I have decided that I have to stop reading. When you’re a kid, say under 55, reading can be fun. You learn things, you get to experience people and places you’d never see in person, you expand your world. But when you get to be a little older, you just get confused.

I read four magazine articles last week. It wasn’t that hard. They were all in the same magazine. They were about the 10 foods you have to have in your pantry, 20 foods to always have in your kitchen, the 10 best breakfast foods to keep on hand, and 12 foods nutritionists avoid. You would think that those lists probably have some good food overlap and you wouldn’t have to keep 40 essential foods on hand at all times. Maybe you would end up with a final list of maybe 24 or 25 good foods and none of them should show up on the bad food list. Actually, you wouldn’t be too far off.

The 10 foods to always keep in your pantry	The 20 foods to always have in your kitchen	10 Best Breakfast Foods
Olive Oil Beans Quinoa Greek Yogurt Honey Eggs Sea Salt Fresh Herbs Ground Chicken/Turkey Chocolate	Olive Oil * Greek Yogurt * Canned Olives Honey * Beans * Quinoa * Eggs * Sea Salt * Tomato Paste Bananas Fresh Herbs * Chocolate * Garlic Frozen Shrimp Mustard Flavored Vinegar Oatmeal Herbs de Provence Broth Ground Chicken/Turkey *	Oatmeal  ** Greek Yogurt * Grapefruit Bananas ** Eggs * Almond Butter Berries Coffee Cereal Whole Wheat Bread
	* On Top 10 List	* On Top 10 List ** On Top 20 List
Twelve foods to avoid
White Bread Bottled Salad Dressing Gluten Free Snacks Instant Oatmeal and Dry Cereal *	Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Processed Meats Fat Free Snack Foods Yogurt Covered Snacks	Sports Drinks Sodas Flavored Milks and Yogurts Processed Cheese
* On Breakfast Food List

The Foods to Avoid List did clarify that only instant oatmeal should be avoided due to the high amount of processing and the addition of artificial sweeteners and flavorings, plain oatmeal is ok. Further, only highly processed, sweetened, dry cereals should be avoided and there are many non-sweetened, dry cereals that do not need to be avoided.

So this list has a total of 26 foods to keep in your kitchen and only one of them should be potentially avoided. So why am I confused?

Well, many of the foods on the two 10 and one 20 lists might be something every “otherwise healthy individual” might want to keep on hand, but if you have high blood pressure, one of several heart conditions, renal (kidney) disease, or diabetes, you should be cautious of certain beans, salt, tomato paste (or any tomatoes), bananas, chocolate, shrimp, certain broths, grapefruit, almond butter, and most berries. Which foods go with which disease states? Many overlap. But trust me on this. If you have any of these conditions, check with your doctor, pharmacist, or dietitian before stocking up on kidney beans.

And that concludes this week’s public service announcement, brought to you by the RRSB. Happy Eating!