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Gluten-free and dairy-free whole foods pantry list

I have been asked to put together this list to help you make the recipes on my blog without a big shopping trip each time. If you are just now switching to whole foods, buying a new ingredient every week or so may be a good approach, as buying everything at once could be expensive. When we switched to a whole foods diet, we did not do it in one day. I slowly incorporated new ingredients, I learned how to use them in the kitchen, and when I was comfortable with one, I moved to another one.

I had not used many of these ingredients before we started making changes in our diet starting with 2009 (after my husband was diagnosed with cancer). But now they are delicious pantry staples in our house.

Please don’t forget that I have not built this list overnight. It took me many months to get here. I know how overwhelming it can be as I have been there.  If you want to start, choose one product (only one) and make few recipes with it. When you have found at least two or three recipes that all members of your family like, keep these recipes in a place where you can access them easily, and then choose another ingredient to work with.

If you have a question about a particular ingredient and why I choose to use it (or any other question), please contact me here. I want to help you with any questions that you might have so that your transition to whole foods goes smoothly.

Note that in order to lower our chemical load, we choose organic ingredients and non-GMO as often as possible.

Please do not feel overwhelmed by these ingredients or by any of my recipes. I truly understand that it can be intimidating. But we are all on different paths in our journey (some start now, others are somewhere in the middle, and others are far into their wellness journey). However, we are all going forward and we all want to feed our children, our families, and ourselves better.

What matters is that you start.

Flours

  • Almond flour
  • Brown rice flour
  • Buckwheat flour
  • Chickpea flour
  • Coconut flour
  • Corn flour
  • Quinoa flour
  • Oat flour

Cereals (all gluten free)

  • Amaranth
  • Buckwheat groats
  • Corn meal
  • Corn flour
  • Millet
  • Popcorn kernels
  • Quinoa – technically it is a seed
  • Rice (brown, black, wild)
  • Rolled oats
  • Steel cut oats

Dairy replacements

  • Coconut milk (carton or can)
  • Coconut cream
  • Coconut water
  • Almond milk
  • Flax milk
  • Hemp milk
  • Oat milk
  • Quinoa milk
  • Rice milk
  • Home-made nut milk from nut butters

Oils (best if cold pressed)

  • Avocado oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Grape seed oil
  • Olive oil
  • Sesame oil
  • Walnut oil

Canned and jarred goods

  • Beans (chickpeas, black, navy, etc.)
  • Olives
  • Pickles
  • Salmon
  • Tomatoes (crushed, diced, sauce, paste)
  • Tuna

Vinegars

  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Raw apple cider vinegar
  • Rice vinegar

Nuts

  • Almonds
  • Cashews
  • Peanuts
  • Pistachios
  • Walnuts

Seeds

  • Chia
  • Flax
  • Hemp
  • Pumpkin
  • Sunflower

Nut butters

  • Almond butter
  • Cashew butter
  • Coconut butter
  • Hazelnut butter
  • Peanut butter
  • Sunflower seed butter
  • Tahini (sesame paste)

Baking essentials

  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Cacao (raw)
  • Coconut flakes
  • Vanilla extract
Sweeteners

  • Apple butter
  • Applesauce
  • Coconut palm sugar
  • Dark chocolate chips
  • Dried date sugar
  • Dried fruit (dates, raisins, apricots, cherries, cranberries, etc.)
  • Honey (raw, unpasteurised) – not for children under 1 year of age
  • Maple syrup

Legumes

  • Dried beans (chickpeas, black, navy, etc.)
  • Dried lentils (yellow, green, brown, red split)

Pasta

  • Brown rice
  • Buckwheat
  • Corn
  • Quinoa

Seasoning (these are the ones I use often)

  • Allspice
  • Black pepper
  • Cinnamon
  • Chili flakes
  • Cumin
  • Curry powder
  • Ginger
  • Nutmeg
  • Oregano
  • Sea salt
  • Nutritional yeast

Refrigerated condiments

  • Ketchup
  • Mayonnaise
  • Mustard (regular, Dijon)
  • Salsa
  • Tamari