Give your kitchen a healthy uplift by adding delicious staples of the African Heritage Diet. It’s not necessary to have everything on this list to be healthy. Use it to help you keep a variety of items on hand so you can always make a healthy meal:

In the Pantry

• Beans (low-sodium canned or dried): Black eyed peas, kidney beans, pigeon peas, fava or broad beans, butter beans, black beans, chickpeas and lentils
   
• Whole Grains & Flour: Barley, millet, oats, sorghum, brown rice, wild rice, cornmeal, teff and whole-grain flours
   
• Breads: Flatbreads and other breads (mostly whole grain)
   
• Light Coconut Milk (canned)
   
• Canned Seafood: Dried shrimp, saltfish, anchovies, clams, salmon, sardines, tuna 
   
• Cereals: Oatmeal, plus other hot or cold cereals using rice, Kamut®, corn, and other whole grains. The best choices list the first ingredient as “whole grain”
   
• Preserves & Pickles: Jams and pickled fruits (like mango), and pickled vegetables
   
• Garlic & Onions: Keep a garlic bulb or two within easy reach. Red, yellow & Vidalia onions keep best in a cool, dark pantry.
   
• Coffee & Tea (for iced or hot)
   
• Herbs & Spices: Cinnamon, cloves, coriander, crushed red pepper, cumin, curry powder, dill, garlic powder, ginger, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme, turmeric, dried peppers, or blends like Caribbean seasonings
   
• Low-Sodium Soups & Stocks: Lentil, vegetable, tomato, potato and leek, red bean and rice
   
• Nuts: Peanuts, cashews, pecans, brazil nuts, almonds
   
• Honey, Molasses, &/or Brown Sugar

• Oil: Red palm oil, extra-virgin olive oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, coconut oil
   
• Pastas: Whole wheat couscous and pastas; rice, quinoa and corn pastas and macaroni are also available
   
• Tubers & Plantains: Sweet potatoes, yams, yucca, cassava, breadfruit, potatoes
   
• Seeds: Sesame, pumpkin, sunflower seeds
   
• Tomatoes: Canned, paste, sauce
   

On The Counter or Your Table

• Fresh Fruit: Select favorites from the African Heritage fruit list, including: avocados, apricots, cherries, grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, melons, bananas, mangos, apples, peaches, or papayas. These fruits keep best at room temperature
   
• Squashes & Tomatoes: Squashes are healthy and filling, and best stored at room temperature too (like butternut squash and pumpkin), as are tomatoes
   

In The Refrigerator

• Certain Fruits (berries, watermelon)
• Hot Sauce and Salsa
• Hummus
• Pickles
• Eggs
• Vegetables
• Cooking Greens and Salad Greens
• Fresh Herbs
• Dried Herbs and Spices
• Natural Peanut or Almond Butter
• Fresh Seafood
• Yogurt
• Milk
 (soy, rice or lactose-free milk are available alternatives)
• Water and Sparkling Water 

• Leftovers!
   

 In The Freezer

• Frozen Fruit
• Frozen Poultry
• Frozen Seafood
• Frozen Beans & Peas
• Frozen Vegetables       

Setting Up Your African Heritage Kitchen

 To help you set up your African Heritage ktichen,
 download this handy list.

 African Heritage Diet Grocery List

  To help you shop for African Heritage foods,
  download this handy grocery list.