NewHopeBloggerBox

Vegan Foods and Supps to Try

by

These are the latest samples I recieved from the New Hope Influencer Co-op and as usual, there are some real gems in here!

First the food. These Umami Snaps are made of chickpeas, are gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan. Their taste reminds me of roasted chickpeas with a lot of garlic powder, but the texture is more like a thick rice cracker. It’s an addictive combination! These are really tasty and I can imagine eating them with Indian food, although we just snacked on them straight. They also boast more protein than the usual carb-y snack.

We were able to sample vegan Mexican dips again from Zubi’s which was a treat. Just like last time, we loved them all but the Crema de Jalapeno was our favorite. The vegan queso is one of those things that I didn’t realize I missed (since I rarely eat dairy) but once I had it I wanted to create a meal around it. If you are creating a gift basket for a vegan friend anytime soon, include Zubi’s queso and crema for sure, and I promise they will love you for it.

We all have immunity on our minds this time of year, especially this year, and this immune+ from youtheory is a great combination of mushrooms, vitamins C and D, and zinc. If you want to take one immune supporting supplement instead of dealing with three or four different bottles, this is a great one to try.

The SuperGrapes from humann are surprisingly tasty. I’m not sure what I was expecting but I was quite pleased that the instructions said to take 2 and not just one after trying this for the first time. They are gluten-free and vegan and are full of grape seed extract sourced from the Loire Valley in France. If you aren’t drinking your daily glass of red, you can supplement with these delicious squares. According to the packaging they promote energy, normal blood pressure, and and antioxidant support which all sounds great to me!

There will be more to share when we try more of these goodies. I’m especially excited to try the face serum and collagen coffee so if you are interested those too, stay tuned for an update coming soon!

Another Update and St. John’s Wort Folklore

by
Summery path through greenery

In last week’s post I mentioned HopTea but hadn’t tried it yet. From the packaging to the taste, this is so similar to beer that honestly I didn’t care for it because I have never liked beer. My sons both liked it though (what is it about males and that beer taste? I swear it’s innate!) but my oldest liked it best and drank the bulk of it quite happily. He would love me to keep in stock so now I have another thing to add to my grocery list! They have ones with caffeine too, which seems ideal for people who want a beer taste without the alcohol or the sedative effect. Although I don’t care for the beer-like taste, I still think this just a really cool, unique herbal product and appreciate the simple, clean ingredient lists. The packaging is excellent too although it was a bit confusing at first to figure out if it had alcohol in it or not. I scoured the can, then their website, and it seemed not to have any, but just to make sure I did ask the company and it is indeed free of alcohol.

Aiden enjoying HopTea

Since this is St. John’s Day (June 24th) which is why St. John’s Wort is named such (blooms this time of year and considered the best day to harvest it), I’d thought I’d share a fun little folklore of the herb. Most know this herb for its anti-depressant actions, and some know it is also anti-viral and externally eases aches and pains, but there is still more to this herb.  St. John’s Wort has been used for hundreds of years as a protector and wound healer, and also used in divination. Because it is flowering around summer solstice, there are many variations of rituals for young women to divine who their future husband is and/or how long it will be until they are married. One way is to pluck a few flower tops in the dewy morning on solstice, in secret of course, then place them under your pillow and you will then dream of your future husband that night. Or, hang the fresh cut solstice flower tops on your bedroom wall and again, you will dream of your future husband. Another version actually begins the entire story line of a cute little-known book called The Lark by E. Nesbit where the main character uses St. John’s Wort on a summer solstice night along with an accompanying magical rhyme to see the face of her future husband. This takes place right after World War One and I love how herbs were still such a part of life in the not so distant past. E. Nesbit is known for her children’s stories by the way, so although The Lark is not labeled ‘young adult’ it would fall into that category I believe if it were written today. It’s a fun little read for an adult too, but perfectly appropriate for young adult or even middle grade readers if you are looking for summer reading options for your kids. And if you are disappointed that you missed this magical night of marital prophesy and now have to wait an entire year, rest assured you can sleep with a rose petal under your pillow and dream of your future spouse any night of the year.

If you are the crafting sort, I have a couple of videos on making St. John’s Wort tincture and several on making herbal oils so you can follow those directions using fresh St. John’s Wort. I don’t have a video making St. John’s Wort because it is one of the only herbs that does need to be fresh, not dried, in order to make oil and I have never had access to a large amount of fresh flower tops.

Enjoy the magic of summer.

Product Reviews Continued

by

First of all, I have to say that I’ve already ordered more ultima replenisher from my last blog post. My oldest son and I both like to workout and after enjoying those electrolyte replenishers for a few days we were hooked. electorlytes

My youngest son did not miss out on the samples. Since he is the only one in the house that eats dairy and gluten, he was the guinea pig for the Iconic Protein Drink that is made with organic, grass-fed dairy. He is hard to please when it comes to anything food related but he loved the drink and said he’d definitely drink it again. It has 20 grams of protein which is great for a growing teenage boy so I’ll be looking to get more of these too.

He was also the one who got to sample the Eagle Foods Popcorn Indiana Movie Theater Butter Popcorn and he loved that too. My other son sampled the Eagle Foods Kettle Popcorn and he said that was very good. He liked the slightly sweet taste combined with the saltiness. Both have very short, straightforward ingredient lists that I appreciate, and are a lower calorie snack then a regular bag of chips.

Kettle popcorn info
Movie theater popcorn info

The St. Dalfour fruit spreads are not new and are something I buy off and on when looking for jam. They are tasty and I love the packaging (I’m an admitted sucker for packaging) which shows off its French origins and French-method recipe. (OK, I’m sucker for all things French too!) This is the type of fruit spread you can add to a gift basket or give as a hostess gift with some scones for spending the weekend at someone’s cottage and it will be a perfect treat. Or just use it everyday pb&j sandwiches like I do~ that works too.

We still haven’t tried the HopTea because it has calming, relaxing herbs in it which is perfect for right before bed, but I keep forgetting about it because I drink hot herbal tea every night and that can is in the fridge. It’s ingredient list is very short actually, just carbonated water, chamomile, and hops, which sounds so different and intriguing. I’ll have to write myself a note to remember to try it tonight! They have other flavors as well and I really like the fact that they are just herbs and/or tea, and carbonated water.

These all were part of the New Hope Influencer Co-op blogger box which I occasionally receive throughout the year and I don’t receive any payment for talking about these items, just as a reminder.

Thank you for reading and I hope your solstice is a good one!

 

New(ish) Natural Foods and Supps

by

I just received a box of samples from the New Hope Influencer Co-op of which I am a part. Since it just arrived on Monday, I haven’t had a chance to try most things, so this will be continued next week. The first two things my family and I tried are worth talking about now though. The first thing I did was throw the sugar-free cookie mix from Pyure Brands into a bowl, added vegan butter and flax meal to replace the egg that it called for, and then ignored the directions which said exactly how far apart to drop the batter. I decided to save myself from cleaning up another pan and put them way too close together, so I ended up with a sheet of cookies that had become one, and when I tried to cut them up my youngest noted they looked like the shapes of countries. They are still good though and my sons don’t seem to mind a bit that they are sugar free and oddly shaped. Cookies can be any shape and still be good! But if you make these cookies, you might want to follow the directions all the way through.

The other product one of my sons and I tried is the Ultima Health Products’ Replenisher. I will now have to keep these in stock all the time because they are delicious and so refreshing after a workout. I rarely think about replenishing electrolytes and salts after a workout and tend to just drink a lot of water, but you can feel the difference when you take in something with added post-workout oomph to it. My son really loved it after his run today. He tried the grape and I tried the raspberry and we both thought the taste was just right in a slightly sweet and fruity way, without being sickly sweet nor too kool-aide-ish.

I will give out more information about these next week when we have a chance to try more of these items.

Stay well everyone and just think, you are living through one year that will certainly go down in the history books many times over and it’s not even half way over yet!

New(ish) Products

by

Most of these products are new to me, although I know at least one of these has been around for at least a year or so, hence the ‘ish’. Here are my (and one of my son’s) favorites from the most recent New Hope Blogger Box.

Our favorite were the vegan Mexican dips by Zubiate Foods including queso, crema, and salsa (which is the only one that is not normally already vegan). These are not things we normally eat so when I asked my son if he thought the queso tasted like regular cheese-y queso, he said he had never had it before so he didn’t know but he really liked it. I tried it and it did taste like queso I’ve had if my memory serves me right, but more importantly, it really is delicious. We weren’t sure what to do with the crema but it turned out to be our favorite! It was also the best smelling and since neither of us really knew what to expect from ‘crema’ and were pleasantly surprised. It was so good! The salsa was tasty and spicy. We are used to salsa and this one was a delicious one, though probably a bit spicier than we would choose for a long chow session. The mix of the three with chips were really just right though! If you are vegan or simply avoiding dairy, I definitely recommend trying these for a fun snack or part of a full Mexican meal. I’m sure others can get a lot more creative with them than just the chips we paired them with, but my brain is currently filled with trying to find a place to move into so chips and dip were all I could muster.

Speaking of brains, this adaptogenic herb is also known to boost brain power. If you know one adaptogen, it’s most likely this one, ashwagandha, because it seems to be the most popular also the most versatile one in terms of helping the most amount of issues in the widest amount of people. It is also referred to as Indian Ginseng (actual Ginseng is also an adaptogen but has a greater effect on testosterone and can cause issues because of it. It is generally recommended that only men over 25 take it, and over 40 benefit the most from it. Women seem to tolerate it at any adult age.) Ashwagandha on the other hand has a more mellow effect and is far more about balance. It is recommended for mood stabilizing as well as stress management, and one way it does that is by stabilizing cortisol which most people know as one of the major ‘fight or flight’ hormones and has been recently documented to play a big role in holding onto belly fat. Ashwagandha is also the best adaptogen to help with sleep issues as well as helping with long term energy levels during the day time. This ashwagandha supplement by Youtheory is an easy way to get it into your daily life.

CBD is still having its day (years?) in the spotlight, and these by Hemp Fusion are intelligent mixes with thoughtful ingredients. The stress one actually has ashwagandha in it, no surprise there! They also sent a sleep one and an energy one, both of which I tried and I can attest to a lovely night’s sleep with the sleep one, but the energy one is harder to quantify. It might have been what helped me walk my dog this evening when I really would have preferred to sit on the couch with a magazine, but it really is hard to say. It didn’t make me buzzy or jumpy, that’s for sure. How are you guys feeling about CBD at this point? I’m curious as to what people are experiencing with it, or if they haven’t tried it yet, and if not, why? Let me know in the comments or contact me please :0).

The facial products from Probulin are a unique concept although I have heard before that putting probiotics on the face is beneficial, usually in the form of yogurt or kefir based facial masks. I am excited to try the entire line they sent because the ingredients look top quality as they are free of GMOs, sulfates, glycols, parabens, phthalate, sythetic fragrances, and they are cruelty free too. They really seem to have put together some products with the concept of ‘don’t put on your body what you wouldn’t put into your body’ in mind. I’ll have to let you know how my skin reacts once I use the line for a few days, but goodness knows that after this rough year I could use some intense facial therapy! I’ve tried everything once or twice as of last night, and so far so good. My skin feels healthy and the products go on nicely. I think the cleanser is my favorite for the way it leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped.

The product that made me write the ‘ish’ on new in the title is Lively Up Your Breath‘s breath freshener because I wrote about it almost exactly two years ago in this post. It’s a unique breath freshener, not a mint, gum, or even spray. Instead it is a liquid filled capsule that you pop in your mouth and then break (it breaks easily pressing your tongue against your mouth) and the minty liquid does its thing. It’s strong and effective.

If you try any of these, please let me know what you think! I might not be writing here for a couple of weeks because I’m going to be moving soon so life will get hectic and the internet might get tricky, but I’ll still be reading emails and comments so please contact me anytime! And wish me luck with finding a place to live and moving for the first time in over 12.5 years. My kids grew up in this house so besides the fact there is a lot of stuff to pack up, there are even more memories and emotions that will be surfacing, boxing, and/or releasing. I’m saving the ashwagandha and stress CBD for the toughest days ahead.

Bye for now! XOXO

Clean and Green Natural Products

by

The latest samples from New Hope Network included some especially clean and green products. Of course there were a couple of CBD items as well since CBD is still going strong despite rumors and confusion persisting. Just as a reminder, I’m not paid for posts in conjunction with the New Hope Network, we are a co-op of bloggers who have agreed to share with our audiences information and products that we believe in. It’s a passion of mine to connect people with more natural products because I truly think natural foods and products are not only healthier for the people who use them, but for the planet as a whole. Plus the natural world has so much to offer which has been largely forgotten by the mainstream since industrialization, and if we can embrace our natural options in combination with all our modern advancements, we are going to head into a better future with more balance, depth, and greater wisdom.

matcha

Like CBD, matcha is having a moment too, and with good reason. It is a powerhouse of antioxidants and basically gives all of green tea’s benefits except more, plus it’s so full-bodied it makes a great latte. I drink mine sans milk and love it, although I have gotten a matcha latte with coconut milk a few times while out and can see how that’d be addictive too. Aiya’s matcha to go is a convenient way to carry your matcha around with you. The box says that no sifting or whisking is required but I have been whisking these anyway because it doesn’t hurt and you can almost always find something to stir with no matter if it is a traditional matcha tool or not. These packets don’t have any added sugar (some other brands do!) and the taste is rich, green, and delicious. These are great for travel or to sick in lunch totes or work bags. 

This protein powder from Natreve is a great example of a clean product that packs a huge nutritional and taste punch. My son was wow’ed by the taste of his breakfast smoothie and I this it’s pretty exceptional too~ the smell alone is like a fresh baked cookie. It’s vegan, soy and gluten free with no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors. It is also low sodium and has 25g of protein per scoop (it’s a big scoop!) with only 1 g of sugar and 150 calories. I’m looking forward to trying more of their flavors although my son will probably want to just stick with this s’mores sundae one.

This Bean to Bliss Bar not only has 40mg of CBD in it, it’s main ingredient is cacao which has long been used for its calm and happiness-inducing attributes. This tastes quite good and the ingredients are certainly a smart and clean combination of  mood supporting and enhancing ingredients though I personally can’t attest to any overwhelming feelings of bliss. That most likely has way more to do with my current state of going through a hard time than the product though so I’d love to hear other people’s experiences with this bar.

The CBD oil from CV Sciences has 9mg of CBD per serving and is flavored with peppermint. The peppermint flavor is nice, but it doesn’t actually cover up the hemp taste which if you have tried you know is a very strong. It kind of tastes like the peppermint is sitting shotgun with the hemp oil in the driver’s seat because the tastes are just about equal on the tongue. If you want CBD without the taste of hemp, I suggest avoiding tinctures all together and opting for softgels instead, but if you do like the taste then tinctures are a great choice because they don’t have to travel through the digestive system which may or may not be behaving optimally. (Let’s face it, most are not.)

This cute little Mothers Healing Balm has a great texture and the scent is light and pleasant. We didn’t have any wounds, rashes, or insect bites to try it out on yet, but the ingredients are promising with herbs such as calendula, witch hazel, and lavender in there. My dog did in fact get into a scrap with a raccoon a couple of mornings ago, but her wounds seem to be more psychological than physical, which is saying a lot since she’s already quite a neurotic beast. We’ll have to save this balm for our next wound, bug bite, or rash, and with a house containing two teen boys, it won’t be long I’m sure. This balm was formulated by a mom and an herbalist to treat a wide variety of skin issues.

Remember when healthy fats were all the rage? They are still important for healthy brains, eyes, and hearts, keeping inflammation down, mood regulation, and healthy joints, even if they aren’t in the spotlight as often as they were a few yeas ago. This omega 3-6-9 supplement from truelixir is vegan, gluten and allergen free, reflux-free, and additive-free. The softgels are a nice, smallish size and awfully pretty. Some omega supplements are huge and many do cause reflux issues and most are not vegan, so these are a rare combination indeed.

Thank you for reading and let me know if you have tried any of these products and your thoughts on them!

 

 

 

 

 

Summer HABA (Health and Beauty Aids)

by

Here are some of the recent samples that I received from the New Hope Network. The surprise flavor winner is this Kids Probiotic from Kyo-Dophilus. It’s a surprise because my kids generally like gummy vitamins far more than any other kind of chewable supplement, but this one is vanilla flavored and very good. In fact, every time my oldest took one he had to comment on how good it tasted, so I eventually had to try one, and he’s right, it’s really good! If you can imagine a small chewable tablet tasting like vanilla ice cream, then that’s pretty much what these are, but they are dairy free, gluten free, and soy free. They have 1 billion CFU and three different strains targeting regularity and immune health. If you are having trouble finding a probiotic your child will take, I’d give these a try. Suggested use if for kids 4 and up, but younger than that can take half a tablet crushed and mixed with food or juice.

Also for youngsters, this adorable face stick sunscreen is specially designed for babies. It is by Earth Mama, is SPF 40, and the active ingredient is zinc oxide so this is a healthy, mineral based sunscreen. For a reminder of which ingredients are good and which are sketchy, read the post here. It is a very clean formula with natural, moisturizing ingredients and absolutely no (potentially irritating) smell. Plus the packaging is really sweet and I have to admit I have a weakness for good packaging.

For the older-than-infants set, this sunscreen by Goddess Garden is for those with sensitive skin. It is SPF 30 and also has zinc oxide as its active ingredient. It is reef safe (so is the baby face one above), vegan, cruelty free, and water resistant. This rubs in much more easily than any other mineral sunscreen I’ve ever tried so I’m sold on it. It is labeled as ‘sheer’ and it really is! When I rub it on I can see a little bit of residual shine, but not the layer of actual sunscreen which I normally see with other brands.

goddessgarden-sunscreen

Sun Chlorella is apparently the only company that properly pulverizes their chlorella for optimum access to the nutrients. This is one mega-green-tasting supplement and I’m very used to taking green powders. I like it, it tastes exceptionally healthy, although I add a squeeze of lemon to it because it is just so very green tasting and the lemon gives it a lighter kick. They do make tablets too if you are not one to drink your greens. It is full of great nutrients, including B12 which as any vegetarian or vegan knows is nearly impossible to find in non-meat sources. They have 25% off their website for June, so if you want to check them out, now’s the month!

Curaleaf sent a CBD tincture that is flavored with lavender and sweet orange and is by far the tastiest CBD oil I’ve taken. As CBD always does, it helped me feel less anxious in situations which normally trigger my anxiety. They also sent a menthol lotion which came in handy the other morning after I woke up with a sore neck and shoulders. I used the CBD lotion and it worked quickly to soothe the pain away. These patches look interesting too.

curaleaf

I haven’t had a chance to try this allergy supplement from Tango Advanced Nutrition because my sons and I seem to be getting off easy this year with allergy season. There are not a lot of herbal allergy supplements though so I thought I would share this one called AllerPhase in case you are looking for something to try. It has great reviews on amazon with 57% being 5 stars, so if you are suffering with allergies, this just might be your saving grace.

Thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying the beginning of summer (here in the northern hemisphere anyway). I can’t believe we are coming up on solstice already in a couple of weeks and soon this entire year will be half over! When will they make a supplement to slow down time?

 

Plant Based Diet Hacks

by

Whether you are vegetarian, vegan, or just trying to add more produce to your meals, plant-based meal planning seems to be a here-to-stay trend, and I think it’s a good one. There are no diets that are perfect for everyone, so I like the term ‘plant based’ to acknowledge there are many ways to look at eating more plants than animals in general. According to Blue Zones studies, the people who live the longest and are healthiest in their long lives are pescatarians, and even at that, they are not rigidly so. Flexibility, open-minded-ness, and intuition will take you much farther in terms of optimal health than any strict diet rules. (Unless you need to avoid something for allergy purposes of course. That’s always a hard and fast rule.) The most recent sample box from New Hope Influencer Co-op had some great veggie options to make plant-based eating easy and interesting. Here are some of the foods my family and I sampled:

My 15 year old loving the veggies

Elma Farms POSHI marinated vegetable snacks are delicious. The bags say that you can snack on them right out of the bag, which we did, or use them on pizza, salad, or pasta, which I will try in the future. I’ll definitely be buying more of these to send in my son’s lunches and to use at home for easy veggie additions to meals. The packaging is beautiful too. Loved these.

My sons and their friends greatly enjoyed R.W. Garcia Co’s organic Bar-B-Q corn chips. The whole bag was gone in one play date with four teen boys chowing down. I never knew my kids even liked Bar-B-Q flavored chips so that was good to find out. I definitely appreciate the fact they are organic.

If you are a potato lover, you will definitely want to check out these potatoes from The Little Potato Company. The ones we tried were Garlic and Parsley flavored and quite good. It’s an interesting idea that I hadn’t seen before~ whole potatoes packaged with a seasoning pack that just gets added once the potatoes are cooked in the microwave for 5 minutes. We added olive oil too, as the package suggests butter or oil can indeed be added with the seasoning packet. Talk about a quick, filling, easy veggie meal!

This dairy-free ‘cheddar’ snack from Ancient inGRAINed Snack Co called Ka-pop tasted to me like a real cheddar popped cracker. It will definitely get any vegan or dairy intolerant person through a cheesy cracker craving! They are thick and substantial too, so it isn’t like you are eating air like some popped snacks. This is actually a filling dairy-free cheddar tasting snack.

Jenny’s Gourmet Foods has this pressed ‘salad bar‘ which is more like fruit leather than a bar, but I like the play on words that they did there. My son ate this and gave me a corner of one (there are two strips in the package) and we both liked it. Because of the texture it really reminded us of fruit leather except it isn’t sweet at all. It is also more substantial than fruit leather and my son called it ‘filling’, and with the exceptional ingredients in it, that’s a good way to get filled up.

seedsofchange

Seeds of Change makes these Quinoa and Brown Rice packs that are an easy way to get your whole grains into a meal. You can add steamed or roasted veggies to the grains, or throw the grains on top of fresh greens to make a hearty salad bowl. This one with garlic is tasty and I love the ease of these, especially for summer grain bowl meals. These would also be a great choice to take camping or for other travels this summer.

bfreepita

We haven’t tried these gluten-free pita breads yet from BFree foods, but I am very excited to do so. If you have been eating gluten-free for a while, you have no doubt already noticed a lack of pita bread or naan out there. I tried BFree products while in Dublin and thought they were great, and in fact mentioned them in my 2017 blog post on Dublin, about how I was hoping I’d find them here at some point. I am so excited they are available in the U.S. now and that they have the rare, illusive, gluten-free pita! This is a  much needed addition to our world.

Serenity Tea Sips sent along a lovely combination of Bergamot and Jasmine tea complete with black and green teas, rose buds, mallow and jasmine blossoms, and flavoring which I assume is the bergamot. This is a loose leaf tea and it smells wonderful. As soon as I’m finished with my current container of matcha, I’ll be sipping this tea in the afternoons for a pick me up with a dose of calm energy, thanks to the rose buds, mallow, and jasmine. Calm energy is the best kind for stamina, focus, and feeling good. People often associate calm with tiredness, but calm is the frame of mind that allows for optimal thinking, decision-making, focus, and long term stamina.

I’ll share the supplements from the sample box next time. Thank you for reading and I hope you found something new to try.

 

New Foods and Supps for Health

by

The New Hope Blogger Box always has great gluten free goodies in it, and this month’s was no exception. I love granola and was thrilled to find Jessica’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Granola in the box because if there is anything better than granola, it’s granola with chocolate chips. This is a delicious treat for breakfast or an afternoon snack, with just right amount of sweetness. I ate it with unsweetened vanilla coconut yogurt or milk with a half teaspoon of my anti-inflammatory digestive spice mix.

My oldest son was thrilled with these unique Tahini Bars from the company Mighty Sesame. These are gluten free and only 100 calories a bar, and make for a nutty tasting, not-too-sweet snack or even a dessert. These bars come in different flavors but we tried the Pistachio Halva Bar and it was a hit, especially with my son who has taken all but one in his lunch bag. (I managed to grab that one for myself!)

Swanson Health’s Vanilla Protein Powder is packed with 20 grams of vegan sourced protein and one serving of veggies. I used this in the smoothies I make every morning and it blended in nicely and tastes good. It has 120 calories per serving which is similar to the other vegan protein I regularly use, and zero sugars. One bag has 20 servings in it.

My oldest son agreed to be the guinea pig for a natural deodorant by Prep U Products. He is almost 15, bikes uphill 1.75 miles to school everyday, and has PE there every day as well. He then bikes home. He also has sensitive skin and we have been through at least five (or more) brands of natural deodorants to find one that works and doesn’t irritate his skin. This deodorant works for him. It is gentle enough not to irritate, and yet it actually works throughout the day despite his physical activities off and on all day long. This is a golden find.

Here’s a supplement to get you fully transitioned out of cold and flu season safely and healthfully. Nature’s Answer has combined elderberry extract with probiotics which specifically target the immune system to create a powerful immune support supplement. This has 32,000 mg elderberry (which is an herb traditionally used to boost the immune system) per serving as well as 10 billion cfu probiotics. This is a great supplement to have on hand through cold and flu system and it doesn’t even need to be refrigerated. The directions are to take two per day with food or water.

The supplement’s color is so pretty!

Two bars that deserve mentioning are Hemp Health’s Cookie Dough Hemp Bar and gt brands’ good Snacks! Chocolate Peanut Butter protein bar. The hemp bar uses hemp for the main protein source and is quite tasty with a surprisingly good nutrition profile, including a decent amount of iron. It also has 12 grams of protein per bar, 5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of sugar. They have several flavors and other hemp products as well. The good snacks’ chocolate and peanut butter bar is delicious with a nod towards Reese’s peanut butter cups, though not as sweet. These have 15 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of sugar. Both of the bars are gluten free, soy free, and vegan.

I’ve posted about Bellucci’s Olive Oil before, but in case you missed it, these olive oil packets are perfect for lunch bags, camping, or picnics. Now that spring is finally officially here (in the Northern hemisphere anyway) nothing sounds better than some outdoors noshing. With Bellucci you can actually trace your olive oil from the batch number to its roots so you know you have an authentic product, which is important because there is a surprising amount of oil out there masquerading as EVOO.

Thank you for reading and I hope you see something new to try. Happy Equinox!

Supplements and Beverage Featuring CBD

by

CBD continues to take the natural products industry into new and uncharted territories, mostly because the legal status of CBD is still seen as somewhat precarious. If you are confused on CBD, you are in very good company. Despite the confusion, CBD’s fan base is growing substantially at an extremely fast rate as the benefits of CBD become more known, which are many, including help with anxiety, focus, acne, aches, serious pain, and more. As a reminder, CBD comes from hemp but does not have psychoactive components (like THC), so though your mood may change from getting anxiety relief from CBD, don’t expect a euphoric high (nor the munchies!) Here’re what came in the latest New Hope Blogger Box of samples.

Most CBD supplements so far have been oils which you take through a dropper or capsules. Plus +CBD Oil has come out with gummies that have 5 mg CBD per serving. They are tasty, not overly sweet, and the dosage is just one per day. They have several different lines of CBD products with different potencies, and many ways to take them such as balms, sprays, and capsules, so they are a nice place to start if you are brand new to CBD and want to give it a try. What I personally notice most when taking any CBD product, including these gummies, is a reduction in feelings of stress and anxiety. I notice it most when driving, as there are certain instances that normally cause those feelings of stress and anxiety to pop up (traffic, getting turned around, running late, turns with heights that seem roller coaster-ish). When I take CBD I feel calmer and more able to make sound decisions while behind the wheel, even when in a situation that would normally throw me off my game a bit. I know others really get relief from aches and pains with CBD~ more on that next.

Myriad Wellness makes quite a few CBD products including ones for pets. (It’s my understanding that CBD can help pets with anxiety, aches, and pains just as with humans. People recommend it for many reasons, from nurturing rescue dogs to easing cancer pain.) They sent their muscle and tension stick in the New Hope Blogger Box which has 125 mg of CBD in it. Normally I don’t have a lot of muscle pain, but sometimes at night my legs will be a tad sore from over exertion or just a new exercise that day. The other night I was feeling that bit of soreness so I lathered on this CBD infused stick because the directions say to “apply liberally.’ I might have gone a bit overboard because this stick not only has CBD, it has menthol and camphor in it so the tension relieving action is a very active feeling, not a subtle ‘Hm, I-think-it-might-be-doing-something action’ at all. Once I put this on, I knew it was definitely working right away. It might have been overkill for the slight soreness I felt, but I know for sure I can recommend this product to the athletes I know. And by the way, I tried the regular strength which was plenty strong, but there is also an extra strength if you tend to get hard-core sore. 

Just as adaptogenic herbs are big in the functional food department, CBD can be now be found in drinks. Acme Naturals sent three of their Tree Below Zero sparkling juice beverages which have 25mg of hemp oil extract in them. So far I have tried the mandarin blood orange and it tastes kind of like a mimosa since it has an effervescent orange flavor. It is really good and apparently is even an award winner for both best tasting Hemp/CBD beverage and one of the 2018 Top 5 most innovative beverages. They also pride themselves on being FDA compliant and Health Canada certified, made with sustainability, no preservatives and no artificial ingredients. It’s a nice way to incorporate CBD into your life without adding more supplements.

There are more supplements and foods that I will share next week from the New Hope Blogger Box, but since these are all CBD infused products I wanted to give them space to themselves because CBD is both insanely popular and also still confusing to a lot of people. If you are having trouble finding CBD products in stores, look on Amazon or go directly to the website of the product in which you are interested. Most of the CBD websites are also shops.

Thank you for reading and please comment below what your experiences have been with CBD products. I’d love to hear!