Shopping List

The following items should be included in your “Care Package” and should be in your house before you start treatment. It is also a handy list if you are going to visit someone who is about to start treatment! Always buy the most expensive items and/or brands.

Beverages

  • Flavored and plain bottled waters. Again, be kind of wild and crazy here.
  • Ginger ale! Be expansive, you’ll need at least 1-2 cans a day.
  • Non-caffinated fruit teas. Get a selection to find one you really like!
  • Real fruit juice, at least apple and grape, no “cocktails”, “punches” or generics.

Dairy

  • Yogurt at least 7-10 units, any flavor(s), but must include live acidophilus cultures).
  • 1-2 quarts whole milk, 1 pint half & half, 1 pint heavy cream, and 1 pint buttermilk (check “sell by” dates, sometimes you have to reach way back in the coolers to find the freshest products).
  • 1 pound butter quarters. Margarine only if you must!
  • Immoderate amounts of mild cheddar, Swiss, freshly grated parmesan, and cottage cheeses. Pineapple cream cheese made me smile also!
  • Individual service portions of ice ream, particularly plain vanilla.

Meats

  • 2 pounds ground sirloin, or any less-fat beef
  • Plain pork tenderloin (no “juices” added)
  • Chicken (any cut(s) you like, (no “juices” added)
  • Turkey (any cut(s), darker is better if you like it)
  • Corned beef (throw the "seasoning"packet away)
  • Frozen, pre-cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, no breading

Carbs

  • 5-10 grain bread, unsliced if you can find it
  • Plain bagels
  • White or wheat rolls, try to buy the most expensive
  • Macaroni, (elbows, bowties and strings)
  • Canned black beans
  • Tapioca
  • Melba toasts, saltines, graham crackers and nuts
  • Angel food cake (plain, no icings)

Veggies

  • All fresh, as the season permits, nothing canned or frozen
  • No restrictions. Look for the prettiest, the smallest and the easiest to fix.

Fruit

  • Same as veggies, all fresh, seasonal, nothing canned or frozen
  • No restrictions. Start by buying everything blue (blueberries, raspberries, grapes); ensure supplies of bananas, citrus (including one lemon), I practically lived on strawberries for a while.

Condiments

  • Fresh garlic, ginger, honey, maple syrup, cream of tartar, black bean paste, gourmet fruit jams, paprika, fresh cilantro, liquid “smoke”…otherwise NONE.

Please Note:

This list deliberately OMITS all foods that are pre-pared, pre-cooked, par-cooked, artificially flavored or colored, just about anything “invented” during the last fifty years. Trust me on this! These foods were designed for everybody except sick folks. And stop worrying about how much it costs! Pay more for the best, particularly now.