Never Go Without These Pantry Staples for a Healthy Gut

The secret to excellent cooking isn’t innate talent, fancy cookbooks or creating Michelin Star feasts; it’s preparation and organization. Consistently cooking gut-healthy meals comes down to what’s in your pantry and knowing how to use it. Not only do the proper ingredients help you cook healthy foods–they also help you avoid last-minute ordering out and frozen foods that can irritate your digestion. These are the top pantry staples you should never go without. 

Canned Sardines 

They come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and flavors. They’re deliciously assertive on their own, yet mild enough to pair well with stronger seasonings. What more could you ask for? Well, besides protein, these little fish are rich in anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fatty acids which promote heart health and gut health. They’re incredibly versatile and can be cooked or eaten straight out of the can, or on gluten-free toast. Best of all? They’re the ultimate budget superfood for the adventurous gourmet.

EVOO 

As necessary on a salad as on a roast, oil is a fat you shouldn’t be afraid of–as long as you’re using the right kind. For the best flavor in salads and in low-heat cooking, you can’t beat extra-virgin olive oil (also called EVOO). Delicious and packed with flavor, antioxidants and healthy fats, the extra virgin variety is the least processed, and is widely considered to be the healthiest oil for your gut. For an extra burst of taste in your cooking, opt for an infused extra-virgin olive oil to take even the quickest meal to the next level.

Lentils

Lentils are fast, tasty and easy to prepare; they’re also packed with protein, and they’re a pantry staple that can last ages. These little legumes are full of soluble fiber, which is dissolved and consumed by gut bacteria, helping keep your digestive tract healthy and…well, active. Just keep your portions between ¼ and ⅓ of a cup to keep this food low-FODMAP! Not sure what to do with your lentils? These lentil-sweet potato tacos will be your new favorite weekday go-to!  

Broth

Broth is the first step to creating an endless variety of delicious, gut-friendly recipes. Be sure to use your Monash University app to check the ingredients of any broth you buy. Wondering what this fall-themed pumpkin minestrone soup, this rustic vegetable soup, and this one-pot sausage pasta all have in common? You guessed it.

Sauces 

No list of pantry staples is complete without some ready-to-eat sauces. Having some gut-friendly sauces on hand means easier prepping and dipping, and having a variety of flavors—think Taco, BBQ, or Teriyaki–allows you to mix and match your flavor palette to whatever’s in your fridge. Goodbye boring Monday dinners!

Gluten-free pasta

Gluten-free pasta isn’t just a filling carb; it’s a blank canvas for your most delicious creations. Like lentils, gluten-free pasta is a gut-friendly pantry staple that can last a long time in your fridge and which, depending on the ingredients, can contain lots of soluble fiber. The best part? Pasta comes in tons of shapes and textures, and can be the base for complex and simple dishes alike.

Gut-friendly seasonings 

You can make the healthiest, most bloat-free meals in the world; if they’re boring, you simply won’t feel like cooking them again. The secret? Keeping a good variety of gut-friendly seasoning on-hand to make your meal rotation interesting. Seasoning you get sick of is doomed to languish at the back of your pantry, whereas seasonings you can enjoy occasionally as part of an explosive, tasty rotation will help you look forward to cooking and eating. Fody Foods seasonings come in a variety of flavors, and can be used on everything from meat dishes to vegetable dips–they’re also low-FODMAP, and onion- and garlic-free, so you can enjoy your favorite meals without bloating or discomfort.

A well-stocked pantry is the home chef’s best friend! To discover more gut-friendly pantry staples, go to our products, and visit our recipe section for more meal ideas you’ll cook again and again.