By now you have received your Low-Carb Pantry Checklist for your sugar-free, gluten-free and low-carb pantry. (If not, click here to get it now.)
Part of keeping a low carb pantry is to organize it. Yes, organize. It is too easy to grab something (usually the first thing you see) when you have a craving. To help minimize this, establish one shelf that is designated as “anything goes”. This is especially important if you have children or other people in the house who do not have sugar sensitivities. It is not realistic in a multi-person household to ban all food items from the house – you want people on your team, you want to keep the peace not create a food war by forcing family members into a new way of eating. Lead by example and show them how easy it is for you to do it first.
In my home I have one shelf that is designated as “anything goes”. And I never touch anything on that shelf unless it is unpacking it from the grocery store bags. I know that is the one area to avoid when I am feeling hungry. It allows my family to participate with me without me having to be the gatekeeper for everything in the pantry. As a mother, the “anything goes” shelf is tempered with very few sugary and processed foods. And when there is something that is simply too tempting for me I ask that it is consumed immediately instead of being something that is snacked on at will.
Here is a rundown of all the baking items to keep in/buy for or toss in your sugar-free, gluten-free and low-carb pantry.
To Keep In/Buy For Your Pantry
General Baking
- Baking Powder
- Baking soda
- Chocolate, unsweetened
- Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
- Cocoa Powder, unsweetened
- Xanthan gum or Guar gum
- Vanilla Extract
- Extracts (any that do not contain sugar) – lemon, orange, peppermint, almond, coconut
- Currants
- All spices that do not have sugar added (example: cinnamon sugar mixture) Spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, allspice, ginger, etc.
Canned Goods/Jars
- Coconut Milk
- no sugar added preserves or jams (Polaner, beware of those sweetened with concentrated juice which are naturally high in fructose)
- unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
Nuts/Seeds and Nut Butters/Seed Butters
- Almond
- Almond Butter, unsweetened
- Brazil
- Buckwheat flour* (it is actually a fruit not a grain; it is not a low carb item but can be used once in a while)
- Cashew
- Chia Seed
- Coconut Butter
- Flaxseed
- Hazelnut
- Hemp Seed
- Macadamia
- Peanut Butter, unsweetened
- Peanut
- Pecan
- Pistachio
- Pumpkin seed
- Sesame seed
- Sunflower seed
- Sunflower seed butter or other nut free butter
- Tahini (Sesame Seed spread)
- Walnut
Oils
- Grapeseed oil
- Coconut oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Palm shortening
- Nonstick olive oil or coconut cooking spray
Other
- Powdered gelatin
- Low carb protein powder (whey, egg, hemp, pea or soy – in moderation)
Spices/Seasonings
- Allspice
- Anise
- Black tea
- Black, Pink and Green Peppercorns
- Cardamom
- Cayenne Pepper
- Chinese Five Spice
- Cream of Tartar
- Curry Powder
- Fennel Seed
- Ginger
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Cloves
- Ground Cumin
- Ground Mustard
- Ground Nutmeg
- Herbal teas
- Instant coffee powder
- Instant espresso powder
- Paprika
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Sea Salt
- Star Anise
- Tumeric
Sweeteners
- Erythritol
- Liquid Stevia (vanilla, unflavored)
- Pure Powdered Stevia
- Xylitol
Vinegars
- Apple Cider vinegar
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White Vinegar
- Unseasoned rice vinegar
- Coconut vinegar
To Keep In/Buy For Your Refrigerator or Freezer
Refrigerator
- Berries – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
- Chia seeds
- Dairy—hard cheeses, cream, sour cream, butter, cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, goat cheese, Labne, unflavored Greek yogurt, heavy cream
- Eggs
- Flaxseed or meal
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh lemons and or limes
- Unsweetened coconut milk, almond or flax milk
- Vegetables – pumpkin, zucchini squash
Freezer
- Frozen berries
- Grated fresh ginger
- Grated fresh lemon, lime or orange zest
- Seeds and seed flours (sunflower and pumpkin, etc. if not used immediately)
- Whole nuts and nut flours or meals (almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, peanuts if not used immediately)
To Toss From Your Pantry
General Baking
- Arrowroot powder
- Carob chips
- Chocolate Chips (made with sugar, anything less than 100% cocoa marked on the label contains sugar)
- Corn starch
- Dry milk powder
- Dates
- Dried fruits including: cherries, cranberries, apricots, mango, prunes, raisins (exception currants)
- Potato starch or flour
- Tapioca starch or flour
- Sugar – by any name – agave, brown sugar, molasses. Date sugar, coconut sugar
- Gluten Free Flour mixes
Canned Goods/Jars
- Canned fruit
- Fruit juice sweetened jams, jellies, and preserves
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Evaporated milk
Grains
- All purpose flour (all wheat flours)
- Bread flour
- Millet
- Oat bran
- Pastry flour
- Popcorn kernels
- polenta
- Rice flour
- Rolled oats
- Sorghum flour
- Spelt flour
- Oats (all types)
- Teff flour
- Wheat germ
- Wheat bran
- White whole wheat flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Whole wheat pastry flour
- Pasta of any kind
Nuts/Seeds and Nut Butters/Seed Butters
- Packaged products that contain nuts and seeds (these will usually have too many carbohydrates)
- Nut butters or seed butters that are not 100% nuts or seeds (no added sugars)
- Packaged flavored nuts and seeds (i.e. honey roasted nuts, hickory smoked nuts – these often contain maltodextrin)
Oils
- Corn oil
- Vegetable oil (often this is mostly soybean oil)
- Crisco or other shortening that says hydrogenated or is made from corn or soy oil)
Other
- Chocolate syrup
- Ice cream sauces
- Packaged crackers, cookies, cereals or snacks
- Anything with added sugars— syrup, evaporated cane juice, concentrated fruit juice, glucose, dextrose, honey and corn syrup
Sweeteners
- Sugar – by any name
- Agave syrup
- Barley Malt
- Brown sugar
- Coconut sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Date sugar
- Molasses
- Palm sugar
- Rice Syrup
- Sucralose and brown sugar substitute (contains brown sugar!)
To Toss From you Refrigerator or Freezer
- Fruits (except lemon and lime)
- Flavored yogurt of any type
- Cow’s milk
- High carb frozen foods such as pizza, pasta, desserts, and waffles
- High carb gelato, ice cream, sorbet or sherbert
So how do you even begin to tackle the problem of clearing out your pantry? It can look very overwhelming and all sorts of feelings will come up around food and lack and cravings while you do this. Of highest priority is to be sure to make sure you are not hungry. Plan to clean out your food pantry and refrigerator on a full stomach, preferably in the morning when you have the most energy and can think clearly. Cravings usually happen in the middle of the afternoon, removing tempting foods is best done before that time.
Here’s how to get started:
- Toss anything that’s expired or just looks questionable. Remove any spices or herbs that have lost their color or are older than 1 year and have been opened. Spices that have lost their smell are not worth keeping.
- Remove any frozen foods that you have had for more than 6 months. Check for freezer-burn and throw out anything that may have gone through a freeze-thaw cycle.
- Remove everything from the pantry that you have not already thrown out or designated for donation.
- Once shelves are clear, wipe down and arrange the foods you have left by type. I sometimes use clear baskets to place my food types in. For example, I have a basket for vinegars which notoriously fall over every time I grab one from the shelf.
- Decide which shelf is the easiest to access and at eye-level in both the pantry and refrigerator. Clear off this shelf and designate it as your go to for most of your easy to eat low carb foods. This would include nuts for snacking on and your baking staples such as almond meal and coconut flour.
- Decide, especially if you have children, which shelf is the easiest for them to access at their level. Ideally, this shelf is going to be lower than yours so that your eyes will not automatically land there each time you go into the pantry or refrigerator.
- Once you have replaced all the foods you want to keep back on the designated shelves make a list of everything you will need (see the Checklist for your sugar-free gluten-free low carb pantry and anything else that you may want to purchase immediately). This list can look very scary at first glance. There is no need to add all these ingredients to your pantry. If there is a recipe you would like to try and don’t have the ingredient then purchase it at that time.
Helpful thoughts while you are clearing things out:
- The food that is out of date is not worth eating… there is a reason why you have had it in your pantry for so long without eating it. Whether the reason is that you no longer like it or had forgotten about it or maybe just maybe you bought it when you were hungry or were trying to fulfill a need in that moment – but that moment is now gone. Thank it for fulfilling its place in your life and let it go.
- Lots of times we go on autopilot at the grocery store… we over buy and then forget that we bought something after dutifully putting it away in the pantry. Let it go…you don’t need it anymore and if you haven’t eaten it yet – you may never. Trust me it will feel good to let it go and say hello to something new. Sometimes our cravings are a result of having too many choices…we end up picking out the one thing to eat that we shouldn’t because there are too many things to choose from so we go back to habit.
- Simplify your shopping. Make a list that is organized by sections of the grocery store – vegetables and fruits, meats and dairy. Stay out of the middle of the store aisles or if you need something in those sections only buy what you need on your list – do not browse slowly. And always shop on a full stomach with a list in hand.
- Remember, you can always donate self-stable foods that have not been opened to your local food pantry or other organization that accepts food donations.
- If thoughts about wasting all this money come up…consider that it is money that is already spent. There is no way to get it back but what you can do is remember the next time you are at the store and pick up the same or similar item that it is not worth spending the money on and you can buy something healthier for yourself.
Next, we are going to tackle your tools and equipment stay tuned for the next post to help you determine what you need or may want in your kitchen…
