Three days before Philippine Elections Day, we went to Healthy Options Shangri-la Mall for another shopping episode. (Read previous month’s haul here.) During rush hour, heavy traffic along EDSA and Ortigas Avenue was as we would know it. By the time we arrived at the mall, we were very hungry but still had the energy to carefully choose the items to carry back home. This time, I took more food (grocery stuff) and less of supplements and personal care products. 🙂
Healthy Options Shopping Haul (May 2016)
Groceries
I got two variants of the Silly Cow Farms Hot Chocolate: Chocolate-Moo-usse and Peppermint Twist, each in a 16-oz. clear glass milk jug. I thought these would be a great drink for breakfast for a change of pace in place of coffee. The Chocolate Moo-usse contains natural cane sugar, grand cocoa (cocoa processed with alkali), bittersweet chocolate (cacao beans, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla beans) and Dutch processed cocoa with alkali. The Peppermint Twist contains natural cane sugar, Dutch processed cocoa (with alkali) and natural peppermint flavor. How different do they taste from Milo drink? That I have to find out soon. 🙂
Walden Farms Barbecue Sauce (Thick & Spicy) is said to feature the delicious taste of BBQ without the calories. Yes, you read that right. It’s free of calories, fat, gluten, carbohydrates and cholesterol! It’s definitely recommended to anyone who is following the low-carb diet or is just watching calories. Tangy, sweet, and barbecue-y, this sauce can be used for grilling, marinading and dipping.
Think it’s challenging to cook creamy pasta while cutting the calories? With Cadia Organic Vodka Cream Pasta Sauce, it can be achieved quite easily. This product was made with all things organic: tomatoes, tomato puree, sweet whey, lemon juice, garlic puree, onion, basil, oregano, vodka, soybean oil, and salt. There’s a slight sharpness to the taste but it’s not too bitter. It can also be used to make an “alcoholic version” of your homemade tomato-based pizza.
For green tea lovers, there can be nothing more relaxing than sipping your stress away with a soothing cup of The Republic of Tea Double Green Matcha. As a fan of matcha, I have been eyeing on this since last year, so you can imagine how happy I was when I finally bought it. 🙂 This green tea blend contains less than a quarter the amount of caffeine per cup than in a similar-sized cup of coffee. With regard to health benefits, matcha is rich in antioxidants that are tied to lower risk of heart disease and cancer and lower blood pressure. It neutralizes that the harmful effects of UV rays, radiation and pollution have on your cells.
The package comes with 50 circular tea bags. Blissful and aromatic, The Republic of Tea Double Green Matcha has a fresh, springtime-grassy flavor, just mild and not overpowering. It’s made with the harmonious blend of 100% organic China green tea (leaves) and organic Japanese matcha (powder form). I tried adding milk and a bit of sugar to make my own matcha green milk tea. Love it!
For snacks to share with my family, I did not hesitate to put the barkTHINS Snacking Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Toasted Coconut with Almonds into my shopping cart. Made with natural ingredients, the super thin slivers of rich, fair trade dark chocolate are loaded with toasted coconut and almonds. BarkTHINS are perfectly portioned for the serious chocolate lover. If you’re one serious chocoholic though, you might want to hoard these for yourself. 😛
A delightful mix of crunchy corn flakes, lightly sweetened oat clusters and thinly-sliced almonds, the Cadia All Natural Almond Clusters and Flakes is a great way to start the day. I like it with hot milk, even in summer.
Popped with real corn and the finest all natural ingredients, you can snack smart with Popcorners Natural Popped Corn Chips – Sweet Chili Flavor while still satisfying your craving for popcorn. These chips are rather thin and easy to chew, as they were popped and not fried. Flavor is as the label says: a little bit spicy (because of chili) and a little bit sweet.
Frozen
Gluten-free franks with no artificial ingredients, not preserved, no nitrates or nitrites added? I got curious and I wanted to know how these uncured turkey franks taste. Ingredients include water, potato starch, sea salt, ground mustard seed, spices, and turkey. Preparation is simple, as these franks are generally precooked and only need to be heated through.
Supplement
According to statistics and medical researches, one in six men may experience prostate health issues, and one out of two over age 60 will get BPH or benign prostatic hypertrophy. These two factors alone signal the need for ways to reduce men’s risk of developing disease. Dad told me to get Prostate Support Soft Gels with Phytosterols for my grandfather. This is to specifically maintain his health and alleviate the enlargement of prostate.
Personal Care
I had a hair trim two weeks ago and dyed my hair using Herbatint Permanent Hair Color, which was also purchased from Healthy Options. To gently clean and condition my color-treated hair, Nature’s Gate Jojoba Revitalizing Shampoo for Damaged Hair and Nature’s Gate Fruit Blends Shampoo Mandarin Orange + Patchouli are my revitalizing agents to give it moisture and essential nutrients.
The shampoo has pro-vitamin B-5 and jojoba oil which soften the hair strands. The restoring properties of keratin amino acids help strengthen each strand for added body and bounce. The Nature’s Gate conditioner uses unique blend of wheat proteins and patented sunflower seed extract that protects the colored hair from fading and damage caused by daily UV exposure. These two smell so good!
Wrap Up
Consumers and public health authorities alike are now more vocal in their concerns and desire for nutritionally superior products and categories that drive lifestyle and diet changes. With a good approach to enhance options on nutritional and healthier alternatives to many traditional favorites, Healthy Options is a one-of-a-kind store in the Philippines that offers several brands and high quality products that suit the tastes and requirements of customers. Which Healthy Options products have you tried and do recommend? Feel free to share in the Comment section below. 🙂
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