say "healthy", but I get what you're saying. You'll be glad to know that the word "healthful" has NOT died out. Rachael Ray says it all the time. I used to think it was so weird! But then realized it actually makes sense. It's just not a word I learned growing up. I spose my mamma dun didn't teach me right! And her mamma dun didn't teach her neither, cuz her mamma came from Poland and English was a second language ... so that there is my excuse. ;)

[tulip]

Dark Chocolate and red wine. That's what I'm having tonight. It's been quite a day.

[Catrin]

I could eat 1/2 dozen eggs a DAY, which is why I eat so many egg whites (from Trader Joe's in a box). I dearly love eggs and also get free range eggs from a friend - I don't separate those :) It is cool knowing the chickens that lay my eggs :)

[Owlie]

When it was just me doing the shopping:
Nuts: Almonds and walnuts, mostly. PB for oatmeal or toast.
Fruit: Berries, apples, bananas (when it was only me because DBF's allergic)...whatever I felt like, looked good and could afford.
Dairy: 1%/2% milk, cheese (cheddar, chevre, Cotswold usually), cream cheese, yogurt, butter
Carbs: Oatmeal (steel-cut for me, rolled for DBF), brown rice, sushi rice, brown/wild rice mix; breads and pasta of various types, bagels
Protein: Beans (mostly black for soups and chili), chicken and/or turkey, ground beef, bacon, occasionally flank steak, chicken stock (sometimes homemade) and beef stock for soups and stews. Sushi (tuna or salmon) when we went out. Eggs (which I don't care for, but I've managed to get myself to eat...)
Veggies: much along the same line as fruit--whatever looked good. We did have some staples: Broccoli, boxed salad greens and spinach, carrots
Snacks and dessert: Tortilla chips and salsa for me. Homemade oatmeal cookies (that's healthy, right?)
Misc: garlic, onions, lemons, limes, olive oil

I'm starting to think eating properly is for those with money...:/

[shootingstar]

Other staples:
soy sauce
cornflakes

My staples have changed since moving to another part of Canada. When living in Vancouver, my staples used include:

salmon
oatmeal (I just haven't gotten around to buying right microwaveable container for oatmeal yet where I am now.)

I know there are whole eggs fans here, but I have egg whites which I have to eat first and they expire in 2 wks. But still I won't be on the egg kick at this time..there's other things I have to work on..ie. reduce sugar intake..

[aadkins74]

A CSA share is my first staple - 3 years ago DH and I started with a half share of 20 weeks of vegetables/goodies. This year we decided to graduate to a full share because we spent last year buying local veggies and fruit to supplement our half share. I also have a 6 x 3 raised bed for extra greens and herbs.

Fridge & pantry:
nonfat greek yogurt
hummos
brown rice
canned low sodium & dry beans
whole wheat & unbleached white flour
eggs
egg whites (add equivalent volume of egg whites to whole egg to make b-fast burritos)
avacados
quinoa
dried fruit
local honey
steel cut oats
chopped nuts (I buy walnuts, almonds & pecans, mix them and add to oatmeal)
spices (mostly for mediterranean and indian flavors)
tomato juice
grapefruit juice
winter squash & sweet potatoes (to make baked chips or roasted cubes for salad)
kettle cooked reduced fat potato chips (gotta indulge every now and then)
5 year old whole wheat & rye sourdough starter
truvia & raw sugar (DH will only use sugar, seems to use less if raw)
oranges, lemons, & limes

Freezer:
fish (no farm raised, mostly wild caught cod, salmon & halibut)
locally raised chicken & turkey
locally raised beef
single serving size raspberry sorbet (i can't be trusted with a 'normal' size :D)

[txcyclist]

This is all great information! Here are my wholesome faves:

Eggs
Low fat cheese
Sourdough bread (put those three together and you've got an egg "mockmuffin"--a common breakfast for me)
Old fashioned oats (I prefer cooked with milk)
Milk
Maple syrup for my oatmeal
Extra lean turkey bacon
Deli turkey
Chicken breasts
Tons of salad -- baby greens, shredded cabbage, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes
Supplemented with other crunchies....nuts, water chestnuts, chow mein noodles (just a little bit!), seeds
And some sweet accents...in moderation as well...mandarin oranges packed in juice, golden raisins, chopped apple, dried cranberries
Grapes! Lots of 'em
Tofu
Brown rice
Extra lean ground turkey and beef
Salmon, shrimp, and other fish would be on the list but my husband hates seafood so I only eat it when I dine out (similarly, he abstains from some foods I find too stinky to bear)
Other treats...kashi chewy granola bars, kashi golean and golean crunch, skinny cow ice cream sandwiches (not health food but a step up from a drive thru milkshake)

[Poleride]

These are my healthy Staple foods
Grapes,
bananas,
blueberries
Almonds
Chicken breast
Peanut butter
Whole Wheat Bread
asparagus
brocolli
red onions
eggs
chicken
natural nut butters

[aquamoose32]

Looks like the tread of this is...fresh food, not packaged food. Pretty simple to eat healthy when its not processed.