Top 5 Foods For Your Pandemic Pantry

Amidst this challenging and stressful time, you might have some nutrition questions. Many folks are thinking about how to eat well on a limited budget, while reducing trips to the grocery store. 

So I thought I’d share some options to consider!

In order for a food to meet my “pandemic-friendly” criteria, it must be nutrient dense, inexpensive, and should keep fresh a relatively long time in the fridge, freezer, or cupboard. Additionally these are all safe, nutritious foods to eat during pregnancy and postpartum. Without further ado, here are my top five foods for your pandemic pantry!

Liver

You might raise your eyebrows or be grossed out by this first suggestion. Totally understandable - many of us in this culture aren’t in the habit of eating liver! Did you know, though, that liver is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet?! It’s chock-full of micronutrients - in particular the ones that are especially needed in pregnancy, like iron, vitamin A, and the B vitamins. Chicken liver is a champion for its iron content, so it’s great to consider if your iron level is low. 

Liver also happens to be a very inexpensive cut of meat. Interestingly, a couple in one of our recent nutrition sessions at Birth Mark mentioned that liver was one of the only cuts of meat available at the time in their grocery store.

So frankly, if you’re curious to try liver, there’s never been a better time. If you’re unsure about the taste, I recommend chicken liver as it’s milder than beef liver. It can be made into a delicious pâté or simply fried up with some onions if you have some. You can also chop up the liver into very small pieces (or puree it) and sneak it into patties or sauces.

Cabbage

Cabbage is cheap, it's incredibly versatile, and keeps fresh a long time. It’s also worth appreciating that cabbage is lower in carbohydrates than its starchy friends like potatoes, carrots, or beets. I’m not necessarily advising a “low carb” diet; however, metabolic changes during pregnancy make it harder for our bodies to use insulin, and we need to be mindful of that. A lot of the non-perishable items that we may be eating more of during the pandemic - like rice and beans for example - are carb heavy! Cabbage is a fibre-rich vegetable that can help bring some balance to these types of meals, while keeping sturdy in your fridge drawer for up to several weeks at a time. 

I personally love to chop up some of the cabbage head and saute it for a long time until it’s super soft and caramelized, alongside onions, garlic, and salt. There are many ways to use cabbage, though! You can make coleslaw, cabbage soup, cabbage rolls, sauerkraut, or just toss it in a stir fry with other veg you have on hand. Yum!

Eggs

Eggs are a superfood, in my opinion. They’re packed with protein and many of the micronutrients needed in pregnancy, or at any age and stage of life! The yolky goodness contains choline, which is especially good for brain health - so don’t skip those golden yolks! 

It’s no surprise that eggs are a universal staple food enjoyed all over the world. They’re a super economical way to meet your protein needs - 2-3 eggs is typically $1 or less. A carton of eggs also has a decent shelf life of at least a few weeks in the fridge. You really can’t go wrong with eggs! 

Scrambled, poached, devilled, over easy, sunny side up...yum yum yum! You can also add boiled eggs as a salad topper or in your soup bowl, if you’re missing protein in that meal.

Lentils

If you’re a seasoned vegetarian eater, you’re probably familiar with lentils...and if you haven’t tried them, now just might be a great time. Lentils, like other legumes or beans, are an inexpensive, non-perishable protein source to keep on hand in your pantry. Relative to other legumes and beans, though, lentils are a bit higher in protein and lower in carbohydrate. As I mentioned earlier, it’s important to try and balance the macronutrients in our meals (so we’re not eating mostly carbs, or mostly protein, or mostly fat - we want all three!). 

A delicious way to enjoy lentils is to make the Indian dish dahl. They’re also great in soup, or in a bolognese sauce. Dried lentils don’t take too long to cook, either, compared to other dried beans. I recommend soaking them prior to cooking, if possible, as this will speed up the cooking time and is generally a good practice with beans and grains, to help with digestibility (just discard the soaking water prior to cooking). 

Frozen Vegetables

Have no fear of frozen produce! No matter your eating style or philosophy, most of us can agree that veggies are important to have in our diet, so we should include them in whatever way is accessible to us at this time.

Studies have shown that frozen vegetables are often just as nutrient dense as their fresh counterparts - and in some cases, frozen vegetables may even be more nutritious, depending on long ago the fresh produce was picked and how long it’s been sitting on the shelf. Interesting, right? 

So don’t feel guilty at all for buying and using frozen vegetables. Also, pro tip: if you have veggies in your fridge that are on their last legs - and you’re not going to cook them right away - chop them up and toss them in a ziploc bag in the freezer to use later, rather than wasting them. 

So there you have it, my top five foods for a pandemic. There are certainly other foods I could have included on this list. When looking at different healthy foods and considering the various factors (affordability, your family’s preferences, etc) you will know what foods are best for you! This list is a starting place and hopefully has given you some inspiration. 

For more helpful nutrition tips, please join me for Birth Mark’s weekly workshop, Your Healthy Pandemic Pantry, where we look at how we can create healthy meals using the foods that are currently in your kitchen! You can sign up for this session via Eventbrite. If you are a Birth Mark client, there is no cost to sign up - just ask your doula for the promo code when registering. Otherwise, anyone is welcome to join! Hope to see you there, and in the meantime I’m wishing you great health and wellness during this time and always.

Author: Alex James

https://www.alexjameswellness.com

References

https://chriskresser.com/natures-most-potent-superfood/
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/homemade-chicken-liver-pate-easy
https://evidencebasedbirth.com/gestational-diabetes-and-the-glucola-test/
https://www.thekitchn.com/best-cabbage-recipes-227147
https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/lentils-and-basic-tarka-dhal-recipe/
https://minimalistbaker.com/zucchini-pasta-with-lentil-bolognese/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25526594
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze.html

Image by: kentackettart.com