Welcome to our new series of gloves. What’s in my cart? Here we ask Canadians how they keep their kitchens stocked. To share your thoughts, Please fill out this form Or email reporter Daniel Reale Chin at: [email protected]
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When Nasrin Safavi’s son Damon was diagnosed with high blood pressure and polycystic kidney disease (PKD) at three months old, she and her husband quickly changed their diet.
“We had to learn to give up on things we couldn’t control,” says the 43-year-old cardiologist, who now has a 9-year-old son.
Damon had a rare form of the disease (autosomal recessive) and could have developed kidney failure within a few years of diagnosis. Diet was one of the ways Safavi felt she could slow the progression of her symptoms. genetic disease.
“People living with kidney disease need to get enough protein in their diet and limit their sodium and phosphate intake,” says Safavi. Safavi has since eliminated most processed foods from the family’s diet and taught Damon to read labels carefully. limit Salt and phosphorus intake.
Families are opting for home-cooked meals with mostly unpackaged, whole products so they can control what goes into their food. This also applies to vacations: on a recent trip to Portugal, the family rented a villa with a kitchen and instead of eating out, they cooked with local ingredients.
“We loved trying new restaurants, but we started enjoying other things,” she says.
Here’s how Safavis buy their groceries.
How to save money on groceries: I buy dried beans, fruits, and vegetables in bulk and unpack them. Although it takes extra time to prepare, you can save money this way.
How I splurge on groceries: I use high-quality avocado oil for cooking and olive oil for drizzling. Also, fresh herbs bring great flavor to all my dishes.
The hardest shopping habit to stick to: Cutting out processed foods is difficult because fresh, unpackaged ingredients take longer to cook. When purchasing processed foods, look for products with low salt and phosphorus content. As for snacks, Ritz crackers and Made Good cookies are fine for Damon in moderation, as they don’t contain as much sodium or phosphorous as other crackers or cookies.
How I recently changed my eating habits: Before my son was born, my husband and I used to go to restaurants with friends or just the two of us at least four times a week. Given my son’s condition, I stopped eating out so I could prepare food from scratch and control what goes in. We don’t feel like we’re missing out because we’re learning to cook dishes from different cultures that we enjoyed eating at restaurants.
My cart always has 5 items in it.
- Avocado Oil – Chosen Foods – $29: Avocado oil is a healthy option for cooking. it has antioxidantsis a healthier cooking oil than other seed oils.
- Organic Quinoa – Kirkland – $20: Quinoa has a good combination of protein and carbohydrates, allowing you to get both nutrients in one item. We usually eat it on the side of our dishes instead of rice or pasta.
- Dried beans – NuPak – $6.99: I buy dried beans in bulk and cook them. This way you can control the sodium in your food and save money. We eat some type of legume three times a week. Lately, I’ve been making an Indian-style red lentil stew.
- Frozen Blueberries – President’s Choice – $14.99: I buy these in 2 kg packages. It keeps for a long time, so it’s delicious in smoothies or as a snack.
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies – Made Good – $22.99: My son enjoys these as a snack. It has less salt than other brands, so you can feel safe feeding it with sweets.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
