Plant Based Staples Shopping List 

If you are planning on adopting the whole food plant-based diet, there are many things you should always have on hand. Expense should not be an excuse because my grocery bills have been more than cut in half due to not buying meat anymore. 

                                     KEEP IT SIMPLE!!
Unless you are an amazing cook and love to cook, if you try to go super gourmet vegan, you might throw in the tempeh (see what I did there.. towel.. tempeh...).  If making your meals is making you mad, it ain't gonna work. Granted, trying new recipes and perfecting them takes time and can end with frustration when you know you can whip up that chicken dish in 30 seconds. Hang in there. That lentil stew will be whipped up just as easily in no time!

Sugar free items are not on my list because they are filled with chemicals and do not fit in the whole food category. New studies are showing that they mess up the intestinal flora and actually can raise blood sugar. Check out this article. I have known for years that they do not help with weight loss and that other studies have shown that people that drink aspartame and splenda  in their drinks often have higher appetites or crave more sugar. I'm still on the fence about stevia and and will sometimes use organic drops in a smoothie or salad dressing. I  don't always love how it tastes though,  so I usually stay away from that too. It takes a while to lose that sugar craving, but I promise it does happen. Stick with it. It will be worth it when an orange is the sweetest thing you've had all day. 

This is a good article in the Huffington post on how to start a PB diet...  There are so many versions of the plant-based food pyramid but I like this one the best. Is the most in line with a whole food plant-based diet
 
I like to have the following on hand at all times. Of course, I have tons of other stuff in my fridge and pantry in addition to these staples, but these are always in there. If it is something jarred or not a whole food, select the one with the fewest ingredients.

SHOPPING LIST SUGGESTIONS

Fruit and veggies

• organic in-season fruit - at least 6 types at all times. 
• lemons, and limes
• organic frozen fruit for smoothies. Berries are great frozen. Costco has awesome organic blueberries and strawberries year round. 
• greens i.e. kale, collards, chard
• peppers... green, red, yellow
• onions - sweet, red
• shallots - great in salad dressings
• garlic 
• romaine lettuce and whatever other lettuce you like. I like romaine because it is filling
• cukes
• carrots
• beets
• celery
• fennel
• tomatoes... all different types
• avocado
• potatoes (all types including sweets and yams)
• starchy veggies for roasting like delicata squash, butternut squash, acorn squash

Grains/Beans/Legumes/Nuts

• sprouted grain bread, or if you need to be gluten free, like I do, gluten free
• quinoa
• brown rice wraps or whole wheat wrap
• whole oats
• brown or wild rice
• spelt and/or kamut
• whole grain, or brown rice pasta
• cereals with low sugar whole grains/high fiber
• beans for soaking  - do a variety so you don't get bored!
• canned beans. I am a big fan and usually use these, although it is fun to find heirloom beans at a farmers market and make them. I buy Eden or Westbrae organic because they are good, come salt free, and I know they are BPA free
• lentils - yellow split, and green
• almonds, walnuts, cashews (all raw)
• almond butter
• organic peanut butter - peanuts take on quite a dosing of pesticides so organic is best
• edamame
• hummus
• flax, pumpkin, and chia seeds

Milks

• oatmilk - a fave for cereal and coffee because it tastes exactly like milk. Just be careful because some are too sugary and have added oil. 
• unsweetened almond milk for when I don't have time to make my own
  
• canned light coconut milk (you can buy in refrig section too. I don't use it much so I buy canned so I have it when I need it... mostly for curries)

Jarred/Containered

• jar of crushed tomatoes
• tomato sauce (go low oil and low sugar)
• jar of roasted red peppers (in water not oil)
• veggie broth
• coffee and tea

Higher protein Veggie Sources

• tempeh 
• organic sprouted tofu 
• ***** The next few lie in the "kinda processed" category, but I need them in my life for when I need a quickie;)
• Beyond Meat Fiesta "beef" and "beefy crumbles"
• Veggie dogs (put enough sauerkraut or relish on em and they are good. Helps to grill em too. I usually boil then throw on a grill pan).

Condiments I like to have on hand:

• nutritional yeast
• Bragg's amino acids
• ketchup
• olive oil
• dijon mustard
• sauerkraut
• spray coconut oil
• spray canola oil
• soy coffee creamer
• hot sauce
• lots of dried and fresh herbs

Accessories:

• Vitamix! My ultimate favorite and most used appliance. Have had it 14 years and it still works perfectly!!
• rice cooker (for rice and quinoa and beans)
• nut milk bag
• scan pans all sizes (are GREAT for low oil cooking).  The safest non stick I could find... 
• Good knives for chopping
• food processor
• little chopper
• hand held immersion blender
• veggie chopper and madoline.  Sur La Table has a great one that does both. Love it. It is on sale right now too!!! 

---