A Diabetic Pantry

    We often get e-mails requesting a list of food to keep on hand
    for cooking for someone just diagnosed with diabetes. Cooking for
    someone with diabetes, whether yourself or someone else, is
    really just a commitment to cooking healthy on a day-to-day
    basis.

    We both keep a well-stocked pantry so that making a meal does not
    mean running to the market every day. We market twice a week for
    fresh fish, poultry, meat, dairy, and produce and then prepare
    our daily recipes using the staples in our pantry. Think small,
    buy the best you can afford, and keep your pantry inventory
    turning. Spices lose their aroma and flavor, oil loses its
    freshness, etc.

    Here are the items that we keep on hand for healthy cooking.

    Vinegar

    balsamic, fruit-infused, herb-infused, red wine, white wine,
    sherry, malt, rice wine, cider

    Cooking Sprays

    Now available in aerosol and refrigerated pumps. Purchase
    butter-flavored, olive oil, vegetable

    Oils

    canola, olive, safflower, sesame. Not necessary, but nice to have
    for added flavor: almond, avocado, grapeseed, hazelnut, peanut,
    and walnut

    Grains

    stone-ground yellow and white cornmeal, couscous, kasha, millet,
    rolled oats, instant polenta, rice-white, basmati, brown,
    quick-cooking and wild, quinoa

    Beans and Legumes

    dried beans-black, cannellini, chick peas, navy, pinto and white,
    black-eyed peas, lentils-brown and red

    Pasta

    angel hair, bow ties (farfalle), lasagna, linguine, penne,
    Oriental rice sticks, rotelle, spaghetti, ziti

    Baking Needs

    unbleached all-purpose flour, nonfat pancake mix, graham cracker
    crumbs, cornstarch, dry bread crumbs (unseasoned), baking powder,
    baking soda, cream of tarter, cocoa powder, salt and kosher salt,
    vanilla extract, sugar substitutes (capable of retaining
    sweetness during extended heat), sugar, brown sugar, honey,
    baker's spray (combined with flour)

    Canned and Packages Goods

    no-salt-added tomato paste, no-salt-added canned tomatoes, canned
    pumpkin, unsweetened fruit juices, fat-free no-salt-added chicken
    and vegetable broth, cannellini, garbanzo (chick peas), navy,
    pinto, white and black beans, beans, reduced-sodium soy sauce,
    no-sugar-added fruit spread, dry roasted peanuts, natural peanut
    butter, no-sugar added dried fruits, evaporated skim milk,
    powdered buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauces,
    regular and coarse ground Dijon mustard, dry red and white wine
    for cooking, cognac for cooking, dry sherry for cooking, rum for
    cooking, tequila for cooking, hoisin sauce, sun-dried tomatoes
    (dry-packed), black bean sauce, Asian chili sauce, capers, garlic
    sauce, dried chiles, dried mushrooms

    Dried Herbs and Spices

    ground allspice, basil, bay leaves, dill, caraway seed, celery
    seed, chili powder, ground cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ground
    cumin, curry powder, fennel seed, fines herbes, ground ginger,
    marjoram, dry mustard, paprika, peppercorns, poppy seeds, crushed
    red pepper flakes, rosemary, sage, saffron, savory, sesame seeds,
    thyme

    In the Freezer

    frozen no-sugar-added fruits and berries, puff pastry dough, filo
    dough, bread dough, unsalted butter, reduced-calorie margarine,
    nuts, vegetables in bags, multi-grain breads and rolls, pita

    In the Refrigerator

    part-skim Parmesan cheese, fat-free mozzarella cheese, fat-free
    ricotta cheese, fat-free cream cheese, reduced-fat tub margarine,
    fat-free sour cream, fresh ginger, lemons, limes, oranges, other
    fresh fruit in season, scallions, fresh herbs and parsley, salad
    ingredients, fresh vegetables in season, dill pickles, tomato
    paste in a tube, anchovy paste in a tube, egg substitute, eggs,
    skim milk

    Miscellaneous

    Garlic; shallots; onions-white, yellow, sweet (seasonal), and
    red; potatoes-red, Russet, and Yukon Gold; sweet potatoes