This is Starter Kit, a series where our editors share the food, drink, and kitchen essentials they recommend when you’re setting up from scratch. Here, Andrea Strong writes about everything you’ll need to stock your kitchen—from protein shakes and prebiotic sodas to air fryers and greens powders—for your healthiest year yet.

If you’re coming into 2026 off a particularly decadent December or just feel the need to lean into wellness and self-care at the start of the new year, you’re not alone. But good intentions are only part of the way forward; you’ll need a plan. The world of wellness is wide and wonderful, but it can also be overwhelming. You may want to start each day with a protein shake, a revitalizing smoothie, or a probiotic soda, but which ones are really going to deliver the benefits you need? What kind of greens powders are best, and what exactly is an electrolyte powder? What are the best pantry staples for ushering in healthy snacking habits? That’s where we come in.

Our starter kit cuts through the clutter and delivers (and defines) everything you’ll need—drinks and supplements, meals and snacks, appliances, tools, and accessories—to begin again.

In this article

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Drinks

There is no shortage of options in the beverage category to get you started on your way to a healthy lifestyle—with a slew of brands delivering revitalizing doses of protein, antioxidants, prebiotics, and wellness boosts in shakes, teas, tonics, sodas, and more.

A good option for kicking off your morning (or reviving an afternoon lull) is matcha; the “it” beverage loaded with antioxidants and L-Theanine, an amino acid thought to promote relaxation and jitter-free, sustained energy. The highest quality matcha comes from Japan, like Rocky’s Matcha Oishi Ceremonial Blend, where it is at the center of traditional practices like chado (tea ceremony).

Naoki

Superior Blend Ceremonial Grade Matcha

Coffee is also entering the functional beverage space, adding adaptogens and supplements that should absolutely be part of your wellness arsenal. A favorite to consider is Atlas’s supplemented instant coffee, which goes beyond just mushrooms to include prebiotics, probiotics, collagen, and vitamins. The coffee is creamy and cocoa-like, with about half the caffeine punch of a regular cup of coffee. At night, reach for a latte loaded with adaptogens, passionflower and hops (an herbal sleep blend), and magnesium glycinate, ideal for longer, lovelier rest.

Protein is another powerful way to keep your energy sustained throughout the day, and the latest innovation in this category means many are now formulated as grab-and-go bottled protein shakes, making them not only good-for-you but convenient tagalongs for your in-and-out of the gym activities. While protein shakes have traditionally been saddled with a reputation for tasting rather chalky and unpleasant, new brands are changing the optics, delivering surprisingly tasty options; be sure to check out Fairlife Core Power Elite with an impressive 42 grams of protein and Rebbl Protein Shakes, made vegan with coconut milk and up to 36 grams of protein.

REBBL Organic Dark Chocolate Protein Elixir

Fairlife Core Power Elite

Swapping soda or seltzer for a prebiotic or probiotic soda is a great way to incorporate gut health into your wellness plan. While both prebiotics and probiotics focus on digestion and gut health, they are actually two different things that work in two different ways. Prebiotics feed good gut bacteria, while probiotics are the actual living, beneficial microorganisms (like bacteria and yeast), which add to the healthy microbial population in your gut.

We’ve got recommendations for both categories; in the prebiotic space, Olipop’s sodas are packed with nine grams of prebiotic fiber per can—with nearly two dozen fun flavors in both classic soda flavors like Vintage Cola and Root Beer, and fruit-forward options like Strawberry Vanilla and Watermelon Lime, making these a nice option for Dry January as well. If you’re looking for a probiotic dose, go with Culture Pop, made with DE11, a clinically tested strain of Bacillus subtilis known for its resilience in the digestive system, that’s sweetened solely with fruit juice, in flavors like Strawberry & Rhubarb and Ginger Lemon & Turmeric.

Olipop Favorites Variety Pack

Culture Pop Most Loved Variety Pack

Another category to consider adding to your wellness pantry is tonics, highly concentrated shots of goodness stocked with superfoods. Depending on what your body’s craving, you might choose one that offers a quick detox (Dose for your liver), to a midday energy boost (Vive Organic’s Energy + Focus passionfruit shot), an immunity kick (Uncle Matt’s Ultimate Defense shot), or a dose of your greens (Factor’s Daily Greens).

Vive Organic’s

Energy + Focus Passionfruit

Healthy snacks

The munchies can sideline even the most dedicated wellness warriors among us, so it’s handy to stock your pantry with a variety of better-for-you snacks that nourish—protein chips, seed crackers, jerky sticks, dried fruit, and protein bars. If you’re someone who cannot resist the call to salt and crunch, you’ll want to load up on Wilde high-protein chips, made not from potatoes, but from chicken breast, egg whites, and bone broth. Thin and crispy and packed with 10 grams of protein per serving, they come in a variety of flavors like barbecue, chicken and waffle and salt and vinegar, ideal for the most discerning snacker.