Your pantry can be a fiber powerhouse for your kitchen.
These pantry staples are going to save you when you want to eat a veggie but don’t want to spend the time to prep and cook it. No matter how fast it might cook. This is where your pantry will shine and you and your poops feel amazing because you got your fiber food.
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This post was inspired by one of my most popular posts, fiber foods for effortless poops. At the very end of the post make sure to check out some recipe ideas to try out for your next dinner!
Next time you go shopping I want you to pick up these foods to keep in your pantry.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is so much more than just a fall treat and has a pretty unique feature for a pantry staple. When you keep canned pureed pumpkin in your pantry you can easily add a punch of fiber and a creamy kick to any recipe. I mean you can always roast a fresh pumpkin from scratch but who has 45 minutes and wants to heat up the oven to 400 when it’s the middle of summer.
Lasagna, lattes, bread, soup, and chili are just a couple of easy ways for you to add a punch of fiber with pumpkin.
Green Beans
This is probably one of your best canned veggies out there for two reasons. It is really easy to eat a lot of these and the taste of canned green beans is so much better! For both of these reasons, it is extremely easy to eat a whole can of green beans and not feel like you just ate tons of roughage. Green beans are hands down my favorite veggie in the pantry.
The easiest way to eat these beans, straight out of the can! I kid you not that green beans out of the can are amazing but since most might find that weird you can use canned green beans in just about any recipe.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas or garbanzo beans? How do you say it? However you call these legumes they are the ones responsible for hummus and everyone loves hummus (except me, hah). Hummus is a wonderful spread that instantly adds flavor and a little boost of fiber but there are tons of other ways to use chickpeas. I think chickpeas are the new cauliflower. You are going to see them everywhere.
Chickpeas are also a good source of protein too giving you a double whammy of fiber and protein. Because they are also a good protein source you can use this as the star of your main dishes like a curry but other ways to use them including roasting them for a crunchy snack that reminds you of corn nuts, add them to your smoothie, or throw them into a salad.
Beans
Canned beans are amazing! Like chickpeas, these give you double the bang for your buck. You get protein and fiber. You have two options to keep beans in your pantry. You can keep dried beans or canned beans. Dried beans are the cheapest option, you can flavor them however you like, and easily freeze them for quick night dinners but this means you need some time to prep them.
Canned beans are really the perfect in between because you can still flavor them how you like without having to wait for the hour to cook them from scratch. Beans are such a staple food and the best ways to use them is as the base of the salad for a hot summer day, as a side dish to anything, or mashing them for a quick bean dip for your favorite chips.
Tomatoes
Now, this might seem like a weird fiber food pick. Like any other veggie, tomatoes add fiber but I really picked it for another reason. The fiber is great but the flavor really is the star here. Canned tomatoes from stewed to sauce to diced are all great picks and can be seamlessly added to so many dishes.
From making salsas to soups canned tomatoes have you covered. A fun fact about tomatoes is that they are one of the veggies that are actually better for you when they are cooked. Canned tomatoes are cooked during the canning process so not only are you getting fiber but more nutrients as well!
Amanda is a pizza loving registered dietitian nutritionist specializing in mindfulness and gut health. She quickly realized that gut health goes beyond the gut; it is also about honoring our gut feelings. She is the creator of The Mindful Gut™ which uses science and strategy to help people improve their gut health.