Top 20 Things To Always Keep in Your Pantry🛒🫐🌿
catch me with my grocery bags locked and loaded with these weekly
Hi my loves,
Every Sunday, I like to do a little grocery refresh. This week?
Honestly, it was kind of a weird one. I walked out with:
Fresh flowers (always — you deserve them)
A lentil salad
Mung beans
Celery juice
Lemongrass
Pomegranates
Chocolate coconut yogurt
...another reminder to never grocery shop on an empty stomach.
That said, I really do love wandering the aisles and discovering new, fun ingredients… little surprises that end up inspiring something unexpected in the kitchen.
But let’s be real: without a plan, it can quickly turn into a fridge full of random things that don’t go together... or worse, end up wilting before you figure out what to do with them.
The #1 thing I hear from my clients is: what should I buy at the grocery store?
And then this week, while I was literally unpacking my groceries this week, I came across this article👇🏼
And I felt *inspired*
Honestly, I didn’t even read the article. I also have no idea why something from 2024 popped up - but I decided to jump in and write up my own version
So, I’m going to be sharing my 20 (30 felt like too many) essentials to keep in your kitchen at all times for hormonal health
1. BITTER GREENS 🥬
What: Arugula, dandelion greens, watercress, radicchio
Why: Bitter greens stimulate bile flow and stomach acid, enhancing digestion and supporting liver detoxification. A must of anyone working on detox and digestion
How: Use as the base of a salad, wilt into warm grain bowls, or add to smoothies with citrus for a gentle bitter-sweet combo.
2. CRUCIFEROUS VEGGIES 🥦
What: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale
Why: Cruciferous vegetables a hormone girlie must. They are rich in something called I3C (which turns into DIM) and sulforaphane, which support estrogen metabolism and Phase II liver detox pathways.
How: Roast them with olive oil and sea salt or steam and serve with tahini drizzle. If you’re sensitive to bloating with these veg, go small and make sure they’re well cooked. Feel fine with the veg? I can’t recommend enough my kale cramp-be-gone salad.
3. CITRUS FRUIT 🍋
What: Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, limes
Why: High in vitamin C, it helps support adrenal function and ovulation. Plus, 1 serving of citrus fruits x day has shown to be supportive for endometriosis. Citrus also enhances iron absorption too (think: lemon juice on spinach).
How: Squeeze into warm water in the morning, zest into salad dressings, or literally just eat it as a snack
4. GINGER 🫚
What: fresh ginger root
Why: Ginger is a fav in our household- nausea? ginger. stomach ache? ginger. headache? ginger. period cramps? ginger.
How: Absolutely hands down favorite way is to make a slow simmer ginger tea. Add in some honey and lemon and it’s absolutely divine. Other ways to sneak it in? Throw a small piece into a smoothie or grate and add to miso/tahini dressings. I also use it in my fav salmon recipe
5. AVOCADOS 🥑
What: Ripe, fresh avocados
Why: Avocados are a great source of monounsaturated fats, potassium, and fiber. What does that mean? They keep you full, support blood sugar regulation, and thyroid health.
How: Add to smoothies (1/3 of an avocado = perfect banana replacement), mash onto high quality toast, or blend with herbs for a creamy dressing or dip.
6. SWEET POTATOES 🍠
What: Orange, purple, or Japanese varieties
Why: Slow-digesting carb rich in beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor), potassium, and prebiotic fiber. Honestly, one of my fav ways to get in a whole food complex carbohydrate.
How: Roasting 1/2 or into cubes is the way to go. I’ll cut them in half, poke the skin with a fork, slather on some olive or avocado oil w/ salt and pepper, and roast at 400˚F, fleshy side down, until tender. A staple.
7. BLUEBERRIES🫐
What: blueberries
Why: Blueberries are so rich in antioxidants, especially anthocyanins. They support brain function, reduce inflammation, and help regulate blood sugar.
How: Add to oatmeal, smoothies, or warm on the stove with cinnamon for a gut-loving compote to add to oatmeal.
8. EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL (EVOO) 🫒
What: Extra virgin olive oil
Why: High in polyphenols, antioxidants, and healthy fats without the high omega-6 content found in so many other seed oils. Extra virgin = lab tested for acidity and peroxide values, plus the processing method is more strict, utilizing lower heat extraction without added chemicals. In other words, she’s an unrefined, cold pressed queen. People are nervous to use EVOO for cooking, but it can go up to 400˚F so it’s a go-to in our house.
How: Drizzle on everything — from salads to cooked veggies - and sauté and roast up to 370-400˚F. Look for dark or ceramic bottles to prevent oxidation and a harvest date within the past 12-18 months (our fav brand in Brightland)
9. GRASS FED GHEE🧈
What: Clarified ghee (for dairy-sensitive) made from grass fed cows
Why: Ghee is rich in butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that helps suppor the gut microbiome. It also contains high quality fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K2). I like ghee over butter because it’s very low in lactose/casein so is more easily digestible, has a higher smoke point, and is shelf stable.
How: A little goes a loooonnnnggg way. I’ll use it for cooking, simmering, or when making soups, stews and rice. I’ll often add it to my superfood rice
10. TAHINI 🥄
What: Organic tahini
Why: Tahini is like a “nut” butter but made from sesame seeds, which are a great source of healthy fats, along with calcium, magnesium, and zinc - making it a luteal phase fav. Sesame seeds also are a great source of lignans, which can helps support estrogen regulation. Nervous about the phytic acid? Sprouting helps improve absorption.
How: Use in dressings (we do this weekly), drizzle on sweet potatoes, or pair with fruit for a blood sugar–friendly snack.
11. SUNFLOWER SEEDS 🌿
What: literally just sunflower seeds (aim for raw or dry roasted, salt or unsalted but no added oil)
Why: Sunflower seeds are an amazing source of vitamin E, which helps to boost up progesterone and aid in skin health. We love bringing in 1-2 Tbsp x day in the luteal phase.
How: My fav way is to throw them on to salads for a little crunch.
12. BONE BROTH ☕️
What: Grass-fed, organic bone broth
Why: Bone broth is an easy and rich source of protein, but also natural source of gelatin, glycine, and collagen - amino acids that are key for skin, hair, joints, and even pregnancy.
How: Sip on bone broth as a snack or alongside meals, or use it to bump up the protein and mineral content of rice and quinoa.
13. PASTURE-RAISED EGGS 🍳
What: Organic, pasture-raised eggs (ideally, certified humane or animal welfare approved)
Why: Eggs are hands down the absolute best source of choline that we have. Choline is so important for digestion and bile function, but also for fertility and early pregnancy. 2 eggs x day = 60% of DV for choline.
How: Boil ahead of time for snacks, scramble with herbs, or bake into grain-free muffins.
14. CANNED FISH
What: Wild-caught, canned salmon or sardines
Why: Excellent sources of omega-3s, vitamin D, selenium, and calcium (especially if with bones). Plus, both salmon and sardines are lower mercury fish, which means you can enjoy them several times x week.
How: Mix into arugula salads, mash with mustard for a quick lunch, or top GF crackers.
15. SPROUTED LENTILS 🫘
What: Pre-sprouted lentils (or honestly, any beans)
Why: Sprouting makes legumes more digestible and increases nutrient bioavailability (especially iron and zinc). Lentils are a fav cause honestly, they’re just versatile and easy, pack in about 18g. protein x cup, high in fiber, and a great source of B vitamins as well. Plus, a natural source of inositol so I love them for my PCOS girlies.
How: yes yes, we all know lentil soup and lentil salads, but honestly my fav way is to cook and then sauté them with bitter greens, lemon and garlic.
16. MISO PASTE
What: Organic raw chickpea or traditional miso
Why: Miso paste is fermented, which means it naturally contains probiotics. Probiotics become super important for gut health and rebuilding good bacteria in the gut.
How: While it’s easy to heat this up and use it in sauces (which I do all the time), the heat can actually impact the nutritional profile. Go for raw with dressings or sauces to add after cooking.
pst: def check out my tahini miso Caesar dressing
17. GROUND FLAXSEEDS 🫰🏼
What: Ground flaxseeds
Why: Don’t underestimate these lil guys - when ground, flax becomes a powerhouse for hormonal, digestive, and metabolic health. Rich in lignans, ground flax helps to support estrogen balance by promoting healthy detox pathways through the liver. It’s also a fantastic source of soluble and insoluble fiber, feeding beneficial gut bacteria and supporting regular bowel movements.
How: 1-2 Tbsp added to smoothies, cereal, oatmeal, or my personal fav flaxmuffins
18. RAW SAUERKRAUT OR KIMCHI
What: Fermented cabbage
Why: Like miso, it’s a great source of live cultures and enzymes that support digestion and microbial diversity. Plus, the cabbage = cruciferous veg so it’s a win win for the hormones
How: Add 1–2 forkfuls to meals; awesome with eggs, grain bowls, or on top of avocado toast.
19. SEAWEED (DULSE, NORI, KELP)
What: Mineral-rich sea vegetables
Why: So many of us are actually low in iodine - which is key for acne, lymph, breast tissue and PMS. Seaweed is the absolute easiest whole food way to get in your daily dose. A little goes a looonngggg way. Stick to 1/4-1/2 tsp, 3-6 x week.
How: Sprinkle kelp flakes on salads, snack on nori sheets, or stir dulse into soups. I also love this sesame seaweed shaker by eden foods
20. MINERAL SALT 🧂
What: Celtic sea salt or Redmond Real Salt
Why: Supports adrenal function, electrolyte balance, and stomach acid production. Don’t be scared of a little sodium - odds are, your body needs a little boost.
How: Season it up — morning mineral drink with lemon, salt, and water.
+ make sure to grab some chocolate for the soul 😉
Looking for more inspo? For my full grocery list, def check out this one
Hormone Essentials Grocery List
So I just moved last Friday (dw, a Substack on alllll the deets on my move is coming soon)
Written after drinking some celery juice and eating kimchi
