My fridge is always bursting with fresh seasonal ingredients, but I love to have a nice stash of my ten fridge staples to nourish me during the week. Having my essentials at hand allows me to plan my meals and be prepared for the week. Smoothies or eggs for breakfast, salads and veggies for lunch and nourishing soups for dinner… .it's a no-fuss formula that creates quick, healthy meals that taste delicious.
How to Stock a Healthy Fridge
Start with foods you genuinely enjoy and know how to use. Include a combination of colourful vegetables and fruit, quality protein, healthy fats and ingredients that add flavour without requiring complicated preparation.
Fresh seasonal produce is a wonderful choice, but frozen and canned fruit and vegetables can also be nutritious, convenient and economical. The aim is variety rather than perfection.
Plan a few simple meals before shopping, check what you already have and choose ingredients that can work across several recipes.
I shop at farmers' markets or my local greengrocers as they let me know which are the best foods in season and where they are sourced. Whole foods are alive with all of nature's enzymes, proteins, vitamins and minerals. I eat as cleanly as possible because I believe my body deserves the best nourishment it can get.
How do I stock my fridge healthily?
Nutrition isn't as complicated as it's made out to be. There's a sense of 'food anxiety' among many people trying their best to do the right thing. We're all different when it comes down to it, and it's not a one-size-fits-all scenario. We should all take the time to think about what foods make us feel good nutritionally and what foods don't.
My advice is to eat whole foods and customise your diet based on your unique needs. Check out my top 10 foods below.
1. Fresh Vegetables
My fridge is filled with antioxidant-rich bundles of broccoli, carrots, pumpkin, zucchini, leeks and Tuscan kale. Perfect for making into nourishing soups, which I make daily as a quick healthy dinner. Broccoli, for instance, is a great superfood. Broccoli is loaded with cancer-protective glucosinolates (a type of phytonutrient) and antioxidants. Check out my Superfood Green Tabouli or a delicious broccoli soup from my new cookbook. Studies show that enjoying a diet that focuses on a daily intake of fresh vegetables have many health benefits, such as weight loss, lowered insulin secretion, improved sports performance and reduced risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
2. Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are high in fibre, minerals, healthy fats and protein. Perfect for total body nourishment. Just one handful will satisfy your hunger and keep blood sugars stable for hours. Pumpkin seeds, for instance, are also high in the amino acid tryptophan that helps to make serotonin.
Almonds are anti-inflammatory for the body and are high in vitamin E, an antioxidant that can help fight free radicals for a healthy immune system. They are also a great source of potassium – a mineral necessary for nerve transmission and the contraction of all muscles, including the heart.
I love making my nut and seeds milk and butter for smoothies and generously scatter them into salads or over yoghurt bowls with fresh berries.
3. Fresh or Frozen Fruit
Fruits are incredibly high in antioxidants and fibre that help fight free radicals in the body, reducing the risk of disease. Choose colourful seasonal fruits, such as berries, kiwi fruit, citrus, apples, pears, pomegranates, pineapple and papaya. Use fresh fruit to sweeten your recipes, such as desserts, cakes, cookies, smoothies and juices. It's incredible how something as pure as a grated apple or mashed banana can add natural sweetness to your recipes and add a lovely depth of flavour, texture and delicious nutrient boost. Try it in your next wholegrain muffin recipe.
4. Fermented Vegetables
Fermented foods are naturally packed with probiotics that promote healthy gut bacteria. Examples include kefir, kombucha, labneh, yoghurt, miso, sauerkraut, kimchi and various fermented vegetables. I was raised on sauerkraut and yoghurt. My Polish great aunt was a specialist sauerkraut maker, and I remember we used to have it most days with our meals. Sauerkraut produces incredible amounts of lactobacilli - a healthy probiotic that helps with digestion and a healthy immune system.
Cultured unsweetened yoghurt is rich in acidophilus and lactobacilli. These cultures can nourish your immune system and support digestive health. Be sure to check the label to ensure it contains live yoghurt cultures with no added flavours, emulsifiers or thickeners.
I love to make yoghurt bowls for breakfast, top them with smashed raspberries and banana, or add a few spoonfuls of yoghurt into my breakfast smoothies. Thick Greek-style yoghurt also makes the perfect base for dressings or can replace sour cream or creme fraiche.
5. Natural Yoghurt or Kefir
Natural yoghurt and kefir are versatile fridge staples that can provide protein, calcium and live cultures, depending on the product.
Choose an unsweetened variety and check the label for live cultures. Use yoghurt in breakfast bowls, smoothies, marinades and salad dressings or as a creamy alternative to sour cream. Choose a dairy-free cultured product if that better suits your dietary needs.
6. Leafy Greens
The most nourishing alkalising foods are green foods such as leafy greens, green vegetables including broccoli and cabbage, and green tea leaves - matcha. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that eating at least five greens a day is ideal and an effective strategy in preventing and treating obesity and chronic disease. A serve is about a large handful of leafy greens. Make up a large leafy salad, then pour over a bit of dressing. Use cold-pressed vegetable, nut or seed oils as they contain heart-healthy fats that can promote good health. Most dressings need a slight acidity to add flavour and balance and improve digestion; my top choices are balsamic and apple cider vinegar and lemon juice.
7. Eggs
I love eggs. They are one of the most nutrient-dense foods available and make the perfect high-protein meal any time of day. An egg provides 13 essential nutrients and is an excellent source of B-group vitamins.
The vitamin E in eggs helps protect us against heart disease, and vitamin D promotes mineral absorption and good bone health.
When it comes to sourcing your eggs, make sure to buy the best quality you can find. Organic or pasture-raised eggs are laid by chickens that aren't fed antibiotics, growth hormones or additives. You can find good pasture-raised eggs at your local farmers' market.
8. Avocado
Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats to help support cardiovascular health, manage a healthy weight and support wellbeing. They are loaded with the antioxidants lutein, vitamin E and beta-carotene and can promote blood sugar reduction and support digestive and skin health.
Avocados are perfect chopped into salads or smashed with citrus aromatics and garden herbs as a side for breakfast. Avocado makes the best chocolate smoothie or healthy chocolate mousse. I love drizzling avocado oil over salads as well as cooking with it. The fatty acid profile is similar to olive oil, so it's an excellent choice for medium-heat cooking.
Healthy Oils
Extra virgin olive oil is a versatile staple for salad dressings, roasting, sautéing and adding flavour to finished meals. Store it in a cool, dark place away from direct heat and sunlight. Here is my list of best healthy fats for baking.
For a lighter finishing oil, Organic Hemp Gold Seed Oil is cold-pressed from hulled hemp seeds and provides plant-based omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Its delicate nutty flavour works beautifully drizzled over salads, vegetables, pasta and dips or blended into smoothies.
Hemp seed oil has a low smoke point, so it is best added after cooking rather than used for frying. Follow the bottle’s storage instructions after opening.
9. Ready-to-Eat Proteins
Keeping one or two convenient protein options in the fridge can make balanced meals easier to assemble. Depending on your dietary preferences, try cooked chicken, salmon, tofu, tempeh, cottage cheese, boiled eggs or leftover legumes.
Add them to salads, wraps, vegetable bowls, soups or simple snacks. Store cooked foods safely and use them within the recommended period.
10. Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs such as parsley, coriander, mint, basil and thyme add flavour and freshness without requiring complicated sauces or seasonings.
Use them in pesto, dressings, salads, soups, egg dishes and roasted vegetables. Store herbs according to their variety, either wrapped in a slightly damp towel or standing in a small glass of water.
Healthy Pantry Extras
Some nutritious staples are better stored in a cool, dry cupboard rather than the fridge.
Keep extra virgin olive oil away from direct heat and sunlight for salad dressings, roasting and everyday cooking.
Everyday Greens can be mixed into water, yoghurt or smoothies as a convenient addition to a balanced diet.
Organic Superfood combines fruit and vegetable powders with prebiotic fibre and can be added to water, smoothies or yoghurt.
Healthy Chef protein powders can help increase the protein content of smoothies, breakfast bowls and nourishing recipes when preparing another protein source is not practical.
Follow the storage instructions on each product and keep powders tightly sealed after opening.
