Healthy Options at Shangri-La Mall carries a terrific selection of nutritious and delicious snacks, drinks, supplements, and nice sundry items that make for a pleasurable shopping experience. It was the first time my mom and my sister have visited this branch. They’re happy to find so many amazing local, natural, organic, vegan, and gluten-free products in different categories (well, especially my mom whose life is pretty much centered around her quest to feed us well and keep us healthy). Healthy Options is a natural food purist’s shopping nirvana! 🙂
We can’t argue the fact that prices at SM Supermarket, Hypermarket, Savemore, Puregold, and other mainstream/average grocery chain stores are cheaper. However, goods offered at Healthy Options are incomparable in terms of value they provide. Ultimately, it all comes down to making healthier choices a top priority.
In this post, I’m sharing the products we purchased this month plus a tour around our favorite sections in the store.
Healthy Options Shopping Haul (April 2016)
Personal Care
Do you believe that taking the best care of yourself and the environment doesn’t have to be a sacrifice? We do. Personal care products at Healthy Options are formulated with premium quality natural and organic ingredients. From essential oils for aromatherapy, shampoo and conditioner for thinning hair, body and hand lotion, soaps, and cosmetics, these natural personal care products are good healthy alternatives to synthetics.
The Personal Care section was our first stop and we felt like being a kid in a candy store. There’s so many scents and variants to choose from! In the end, we got Nature’s Gate Revitalizing, Jojoba + Sacred Lotus Shampoo (18 fl oz/532 ml), Nature’s Gate Enriching, Biotin + Bamboo Conditioner (18 fl oz/532 ml), A La Maison Sweet Almond Solid Bar Soap (8.8 oz), and Herbatint – Herbal Haircolor Permanent Gel 4N Chestnut (4.5 oz).
Nature’s Gate Revitalizing, Jojoba + Sacred Lotus Shampoo was a repurchase. I bought my first bottle last November and it lasted about three months. Nature’s Gate is a trusted brand and this shampoo is ideal for thin/dry hair. What I love most about it is that just a little bit can create great foam. It smells so good and cleans well. Highly recommended! It’s vegan, paraben-free, soy-free. It does not contain chemicals such as sodium lauryl/laureth/coco sulfates, phthalates, butylene glycol, artificial colors.
Nature’s Gate Enriching, Biotin + Bamboo Conditioner is the best-selling conditioner with a mindful blend of conditioning botanicals. Biotin helps strands of hair feel thicker, fuller and more abundant. This product is also vegan, paraben-free, soy-free, and does not contain chemicals mentioned above. It has a nice peppermint smell and it gives the scalp a cool fresh feeling after washing. Think of it as the feeling of leaving toothpaste in your mouth. 🙂
We chose A La Maison Sweet Almond Solid Bar Soap because of its pleasing scent. It’s absolutely heavenly! Unlike other organic soaps in the market, this one lathers well and indeed attracts moisture to the skin as it’s made with olive oil and shea butter. It’s quite pricey at PhP 200+, but the bar is about the same length and width as a normal bar of soap but twice the height or thickness. It’s also okay to use for those who have sensitive skin.
Completing our Personal Care selected items was the Herbatint – Herbal Haircolor Permanent Gel 4N Chestnut that’s specially formulated from herb extracts. Herbatint has been the undisputed market leader for more than 40 years. This permanent hair dye uses rosemary, cinchona and walnut husk to gently deposit color. It’s worth to note that it’s ammonia free. I’m excited to try this one and post a review of it as well. 🙂
Supplements
Ah, this is my mom’s favorite section. Healthy Options, I think, is most famous for supplements. Mom has been experiencing difficulty to sleep these days. Taking melatonin supplements is not enough. Hence, she took interest in trying the HOS Ultimate Sleep Formula (50 c) to help maintain calmness and relaxation and overall support sleep quality.
She also has a problem with bowel movement. To aid with constipation, she researched on the best available food supplement for adults and found Solgar Advanced Acidophilus Plus which contains 500 million microorganisms per serving. Suggested intake is one capsule two times daily preferably with meals. I hope this product will be effective in making her intestinal flora healthier.
Because of aging, my mom now has to take calcium supplements but these won’t work when she does not have enough Vitamin D in her body. We learned online that Vitamin D3 is the form of Vitamin D that stimulates the absorption of calcium and helps build strong bones. She got Healthy Options Vitamin D3 400 IU. Suggested intake is one soft gel daily with food.
My sister and I have high stress levels and our hemoglobin levels are normal but quite low. To have more iron in our blood stream, we need Solgar Gentle Iron (25 mg) for tissues and muscles to function effectively. Iron plays a role in normal red blood cell production and supports energy utilization. This as a dietary supplement supporting women’s health and primarily menstruation. I
Farm Produce
Making a commitment to healthy eating with these natural farm produce is a great start towards a healthier life. Beyond eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and good fats, there is the question of food safety, nutrition, and sustainability. Healthy Options promotes food that are free of pesticides and hormones. The farm produce section offers organic vegetables that do not have chemical additives. Mom was delighted to find wheatgrass and also other beautiful fresh veggies.
Groceries
The Grocery section looks so colorful it’s almost tempting to get everything that catches our fancy. The shelves are filled with products that range from breakfast cereals, chocolate and chips, condiments and sauces, whole grains, nuts and seeds to ground coffee, teas, milk, juices, and more. It will be worth to spend time reading the food labels (nutrition facts). Need help? The staff are accommodating to provide tips and recommendations to suit your needs. Healthy Options has bountiful of ingredients that you can combine into tasty, good-for-you meals. Its YouTube channel features recipes that you can follow for healthy cooking.
We like snacking on chips that are not overly salty and thought Good Health Glories Kettle Sweet Potato Chips (1 oz) would satisfy our craving. These sweet potato chips have a nice crunch, not too greasy, and they are GMO-free. We also got my super-favorite Popcorners Snack Cheesy Jalapeno (1.1 oz) which I have repurchased for the fourth time. 🙂 These corn chips were popped with real corn, no trans fat, and no cholesterol. Every bite makes me guilt-free. The cheddar flavor meets with heat of jalapeno. Yummy!
Mint and chocolate make a great match. Nothing steals my heart away quite like this combination. Salem Cookie Moravian Mint (8 oz) is a must-try for fans of chocolate cookies with mint. Angel who sits beside me in the office has already finished two packs! 😛 I can’t blame her though. Featuring a delicate natural mint flavor with artisan chocolate, these thin cookies are addicting.
If you like interesting flavor of pop corn, Pop Art’s Thai Coconut Curry Popcorn is an awesome grab. Made with a unique blend of savory spices mixed with creamy coconut milk, these buttery, bright yellow popcorn are crazy good. The list of ingredients includes curry powder, lemongrass, coconut milk, curry spices, mustard, lime, turmeric, and more. A handful can quench your thirst for the taste of Thailand, as it achieves a total food sensation and somehow makes you feel as if you are really eating curry.
From the beverage section, we just wanted to try the Dream Latte Caramel (11 oz). Coffee and almond must taste good together. 🙂
Frozen
My sister and I were still looking for personal care items to put in our shopping cart when we heard our mom almost screaming with delight from the other end of the store. Turned out, she saw frozen vegan products in the refrigerators. The Frozen section consists of poultry, meat, vegetarian, vegan, ice cream, yogurt, etc. The imitation meat by Vegetarian Plus are made with 100% vegan ingredients. Just to appease our curiosity, we got the Frozen Veggie Chicken Orange (10.5 oz). If this one tastes good, we will for sure buy the other variants month after month.
Wrap Up
After over an hour, we filled our cart with products we’re all thrilled to bring back home. We certainly don’t expect everyone to always choose organic this or grass-fed that, but it can happen one step at a time. To wrap up, I think one key takeaway from this post also for readers is that Healthy Options does not only sell supplements but also grocery, personal care items, and a lot more. Healthy Options has a vision of a healthier world where people enjoy longer, richer, more fulfilling lives by taking control of their health. Thanks to the product allowance we’re privileged to have monthly, I am able to share the value Healthy Options delivers. 🙂
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