Shopping List

At HealthBarn USA, we know that it can be difficult to eat healthfully with the super-busy schedules we all tend to have these days. Here’s a list of ‘staple’ foods that we recommend you keep at home as part of your family’s commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

For the fridge

• Fresh seasonal produce and herbs (in the Northeast): lettuce (YUM! right now), strawberries, fresh mint (for tea or mojitos!); oregano, and much more!
• Corn tortillas only! or soft whole wheat flatbreads to make wrap sandwiches
• Chavrie goat cheese for spreading
• Tribe hummus for a sandwich topping or a dip
• Farm-fresh eggs
• 1% milk (try to buy organic!), soy, rice or almond milk (make sure it’s fortified with calcium)
• Water – bottled or filtered, fizzy or still
• 100% juice. Be aware of the brands that add sugar or artificial sweeteners! BONUS: Add to sparkling water to make a fruity spritzer
• Salad-in-a-bag
• Salsa for vegetables (check out our tasty recipes) and baked dipping chips 
• Organic, low-fat yogurt (we love Stonyfield Farm vanilla or plain!)
• Barlean's Flaxseed Oil -- fresh, pressed daily -- great on air-popped popcorn!

For the Pantry

• Whole Wheat crackers or crunchy flatbreads, like Dr. Krackers -- they are our favorite!
• Organic peanut butter – these brands include the only ingredients -- peanuts and a little bit of salt -- you need to make delicious peanut butter!
• Fruit spreads, your kids will love strawberry and blueberry (fruit should always be the first ingredient!)
• A great assortment of teas: green, white, black, herbal
• For something sweet, try 100% maple syrup, honey or Agave Nectar. 
• Almondina Brand Biscuits -- The Original -- they're our favorite cookies!
• Baked Kettle Krisps -- the best on the Planet!
• Baked tortilla chips (FYI -- chips labeled “light,” sometimes contain Olestra, an artificial fat substitute)
• Toppings to sprinkle on your yogurt – try a crunchy cereal like Barbara's Puffins, chopped raw almonds or walnuts and dried unsulphured fruit, flax seed meal or wheat germ.
• Dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate morsels -- for a treat.
• Pasta in fun shapes – DeCecco whole wheat or Barilla Plus pasta. Just be sure to cook the regular pasta al dente, which helps to prevent spikes in your blood sugar as you digest it.
• Tomato sauce, made with lots of fresh vegetables and spices, and no added sugar
• An assortment of dried beans (follow directions on package) make a delicious and easy protein-filled addition to your pasta or any other dish.  Kids prefer dried to canned beans (too mushy!)
• Cold pressed, extra-virgin olive oil, and for variety buy flax, avocado, walnut and canola oils

For the table

• A bowl full of fruit – keep a great assortment of fruit for on-the-go: apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots, etc.
• Lemons and limes for accessorizing your water
• Nuts (try rare almonds, walnuts, cashews)
• Sea salt in a ramican for a pinch rather than a salt shaker for a pour (plus sea salt contains less sodium than regular table or Kosher salt!).
• Dried fruit – non-sulfured, unsweetened apricots, mango slices, apple rings, strawberries 

For the windowsill

• Grow an herb garden and snip away while cooking -- chives, cilantro, dill, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme are all in-season!

Rules of thumb for grocery shopping:

1. Shop naturally.
2. Buy seasonal and locally grown as much as possible. Our local farmers work hard and we should support them!
3. All meat and produce should be antibiotic-free, grass fed as much as possible! 
4. Read ingredient lists! Avoid packaged goods like tortillas, crackers and cookies with trans fats (if the label says ‘hydrogenated’ or ‘partially-hydrogenated,’ that means it contains trans fats which aren't good for your heart).
5. Keep an eye out for added sweeteners. Keep a distance from products that contain high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners.
6. Beware of “marketing madness.” Just because a package says the food inside is “organic” or “light” doesn’t mean it’s good for you!
7. Keep a lid on portion sizes, which is easy if you don’t buy ‘super-sized’ packages!

Thanks for shopping with us! We will continue to update our list with new items, but would love to hear about your great finds. Click here to share your recommendations.