By: Judy Davie
 It's the start of the year so if you've made the decision this year to get healthy, why not create a healthy pantry.
Take the time to dedicate a couple of hours to the task and start by throwing away everything that's out of date. Pay particular attention to any oils that are old. Oils can become rancid which is very damaging to your health.
Once the out of date items have gone in the bin, consider throwing out any items that have been lurking in the cupboard in open containers and plastic packets. Chances are you won't be eating them again either. It's a good idea to have a number of snap lock jars and plastic containers for storage in future.
Now that you're feeling quite virtuous it's time to look at the ingredient list on the labels of the packaged food left on your shelves. The website www.foodadditives.com.au is a great site to go to conduct a search on the safety of the additives listed in food packets in your home. Any additives that are considered a health risk should defininitely be thrown away.
Now it's most unlikely that your cupboards will be left bare, but in the event that they are, here's my essential pantry list to start off 2007:
| Cupboard (dry, dark and cool conditions) | Fridge | | Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil | Natural muesli (preferably homemade) | | Virgin olive oil | Low fat natural or sheep's milk yoghurt | | Sesame oil | Reduced fat milk | | Camellia tea oil (refined) | Flaxseed oil | | Sea salt | Mixed raw nuts, including slivered almonds | | Black pepper | Sesame seeds, pine nuts | | White balsamic vinegar | Sodium reduced soy sauce | | Balsamic vinegar | Sodium reduced tamari | | Brown rice vinegar | Tahini (sesame spread) | | Fish sauce | Besan (chickpea) flour | | Sultanas | Rolled oats/rye/barley | | Dried apricots | Low allergy baking powder | | Dried dates | Spelt flour (wholemeal and plain) | | Quinoa | Capers | | Medium grain cous cous | Dijon and grainy mustard | | Basmati rice (preferably brown) | Horseradish | | Wild rice | Olives | | Maple syrup, honey and rice syrup | Fresh parmesan | | Apple or pear concentrate | Goats cheese | | Buckwheat noodles | Free range eggs | | Wholemeal noodles | LOTS AND LOTS OF FRESH VEGETABLES: including salad greens, avocado, cucumber, capsicum, carrot, celery, spinach, sweetcorn, rocket, bok choy, snowpeas etc | | Kidney beans - dried or canned | Fresh herbs and spices, such as ginger, parsley, mint | | Chickpeas - dried or canned | AND IN THE FRUIT BOWL: seasonal fresh fruits and lemons | | Haricot beans - dried or canned | | | Lima beans - dried or canned | | | Lentils - dried or canned | | | Canned peeled tomatoes | | | Canned tuna in springwater | | | Canned red salmon in springwater | | | Lite coconut milk | | | Herbal teas | | | Range of dried spices including, cumin, paprika, cayenne, chilli, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, tumeric, ginger | |
All these ingredients can be found in large supermarkets, health food stores such as Healthy Life and good quality greengrocers. Take pleasure in your fridge and pantry and use their contents to the utmost of your culinary ability to create new and exciting meals for the year ahead. For some inspiration, visit our Recipe Database.
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