Grocery List for Clean Eating: the Staples

Clean eating means focusing on whole foods that are not highly processed with many preservatives or additives, or added salts or sugars. Eating clean foods provides your body with an abundance of vitamins and minerals that are linked to a range of health benefits including weight loss, improved immune system, brain and heart health and increased energy levels.

Transitioning to a clean eating style means cooking at home more, which requires a properly stocked pantry. Here is a list of foods for clean eating, arranged by grocery section.

Refrigerated:
Milk or milk substitutes such as almond, oat or soy
Cheese
Plain nonfat Greek yogurt, plain whole milk yogurt or plain yogurt
Plain non-dairy yogurt
Eggs

Produce:
A colorful assortment of fresh seasonal fruits and veggies. Organic is great, but not necessary.
Garlic—keep year-round
Peppers—keep stocked

Canned/Boxed:
Beans (canned, bags of dry or boxed)
Canned fish
Coconut milk
Tomato sauce/canned diced tomatoes
Lentils
Broth and stock
Brown rice
Quinoa, amaranth, millet, farro, bulgur and buckwheat
Whole grain or veggie pasta
Less-sodium soy sauce
Unsweetened applesauce (good replacement for sugar or oil when baking)

Baking:
Cocoa powder
Nutritional yeast
Flours like almond, oat, whole wheat
Vinegar including balsamic and apple cider varieties
Oils like avocado, extra virgin olive oil, coconut and ghee
Sweeteners such as honey, stevia and molasses
Spices

Miscellaneous:
Nut butters such as almond, hazelnut and sunflower
Seeds like sunflower seeds, chia seeds, hemp, pumpkin and sesame
Nuts of all varieties (just make sure they aren’t salted/sweetened)
Lean meats such as grass-fed lean beef, chicken and pork that are organic and antibiotic-free
Protein powder