I have been having questions recently about where to start clean eating. My recommendation would be to do a Whole30 because while it’s challenging, it will set you up to start reading labels at a bare minimum. You’d be surprised at how much sugar is in everything!
Whole30 Program – give it a try!
SPICES
Sausage Seasoning (epicurious)
Magic Mushroom Powder (Nom Nom Paleo)
Taco Seasoning I (allrecipes)
I buy my dried spices in bulk from Smart & Final and the local restaurant supply store. Having these on hand allow me to create mixes of different things such as the taco seasoning above and the seasonings for the below listed dump ranch. The seasonings I use the most are:
- Garlic Powder
- Chili Powder
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cumin
- Italian Seasoning
- Bay Leaves
- Cinnamon
Other dried seasonings you may want to have on hand include:
- Onion Powder
- Onion Salt/Garlic Salt (I prefer to use ones without salt, but the Onion Salt from Trader Joe’s is really good – has some Italian Seasoning or something in it as well.
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Fennel
- Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
- Pappy’s Seasoning (I use the 50% less salt)
- Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
- Ground Mustard
- Thyme
- Kosher Salt
If you haven’t bought bulk seasonings before, think about what you use the most and start from there. I have a whole cupboard dedicated to spices now but I started small. I go through cumin and black pepper like you wouldn’t believe.
SAUCES
Dump Ranch (Maria Makes)
Mayo (Whole30 version)
Stir Fry Sauce (Nom Nom Paleo)
Cashew Cream Nacho Cheese (Genius Kitchen)
COMPLIANT BRANDS/SPECIFIC PRODUCTS
Here is a list of products that I use on a regular basis. I am not here to try to convince you to buy all-natural-grass-fed-free-range meats. Buy what you can afford when it comes to meat. Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, Whole Foods, and 365 Market all have good options. But here are some of my favorite brands for slightly more processed stuff. ALWAYS CHECK LABELS FOR HIDDEN SUGAR – might be “dextrose” or other sugar names. Stuff sweetened by “fruit juice” is okay.
- Applegate Farms – uncured beef hotdogs
- Pederson Farms – uncured sugar free bacon
- Trader Joe’s Garlic and Herb sausage
- Aidell’s Chicken and Asparagus sausage
- Trader Joe’s frozen turkey burgers
- Trader Joe’s frozen chili & lime burgers
- Lara Bars – check ingredients, the ones with chocolate are not compliant
- RXBars – I don’t love these but they’re good in a pinch
- Nutpods all flavors (coffee creamer)
- Califia Farms – Dairy Free Better Half Coconut Cream & Almond Milk – unsweetened flavors include unsweetened (plain), vanilla, hazelnut. Original has sugar added so check labels. (coffee creamer)
- Califia Farms Almond Milk – Unsweetened
- Silk Almond Milk – Unsweetened
- Sprouts brand frozen hashbrowns – only ingredient is potatoes!
- Trader Joe’s & 365 Market spray olive oil (check your sprays for other mystery ingredients)
- Frank’s Red Hot Original (for buffalo wings)
- Trader Joe’s regular jarred salsa – red and green, check labels, not all are compliant
MY POSTS ABOUT CLEAN EATING AND WHOLE30
Whole30 Thoughts
Recipes – Sugar Free and Paleo Adjacent (clean eating category)