By Nabula Brdar, Founder, Supermarket Swap
At Supermarket Swap, we’re all about small, doable changes that make a big difference, and your pantry is the perfect place to start.
With hundreds of food additives approved for use in Australia, it’s never been more important to take a closer look at what’s in the foods we eat every day. And our pantry staples? That can be where some of the biggest offenders hide.
We’re talking brightly coloured snacks, long ingredient lists with hard-to-pronounce names or hidden preservatives that you feel like you need to be a chemist to understand. The good news? You don’t have to throw everything out or panic. You can take some simple steps to reduce the additives in your pantry over time.
So what can you do? Start by looking at five key categories and making a few simple swaps.
Pantry products to detox today
Margarine → Pure Butter
Swap for: Swap margarine for pure butter (keep a little out of the fridge for easy use).
Vegetable Oil → Olive Oil
Swap for: For cooking, swap vegetable and canola oils to pure butter, ghee, coconut oil, duck fat, grass fed beef dripping, lard or olive oil (if the heat isn’t too high).
Flavoured Crackers → Salted Versions
Swap: Swap to whole food crackers. Be wary of added sugars and additives, often found in flavoured crackers.
Packaged Bread → Supermarket Bakery Bread
Swap: Highly processed white bread for wholegrain, rye or sourdough bread.
Stock Cubes → Better Choice Broth
Swap: Many commercial stocks and stock cubes contain flavour enhancers (like MSG, 635) and colours. There are many great bone broths, stock powders and stocks available made with real ingredients, or you can make your own!
7 simple steps to get started
1. Talk to the family
Change is easier when everyone’s on board but expect some resistance (especially from kids who love their flavoured crackers). Explain why you’re making changes and involve them in the swap process. You’ll be surprised how open they can be when they feel part of the journey.
2. Decide your detox style
You can do a full clean-out or take it slow, replacing things as they run out. There’s no right way, just do what works for your household.
3. Clear out expired foods first
Before you even touch additives, check expiry dates. Clearing out the old makes space for the new (and you’ll probably find some long-forgotten tins of soup in the process).
4. Check ingredient lists
Using Supermarket Swap’s app, start scanning ingredient lists. Focus on avoiding artificial colours, preservatives and flavours to begin with. When in doubt, shorter ingredient lists are usually better and look for ingredients that you recognise.
5. Keep it flexible
You don’t have to be perfect. If there’s one snack your child lives for, maybe leave that in for now. It’s all about balance.
6. Make a list
When you’re ready to restock, take your time. Allow yourself a bit longer to read labels and compare brands. The Supermarket Swap app has 3,000+ additive-free products to help fast-track your next shop.
7. Be kind to yourself
Start small. Pick one product to swap this week, then another next week. This is a long game, not a race and every swap you make is a win.
Follow KIDDO on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter
