Oops! The product you were looking for could not be found.

Useful extras

Stocking a Natural Kitchen

By Edna Sousa Read more articles, healthy eating, home life, nutrition, organizing, and snacking
Medium_stockingnatkitchen_sm

Stocking a natural kitchen is at the very foundation of a healthy lifestyle. For many of us, the kitchen is where most of the action takes place in the daily routine of life. When the heart of the home is loaded with natural foods, your entire home will reflect the change in a positive way.

First step

The first step is also the most obvious: to buy whole, natural foods. What does that mean? It means foods that are as close to their state in nature as possible. Foods you will cook and prepare. Things like:

  • Organic fruits and vegetables
  • Free-range meats and poultry
  • Whole grains
  • Nuts and preservative-free dried fruits

But where do you go from there? The next steps are about slowly changing some key eating and purchasing habits.

Swap out the snack foods

Let’s face it. For most people, snacks often compromise healthy eating habits. Those little between-meal morsels play a critical role in the well-stocked natural kitchen. Think about swapping out the chips and sweets for tasty, crunchy natural snacks like baby carrot sticks, sweet red grapes, and healthy dips and spreads for celery and other veggies. The ideas and food possibilities are endless – see our Healthy Snacks for Every Craving for great ideas.

What’s difficult is forming the habit of purchasing and using these healthy snacks. Since snacking is about grabbing something quickly and easily, consider some ways in which you can make your healthy snack foods easier to access:

  • Keep a bowl of mixed nuts and dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, currants) within easy reach. You’ll be more likely to grab a handful of this mixture if it’s out in the open.
  • Make sure your celery, carrots, and grapes are already washed and ready to eat — so you can simply pull them from the refrigerator and munch on them.
  • Have both salty and sweet options available because you never know in which direction your snacking mood will go on any given day.
  • Trade industrialized condiments and sauces (which are high in sodium and often contain artificial additives) for homemade versions using fresh tomatoes, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and spices.

Kitchen cupboard as natural medicine cabinet

As you collect your own natural health remedies, herbal teas, vitamins, and supplements, you’ll be building a kind of herbal medicine cabinet in your kitchen. Try keeping this bounty within reach of your other foods and supplies, so you can easily include a healthy tea with your food choices. Foods such as pure cocoa, the spices turmeric and cayenne, and herbs like garlic, oregano, and thyme do double duty as anti-inflammatories, antifungals, and blood pressure regulators. Remember that your cupboard is actually part of your natural medicine cabinet. Whole foods can help maintain good health.


Have something to add? Share it here.

  1. User_48
    RealFoodEater commented on this. 3 months ago

    Watching the types of oils in your food is one way to eat healthy. Another is to avoid GMOs. These are genetically modified organism such as soy, corn, cotton (cotton seed oil), and canola (oil). If the ingredient label doesn’t say non-GMO or organic soy or corn then it is a GMO. This is true for Kashi products just like Kellogg products. GoLean = GMO soy.

  2. User_48
    dianatressa commented on this. 5 months ago

    I add Kashi cereal to my favorite
    Yogurt for breakfest and snack everyday.I find vanilla Yogurt is the best. Thank You Kashi. Diana

  3. User_48

    very intresting

  4. User_48

  5. User_48

  6. User_48

  7. 48_ddf 017

  8. User_48

  9. 48_treehugger
    breezy380 commented on this. about 3 years ago

    thats great MrPinkies

  10. 48_pict2535
    MrPinkies commented on this. over 3 years ago

    My goodness, I’ve cleaned out my entire kitchen out and I just can’t beleive how much stuff I had that was LOADED, and I meand LOADED with salt and bad things for one. However, now that its done, I’m having an easier time making healthier meals!

  11. User_48
    bren592 commented on this. over 3 years ago

    This one will be easy. We use olive oil for all most everything we cook. Peanut oil is used once in a while when something needs a higher heat!

  12. 48_hpim4613
    minimimof2 commented on this. over 3 years ago

    Hello one an all ! I am a newbie here but so far I really like this site ! But I do have a question for carlaverbsky. Would you please post or send me that recipe for that salad dressing using those ingredients? It sounds really yummy ! And I would love to try making it and of course eating it ! Thank you !

  13. 48_kellysphoto
    KellyK commented on this. over 3 years ago

    nanette0269 – Thanks for your comment. I understand how the info provided in this article on oils to avoid may seem to contradict some of our products. However, our article is discussing cooking oils and we’re recommending choosing oils with less saturated fat when it comes to cooking.

    We do use mechanically Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil when necessary in some of our pre-packaged foods—often to keep the product coating from melting. It’s one of the best minimally processed, natural options we have instead of using a trans fat like partially hydrogenated oil.

    You may also be interested to know that we take sustainable sourcing very seriously when it comes to palm oil. Our palm oil suppliers are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a group working to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

    Thanks again – Kelly, Kashi Marketing & Food Developer

  14. User_48
    nanette0269 commented on this. over 3 years ago

    I find it very disheartening when I heard that some kashi products are made with palm kernel oil. In the article above, it says “Cooking oils to avoid include palm oil, shortening, and palm kernel oil” and yet your company obviously supports these products which are impossible to make by any organic standards imagineable since the oil must be extracted from the pit with a gasoline-like hydrocarbon solvent. Its almost as bad as a saturated fat!

    Kashi Peanut Butter TLC Bars’ ingredients: Ingredients: Peanut Flour, Evaporated Cane Juice Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup, Kashi Seven Whole Grains and Sesame® Cereal [Corn, Wheat Bran, Evaporated Cane Juice, Corn Bran, Oat Fiber, Kashi Flour (Stone Ground Whole: Oats, Long Grain Brown Rice, Rye, Hard Red Winter Wheat, Triticale, Buckwheat, Barley, Sesame Seeds), Soy Protein Concentrate, Salt, Annatto, Evaporated Cane Juice, Soy Protein Isolate, Nonfat Dry Milk, Honey, Barley Malt Syrup, Whey Protein Isolate, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Chicory Root Fiber, Oat Fiber, Rolled Oats, Cocoa, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Natural Flavors.

  15. User_48
    RuthD commented on this. over 3 years ago

    I just received a cookbook called “The Sneaky Chef – How to Cheat on Your Man (In the Kitchen).” It is all about hiding healthy foods (veggies, grains, etc) in guy foods. Most of the recipes use veggie purees, along with other hidden ingredients. I’ve tried a few of the recipes, and they are really good! (We just had the “Manly-cotti” two nights ago, and my husband likes the breakfast cookies and the biscotti.) She also wrote a book for hiding healthy foods in foods kids like, but I haven’t read that one yet.

  16. User_48
    elspetha31 commented on this. over 3 years ago

    I am not sure where to start. My husband is a buger munchin, twinkie lovin man. Any way to “sneak” healthy in? I’m going to try the eegplant lasagna, but we are in our 40’s and need to lose the junk food!!

  17. 48_stripers12
    jimwinpisinger commented on this. over 3 years ago

    The above article and your tips and comments are some of the best advice I have seen.
    Wher do you get Coconut or Grape seed oil?
    My doctor tells me that eggs have allot of cholesterol, and the egg substitutes have allot of sodium. Any suggestions on what else to use in the salad dressing?
    I took part in the survey for the test taster panel. They had a list of many Kashi products. Most of them I have never found in my area. Anyone else with this problem? I’m on the east coast mid atlantic region.

  18. User_48
    rayofsunrise commented on this. almost 4 years ago

    Carlaverbsky, do you cook the eggs when you are making the dressing?

  19. User_48
    mrsmichelles commented on this. almost 4 years ago

    Another healthy oil with a high smoke point is grape seed oil. I use it to saute, put in sauces, baking, and making popcorn.

  20. 48_new_years_016
    gracie12 commented on this. almost 4 years ago

    I’m new at establishing a healthy way of eating. Like MMwallace, I really like avaocado,tomatoes,red onions with a mixture of balsamic vinegar,olive oil and lemon or lime.

  21. 48_picture_022
    SoccerSnowSkiJetSki commented on this. almost 4 years ago

    Excellent Suggestions Folks, I’ve Graduated With Bachelors Degree Working as Night Manager And Am ALways Looking For Ways To Increase My Appearance And Health. I Study Cellular Biology And A Professor Recommended Their Trail Mix For My Extensive Skiing and Camping/Hiking Expeditions With My Unit.

  22. 48_avt_zarinahd2002_medium
    Zarinah commented on this. almost 4 years ago

    I love eggplant lasagna. All I do is substitute the meat with chopped whole eggplant (peel included), and part skin Roccota cheese. Don’t forget the olive oil. My family loves it!

  23. User_48
    MMwallace02 commented on this. about 4 years ago

    My fav meal is brown rice or kashi pilaf topped with fresh tomatoes and avocado

  24. 48_100_0490
    sopranosgirl commented on this. about 4 years ago

    One of my favorite healthy lunches: I cook 2/3 cups of whole wheat noodles, add fresh vegetables (or cooked frozen vegetables), toss those with about 1-1/2 teasponns of olive oil, and add any spice I’m in the mood for!

  25. User_48
    nextchef95 commented on this. about 4 years ago

    a great snack is grand crakers lowfat vinnala yougurt with bannnas and fresh squeezed orange juice mmmmmmmmmmmmm

  26. User_48
    carlaverbsky commented on this. over 4 years ago

    Homemade salad dressing made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, eggs, salt and pepper is very delicious and has a lot less calories and fat than a regular cesar dressing. Hmmm! Very healthy!

  27. 48_dscf0015
    sustainableblohm commented on this. over 4 years ago

    It is possible to cook foods at higher temperatures using Olive Oil. However, use the olive oil grade “olive Oil” because it has a higher smoke point (410 F)than “virgin” or “extra virgin”.

  28. User_48
    Blangan commented on this. over 4 years ago

    Coconut Oil is a wonderful oil to cook with and is thought to increase metabolism. It should be organic.