Top Fresh and Healthy Foods You Need to Include In Your Pantry

Shopping in the fresh produce aisle can be overwhelming. We often get confused in choosing whether to get the local stuff or organic stuff to include in our pantry.

Not to mention we have dozens of fresh fruits and vegetables to choose from. Regardless of your shopping or diet strategy, most health experts recommend you always pick these healthy and fresh foods from the aisle. These foods are extremely volatile to any kind of recipes you want to cook, making them the best food staples for millions of people worldwide.  

Lemons

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According to health experts, lemons are rich in vitamin C which can help boost your immune system.

Lemons offer a wide variety of use in different recipes. You can squeeze them to give that tangy flavor in your beans, chicken, fish, or vegetables.

Want to brighten the flavor of your salad? Extract its juice and use them for cocktails or dressing. You can also reuse its rinds to make a lemon-sugar oil which can be used to concoct your dream punch drinks. Or you can slice them and use it to garnish your fish or meal.

Lastly, they can even be used as air fresheners in your home. Lemons also hail as one of the best superfoods because it possesses tons of health benefits. It promotes hydration to improve our skin quality and weight loss. It also helps aid in your digestion and prevents kidney stones.

Garlic

Garlic is known for giving off a heavenly smell which enhances your spices as you cook your favorite recipe. In fact, most pizza sauce you see in the grocery store contain nine whole cloves of garlic to preserve its flavor. Whether you’re cooking a Chinese, Italian, Indian, Israeli, Greek, or Thai cuisines, garlic has become an integral part in our diet. Its flavor highly adapts depending on your cooking method.

For example, you can have it confited or roasted to achieve that unique smell and taste. The health experts recommend you look for plump and firm garlic bulbs with dry skin. It’s recommended to store your garlic in a cool, dark place to make them last longer.

Shallots

Shallots have been making noise in the onion family due to its incredibly delicate flavor. Aside from that, shallots take a shorter time to cook down compared to your traditional, fat onions.

You can saute minced shallots with butter and a pack of mushrooms to create your five-minute veggie side. Then you can serve it alongside your chicken or steak, next to leafy green salads, or tuck it into an omelet.

Scallions

Scallions are a must in making your stir-fries and curries recipes due to its mild flavor and taste. You can saute the whole scallion and chop its leaves and drizzle it with olive oil, salt, and pepper. If you’re up for a grill party, you can throw them together with your tacos or chicken breast.

Scallions are also perfect to make your omelets, scrambled eggs, rice noodle fish, tofu, and other recipes that need a finishing bite. Scallions contain very low calories so you can eat them to your heart’s content without worrying about gaining weight.

Ginger

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According to the health experts, ginger reduces your nausea symptoms and treats your flu and a common cold.

Ginger is a famous food staple in making Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and other Asian cuisines. The health experts consider ginger as one of the healthiest species in the world because it’s loaded with nutrients and vitamins to boost your health

Ginger has high-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which help reduce your risk of acquiring cancer and heart disease. It also aids in chronic digestion by easing the pain and discomfort you feel in your upper stomach.