7 Healthy Staples for Your Pantry

Looking for ways to eat and cook healthfully? If you have wholesome items on hand, you’re probably more likely to incorporate them into your cooking. Fill your pantry with satisfying foods like brown rice, beans, whole wheat pasta and cereals, dried fruit, vegetables, and cans of tomatoes. These staples not only will help you quickly whip up soups, stews, and other home-cooked entrées, but considering what they’re made of, they might help you live longer.

1. Whole-grain pasta, cereals

With whole grain foods, the three parts of the grain kernel — germ, bran, and endosperm — are used. So you get purer food rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and natural plant compounds called phytochemicals, which fight cell damage that can lead to cancer. When grains are refined, the bran and germ are removed. Look for products that list “whole wheat” or “whole oats” as a first ingredient. When a product says “multi-grain,” it means it contains more than one grain, but it isn’t saying whether the grains are refined or whole.

Read more: 7 Healthy Staples for Your Pantry

2. Brown rice

Stock up on brown rice and steer clear of refined white rice. Brown rice contains essential vitamins and minerals, and nearly four times the fiber of enriched white rice. It may also help protect you from diabetes. A group of Boston-based researchers discovered that people who eat brown rice and other whole grains have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who eat white rice. Replacing one-third of a serving of white rice daily with the same amount of brown rice could lower individual risk by 16 percent, researchers said in the Archives of Internal Medicine. That risk reduction could grow to as high as 36 percent if white rice were replaced with whole grains as a group.

3. Beans

High-in-protein beans, including lentils, peas, and soybeans, are a great substitute for meat, which is higher in fat and cholesterol. Beans are typically low in fat and high in iron, folate, magnesium, and potassium. Like whole grains, beans also contain phytochemicals as well as fiber, which helps prevent colorectal cancer. In the kitchen, beans are versatile. Use them in soups, stews, and salads.

4. Green, leafy vegetables

How often do we hear that we should eat our vegetables? They contain essential vitamins and minerals that work to keep us strong and disease free. These days, health headlines often announce the role vegetables play in fighting cancer. Dark green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, and others are good sources of folate, fiber, calcium, and vitamin A, and they contain carotenoids, or antioxidants. The American Institute for Cancer Research says foods with carotenoids probably protect against larynx, pharynx, and mouth cancers. Also, lab research shows they inhibit the growth of skin and breast cancer cells, as well as stomach and lungs cancers.

5. Cruciferous vegetables

These vegetables — broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and others — also contain essential vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber, folate, vitamin C, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. These veggies also have important components linked to cancer risk reduction, and they help regulate a system of bodily enzymes that fight cancer. In studies, cruciferous vegetables have stopped the growth of cancer cells in tumors of the breast, uterine lining, colon, liver, lung, and cervix, the American Institute for Cancer Research reports.

6. Tomatoes

While tomatoes are a good source of vitamins C and A, the phytochemical lycopene in tomatoes is what makes them a star cancer-fighting food. Processing tomatoes into sauce, paste, and juice releases the compounds and makes them more easily absorbed, increasing their anti-cancer potential. Scientists believe lycopene likely protects against prostate cancer, and in lab studies tomato components have stopped the growth of certain cancer cells, including lung, breast, and uterine lining, according to the American Institute of Cancer Research. Tomatoes also contain potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, and folate, which all contribute to heart health. Use tomatoes in stews, soups, and, of course, pasta sauce.

7. Dried fruit

This convenient snack is a great source of vitamins A and C, potassium, and folate. It’s also a particularly good source of fiber, which helps keep bowel movements regular, and reduces blood pressure, blood-cholesterol levels, and inflammation to help safeguard the heart. In the winter, when it can be more difficult to find fresh fruit, dried fruit helps us get the recommended daily servings, says the American Dietetic Association. Add dried fruit to cereal, bread recipes, salads, and pancake batter. Some dried fruits contain sulfite, a preservative that can trigger allergic reactions, so be sure to read packaging labels.