18 food staples healthy people always stock in the pantry

Choose low-sodium versions (packed in water) when possible. It’ll cost you less than the fresh varieties but wild Alaskan canned salmon is just as good for you and both tuna and salmon boast low mercury levels. They’re also chock full of omega-3 fatty acids and loaded with protein.

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A great all-purpose staple for making pasta or homemade pizza. Choose a low-sodium variety. Plus, tomatoes are a proven cancer-fighting food.

Keen to grow tomatoes? Here’s how.

Green tea is filled with disease-fighting antioxidants. Use loose-leaf tea, which is more flavourful than bagged. Store in an opaque, dry, airtight container once opened. Use cold green tea to make a smoothie.

Read on to find out more the different types of tea.

Choose enriched whole-grain pasta, which has more iron, folic acid, and other B vitamins than whole wheat.

This is hands down the fastest-cooking whole-grain food, perfect for a busy weeknight. Cool fact: it swells in your stomach, which fills you up and makes it so we don’t eat as much of it as we otherwise would with other pastas.

Like all whole grains, barley is packed with the mineral magnesium, which may lower diabetes risk. In addition, it contains soluble fibre, which helps lower cholesterol and stabilise blood sugar levels.

Check out these easy ways to improve gut health.

These turn boring dishes into zestier ones – toss into a frypan of browned chicken with green peas and brown rice.

They’re a speedy way to add fibre and protein to salads, soups, wraps, and stews. Rinse beans first to wash off some of the sodium they’re packed in.

Read on for the link between complex carbohydrates and fibre.

Punch up the flavour of a stir-fry.

Because it contains a high proportion of monounsaturated fat compared with other foods, olive oil is a staple of the healthy Mediterranean-style diet.

Learn more about cooking oils: the good, the bad and the ugly.