Living Vegan For Dummies - Alexandra Jamieson [50]
Canned goods . . . good?
You may ask: If fresh is best, why would I ever buy canned foods? The short answer is convenience. Canning used to be a home-based enterprise where people preserved their extra harvests in cans and jars for consumption during the long winter months. But now, because fewer people grow their own food, companies have perfected factory canning to bridge the gap.
Automated factory canning is now the norm, and the industrialization of canning has brought with it a few important considerations:
Canned food can be high in sodium, which is directly associated with high blood pressure and heart disease.
The high-heat processing needed to ensure a safely canned product also destroys many of the nutrients found in fruits and vegetables.
Fruit from cans and jars is often packed in sugary syrups, so it shouldn’t be counted as part of your daily recommended intake of fresh produce.
Preserving the goods you find on sale
When your local farmer’s market is offering organic blueberries at $2 per pint, stock up! You can easily save those goldmines at home, along with many other fresh items. Simply pour the berries onto a large plate in batches and pick through to remove any leaves, stems, or moldy berries. Rinse the berries, pat dry, and freeze in plastic freezer bags or other freezer-safe containers.
You can do the same with fresh tomatoes that you’ve cooked down (cool to room temperature before pouring into containers, of course), cleaned and chopped leafy greens, shucked corn kernels (or whole, fresh cobs), peas, and green beans. To freeze potatoes, peel them, cut them into chunks, and then blanch them for about 2 minutes in boiling water. After blanching, immerse the chunks in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and cool them and then freeze in freezer bags. Properly stored produce can keep for up to six months in the freezer.
However, if you’re stuck buying canned veggies, don’t worry. It’s still better to eat canned veggies than no veggies at all. In fact, canned beans, vegetables, and soups can be used healthfully in a vegan diet. Just be sure to read the label and buy low-sodium cooked beans, vegetables, and vegan soups. And only buy canned fruits that are sugar free. To further reduce the sodium of canned beans, be sure to rinse before cooking.
My cupboard is always stocked with several kinds of canned beans, tomatoes, and vegetable bean soups for vegan eating on the fly. The convenience of canned foods lies in the fact that you can stock up to ensure you always have access to healthy food choices at home.
If possible, skip the canned corn and peas; these vegetables are better-tasting and better for you when frozen.
Spices, seasonings, and handy condiments
Round out your pantry with the following flavoring basics, and you’ll never be at a loss for a fully satisfying, health-supportive meal:
Sweeteners: Barley malt, maple syrup, agave syrup, and brown rice syrup
Herbs and spices: Ground ginger, chili powder, curry powder, ground cumin, onion flakes, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, bay leaf, and cinnamon
Baking ingredients: Vanilla extract; baking powder; baking soda; whole-wheat pastry flour for baking cookies, cakes, muffins, and breads; cornmeal; flaxseeds; and kuzu, a powdered starch made from the root plant that’s used as a thickener and that’s great for strengthening the digestive tract
Oils and vinegars: Balsamic, brown rice, red wine, and ume vinegars; canola oil; extra-virgin olive oil; and toasted sesame oil
Sea vegetables: Nori paper, dulse flakes, hijiki, and kombu (kelp)
Condiments: Fruit juice-sweetened ketchup; stone-ground or American-style yellow mustards; ume paste, a pureed paste made from pickled plums; shoyu or tamari, naturally fermented soy sauces; sesame tahini paste; miso paste; mirin cooking wine;