Thanks to the internet, health conscious consumers have a treasure trove of information they can peruse to get experts’ two cents on what every healthy kitchen needs to function at its best.
I’ve seen a lot of these lists, and most of the time, I’m not too wild about people’s suggestions. Some of them are good, but the majority of them are off-based.
But every once in a while, I’ll find a list that I’m on board with. And as it happens, I recently happened upon a list of 10 “essentials” for a healthy kitchen. I agree with seven out of 10 of them.
Garlic
You’d be hard pressed to find something more nutritious and delicious than garlic. Adding garlic to virtually any dish turns the ordinary into something extraordinary—taste-wise and health-wise.
Perhaps the best way to get more garlic into your diet is by adding it straight from the garlic bulb itself. But be careful, because a little garlic goes a long way (too much garlic, and you’ll literally start to smell like it. That’s a good thing if you’re a food, but not if you’re a human). Breaking off just a clove from a garlic bulb for a stir-fry can help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure levels, two of the biggest risk factors for heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
If I could only use one cooking oil for the rest of my life, extra virgin olive oil would be it. The benefits of olive oil are out of this world, as just two tablespoons a day can help your skin maintain its radiant glow (thanks to its richness in vitamin E), and keep your waistline trim (by replacing the brunt of your fat intake with weight-friendly monounsaturated fats). While all olive oils are good, stick with the one that’s gone through the least amount of processing: Extra virgin.
Ginger
Virtually every spice connoisseur hails ginger for its versatility. From sautéed side dishes to main course chicken dishes, after dinner delights to midday drinks (try sprinkling ginger in freshly squeezed lemonade…you’ll thank me later), no spice rack is complete without ginger. But besides being an excellent accompaniment to any dish that calls for zest, it’s loaded with active ingredients that help treat painful physical conditions like migraine headaches, nausea and sore throats.
Cinnamon
I tend to associate cinnamon with comfort, as it’s a frequent accompaniment of comfort foods like cinnamon buns, eggnog and baked goods. But there’s another reason why it’s associated with comfort—it’s rife with healing qualities.
For generations, cinnamon has been used to help treat the flu and common cold, stop the growth of harmful bacteria (thanks to it’s antimicrobial properties), and increase circulation by stimulating blood flow.
While cinnamon can be used in savory dishes, it’s traditionally found in sweet treats. As such, one of the best ways to enjoy cinnamon in a sweet, yet healthy way is by sprinkling whole wheat toast with cinnamon, a touch of honey, and a splash of flax seed oil. Buenisimo!
Peanut Butter
Unlike ginger and cinnamon, peanut butter has no curative qualities. But let’s face it: No cupboard is complete without a jar of peanut butter. It’s likely the first thing many of us ate on a slice of bread, and the first thing we dipped a celery stick into. But like it or not, peanut butter is among the most calorie-rich foods on earth and it doesn’t hold a candle to almonds in terms of nutritional quality.
That said, almond butter and cashew butter are probably better options than peanut butter, but considering peanut butter’s ubiquity of usages, I agree with The Learning Channel: No kitchen is complete without it. Just make sure your peanut butter’s list of ingredients includes the following: peanuts. Nothing else.
Turmeric
Thai restaurateurs would be lost without turmeric, as it’s a critical ingredient to curry. Hot dog vendors wouldn’t fare much better, as turmeric gives mustard its distinctive yellow hue. But similar to its spice-based relatives, turmeric has health properties that go beyond the palette. From rheumatoid arthritis to inflammatory bowel syndrome, turmeric helps relieve painful symptoms—both in the physical realm and the mental realm (recent evidence indicates turmeric may help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease).
Coconut Oil
I’ve really come around on coconut oil. Long railed against for its saturated fat content, coconut oil’s saturated fat content is different. Unlike most sources of saturated fat, which is made up of long-chain fatty acids, the saturated fat in coconut oil is made up of medium-chain fatty acids, which are easier for the body to break down for use as energy. They also help increase the body’s metabolic rate.
For this and many other reasons, use coconut oil for all your oil-based cooking needs (thank goodness I don’t have to decide between olive oil and coconut oil; I’d have a heck of a time deciding which is the best to use).
So, I’m on board with seven of The Learning Channel’s best bets for your kitchen. And the ones I’m opposed to—canola oil, butter and cottage cheese—aren’t bad per se. I just don’t consider them truly necessary for a healthy kitchen. Yes, butter is better than margarine. Yes, cottage cheese is packed with protein. And yes, canola oil has a lot of heart healthy monounsaturated fats. So in a pinch, these aren’t terrible options.
But seeing as how we have options to choose from, given cheese’s and butter’s long-chain fatty acid makeup, and given olive oil and coconut oil’s superior nutritional profile (lower in calories, higher in heart healthy monounsaturated fats, etc.) only seven of the 10 pass Mangano’s muster. But seven out of 10 ain’t bad.
