Recommended tools
Tools our RD team finds useful
None of this is required. Good eating happens with a single pot and whatever containers are already in the cupboard. If you are replacing something or want a nudge toward simpler cooking, these are practical, widely available options.
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Measuring and portion learning
- Escali Primo Digital Food Scale: Weighs grains, proteins, and baking ingredients without guesswork.
- OXO Good Grips 4-Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups: Nest with magnetic snaps; handy for recipes and portion learning.
Cooking and meal prep
- Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet Pan, 2-Pack: For one-pan roasted vegetables and proteins.
- Pyrex Essentials 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowl Set: Mixing, marinating, and tossing salads.
- Pyrex Simply Store 5-Pack Glass Food Storage Containers: Glass containers for leftovers and one prepped anchor.
- Ello Duraglass 2-Cup Glass Storage Containers, 4-Pack: Smaller glass containers with silicone sleeves for single portions.
- Instant Pot Duo 6-Quart 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker: Pressure cooks beans, grains, and soups hands-off; also slow cooks and steams.
- Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual Slow Cooker: Load it in the morning for a batch of chili, stew, or beans by dinner.
- Cosori Air Fryer Pro LE 5-Quart: Crisps vegetables and proteins quickly with little oil.
- AROMA Digital Rice Cooker, 4-Cup Uncooked: Cooks rice and other whole grains and steams vegetables on top.
- OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner: Washes and dries greens and herbs so they keep longer in the fridge.
- Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-Inch Chef’s Knife: A sharp, comfortable everyday knife makes chopping vegetables faster.
- OXO Good Grips Plastic Everyday Cutting Board: Double-sided, non-slip, and dishwasher-friendly.
Packed lunches and hydration
- PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag: Built-in freezable gel walls keep packed lunches cold.
- Bentgo Kids 5-Compartment Lunch Box: Compartments make it easy to pack a few small, familiar foods.
- Nalgene 32 oz Wide Mouth Water Bottle: A durable reusable bottle with volume markings.
Food safety
- ThermoPro TempPro TempSwift Instant-Read Food Thermometer: A quick check that meat, poultry, and leftovers reach safe temperatures.
- OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Everyday Cutting Board Set: Color-coded boards help keep raw meat separate from produce.
Health monitoring
Ask your clinician whether home blood pressure monitoring makes sense for you. If it does, choose a monitor listed on the US Validated Device Listing at validatebp.org.
- OMRON Platinum Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor (BP5465): Listed on the AMA-supported US Validated Device Listing (validatebp.org).
Books worth reading
- Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan: A short, plain-language book about everyday eating patterns.
- Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN: Written by two registered dietitians.
- Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat: A cooking-skills book for making simple food taste good.
- Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken: A readable look at the research on ultra-processed food.
- Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss: Investigative reporting on how packaged foods are engineered and marketed.
- The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids: Kid-tested recipes that invite children to help cook, which can make new foods less intimidating.
Looking for supplements? We don’t recommend them through affiliate links. Our supplements basics guide explains what to discuss with your clinician.
Educational note: Product mentions are general information, not personalized advice, and not a guarantee of any health or weight outcome. Prices and availability are set by the retailer and may change.