13 Snack Ideas You Should Always Have At Home

Posted on 30/04/2014 by sbonham

Healthy snacks can be hard to find! Especially when you come home from work after a long day and just feel like eating junk food for a quick fix. Have no fear! There are more and more healthy snack options today than ever before. This article will shed light on some new products and ideas to help carve those horrible cravings, and instead of leaving you with a sugar crash, you will feel clean and energized.

1. Coconut Chips

Yep, coconut is now in a “chip form”! Why try these? Coconut chips are made from a nutrient dense superfood -coconut, and naturally full of flavour! My favourite kind is by Hippie Snacks, as they take fresh slices of young coconut and roast until they have this perfect crunch. Also, the ingredient list includes just three things: coconut, cane sugar, and salt! I would describe them as not too sweet, slightly savoury, creamy and refreshing, they are super tasty. Lastly, 1/3 cup contains 4% iron!

2. Walnuts

Walnuts are something I have recently discovered and are super good for your heart. You really only need a 1/4 to 1/2 cup to start feeling full. Not only are they high in omega-3’s but new research has suggested that ALA may help heart arrhythmias, and a 2006 Spanish study suggested that walnuts were as effective as olive oil at reducing inflammation and oxidation in the arteries after eating a fatty meal.

3. Ginger Chews

Ginger has long been thought of as a power house for your body. Not only will it fire up your digestive juices, improve the absorption of essentioal nutrients in the body, reduce nausea, but it can even help reduce joint pain with its anti-inflammatory properties. Confused about which ginger snack to try? There is a good one by a company called “Chimes” which is tasty and can be bought at Natures Emporium. The mango flavor is decadent.

4. Dried Mango’s

Dried mango’s have limited calories and are super tasty! Just make sure to buy them without “sulphites”. Sulphites are regulated food additives that are used as preservatives to maintain food color and prolong shelf-life, prevent the growth of micro-organisms, and to maintain the potency of certain medications.

Many people who consume sulphite-products experience unpleasant side-effects (i.e. which is why the government is making a law that states all products with sulphites have to say “may contain sulphites”). For example, do you ever get weazy and experience asthmatic like symptoms when you eat dried fruit? You may not even realize this, but it could be the sulphite preservative!

5. Apple with Almond Butter

Almond butter is very rich and creamy, just like peanut butter and tastes amazing with apples. The sweetness of apples is quite complimenting to the nutty flavor of “almond butter”. Also, with this snack you will be getting some protein and fibre. In fact, did you know that almond butter has more fibre than peanut butter?! Pretty great. Lastly, almond butter has a low-glycemic index, meaning it will help to keep your blood sugar levels stable and keep you full longer. This is crucial because regular blood sugar spikes and drops slow down your metabolism.

6. Veggie Stix

These are to die for and are definitely one of my new favourite snacks! I can’t believe how tasty and nutritious these chips are! It’s shocking actually how much nutrients they shove into these little chips. Indeed, Veggie Stix are an excellent source of Vitamins A, C, D, and B6 and a good source of Vitamins E &K. Veggie Stix are also made with all natural ingredients; potatoes, tomatoes and spinach, pure sea salt and non-hydrogenated oils. That means 0 grams of trans fat and the chips have 30% less overall fat than regular chips! wahoo!

7.Chocolate covered Sacha Inchi Roasted Seeds

Heard of Inchi seeds? You have now! According to Vega Sport, a health company, their sacha inchi seed snack has 17 more omega-3’s per ounce than wild sockeye salmon -that’s insane! Indeed, they are the richest plant-based source of omega-3 on the planet.

So how can these Amazonian seeds have such a high antioxidant level? It’s all in the roasting process. Inchi seeds are roasted at a low temperature to preserve their high omega-3 content. There the unmatched combination of taste and nutrition, that’s gluten-free and packed with complete protein, makes them the perfect healthy indulgence. This healthy snack is also available in three delicious flavours, my favourite is the Cocoa Kissed.

8. Sliced Tomatoes With Sprinkled Feta and Olive Oil

This snack will definitely make your taste buds happy. If you don’t like feta or olive oil, you can always sprinkle another type of cheese on top, or a light-salad dressing. Tomatoes are loaded with nutrients and have been known for centuries by Japanese women as the powerhouse fruit for trimming your waist.

Professor Teruo Kawada and his team of researchers at the Laboratory of Molecular Function of Food in Kyoto have backed up the Tomato Diet with sound research. In particular, they found a substance in the tomatoes called 13-oxo-ODA, which is a special type of unsaturated fatty acid. This chemical was found to help decrease the amount of neutral fat in your body and prevent metabolic syndrome from setting in.

9. Dark Chocolate (70-90% Cocoa)

I know, I know, most of you think dark chocolate is gross BUT I have discovered a way to mask the bitter flavour while still getting all the health benefits! Buy a brand that has “coconut flakes” mixed in. The taste difference was literally like night.

Dark chocolate is really good for your health because it has a low glycemic index, lots of antioxidants (antioxidants fight free radicals and damaged cells, preventing cancer), and can even improve your mood. Dark chocolate also contains several chemical compounds that have a positive effect on your mood and cognitive health. This is because chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), the same chemical your brain creates when you feel like you’re falling in love. PEA encourages your brain to release endorphins, so eating dark chocolate will make you feel happier.

Dark chocolate also contains caffeine, a mild stimulant. However, dark chocolate contains much less caffeine than coffee. A 1.5 ounce bar of dark chocolate contains 27 mg of caffeine, compared to the 200 mg found in an eight ounce cup of coffee.

10. Hummus Dip with Vegetables

I used to think hummus was gross, but there has been many advancements in the past five years. The kind’s flavored with garlic honestly taste no different than a regular dip. All you need is some vegetables to dip in and voila – a filling, healthy snack for you to help get through the day!

If you are unsure what hummus is, it can contain many different ingredients but the base is always “chickpeas”. Chickpeas are nutritious because they do not contain any cholesterol or saturated fat, and are rich in protein. Furthermore, they are also known to be quite effective in preventing build up of cholesterol in your blood vessels. Apart from that, chickpeas also help to maintain the correct blood sugar levels. By preventing that blood sugar spike, you will actually feel full longer!

11. Celery and Peanut Butter

Celery is an undervalued vegetable. It is loaded with nutrients and contains almost no calories! One large stalk has maybe 10 calories. Celery is great because it can lower your blood pressure, has 10% vitamin A (in one large stock) – great for your eye health, aids in digestion (high in insoluble fiber) and even lowers one’s LDL (bad cholesterol). One Chicago University research study showed that just two stalks of celery a day can reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) by up to 7 points.

12. Tea

Yes, tea can be considered a healthy snack! Green tea is quite good for your heart and can even increase your metabolism and promote weight loss. Studies have even found that drinking two to three glasses a day can reduce body weight and waist circumference by 5% in three months, as well as increase metabolism. My favorite green tea is by Ultra Slender Tea– their “green detox” especially. Lastly, it is important to mention that green tea is great for detoxifying the liver and thus making you feel “cleaner” and more energized.

Tea is also a lot less caloric than soda or juice! Often it has zero calories!

13. Strawberries Dipped In Yogurt

Just dip some strawberries in yogurt, then put them in the freezer for 20 minutes and voila! Easiest snack ever! If you want to go even more “healthy”, try using “greek yogurt”. Not only does greek yogurt have half the sodium compared to regular yogurt, but it also has more protein!

Eight ounces of Greek yogurt has about 20 grams of protein, whereas regular yogurt provides around 11-13 grams. Greek yogurt’s high protein content makes it a favourite among people trying to manage their weight as it helps ward off hunger.

So there you have it, 13 fantastic healthy snacks you should always have at home. Snacking should be fun and never boring. Hopefully these snack options make you realize how simple and tasty eating healthy really can be.

When To Drink Detox Tea?

Posted on 16/02/2014 by sbonham

Teatox

“When to drink detox tea?” is a question commonly asked to our health experts. Some people are scared detox tea will cause them to have to go to the bathroom during work hours and negatively affect their daily routine. However, this is just not the case with most detox tea’s. Why is that? Well, many detox tea’s focus on clearing out your kidneys and increasing metabolism over time (not your colon…in that case, you would have to be more cautious). If you want to avoid a colon cleansing detox, don’t buy a tea with “senna leafs” in it! Indeed, some detox tea JUST uses “senna leaf’s” – which in our opinion is quite cheap and ill tasting. The only tea we know of that uses these leaves is Skinny Tea.

Detox tea is just a fancy word for helping cleanse your body, increase your metabolism and just assist the body’s natural forms of elimination through the digestive tract, the kidneys, liver, lungs and blood. It is important to know that our bodies are fully equipped to handle cleansing and elimination of toxins daily, there are just a number of times when assistance is needed. If too many toxins are present, for example, our traditional system of cleansing can become overwhelmed. When this happens, to your body often experiences symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, indigestion, acne, bloating, jaundice, decreased energy, sluggish digestion, immune deficiency, etc.

Times of the Day to Drink Detox Tea?

The best time of the day to drink detox tea is first thing in the morning, after working out, and before dinner.

Why drink detox tea prior to bed?

Often detox tea’s are “herbal based”, meaning they don’t contain a lot/if any caffeine. Therefore, drinking detox tea at night will allow the herbs to take effect in your body while you sleep. Therefore when you awake, you can properly eliminate the waste through normal means of disposal.

Why not drink detox tea in the middle of the day?

Often detox tea’s are centered around helping your kidney and liver filter out a lot of the toxins in your body. The kidney also plays a role in If you drink the tea throughout the day you will spend more time going to the bathroom (maybe one more time than normal).

Detox Tea For Athletes

There are a few detox teas that can also be highly effective for athletes. Why are they good for athletes? Well, detox tea is loaded with the best herbs that can are high in key electrolytes such as magnesium, potassium, sodium and chloride…all the the stuff found in your common gatorade, but in much higher quantities. For example, Ultra Slender Tea contains coriander, turmeric, fennel seed, ginger and cardamom (in small quantities of course that have been proportioned accordingly to taste the best) which are high in potassium. Potassium regulates the heartbeat and muscles. To learn the exact amounts of potassium, magnesium and chloride in Ultra Slender Tea, the herbs responsible and a comparison to Gatorade, refer to THIS ARTICLE.

When should athletes drink detox tea?

Athletes should drink a detox tea (i.e. Ultra Slender Tea or Ultra Skinny tea) anytime after exercise. Ultra Slender Tea is high in all key electrolytes, including magnesium, which will prevent muscle cramping after a workout and regulate the levels of other minerals in your body such as calcium, potassium, zinc and copper. Increasing zinc absorption is imperative for optimizing athletic performance and strength development as it plays a primary role in anabolic hormone production. Indeed, research shows having ample zinc available in the body allows for a more robust release of the three most important anabolic hormones, testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Without these, you’ll miss out on muscle and strength development from your hard work in the gym. Note, zinc also increases your immune system, improves cardiovascular health, detoxifies the brain of heavy metals, prevents Alzheimer’s disease and clears acne.

How long to drink detox tea?

Drinking detox tea over a period of one to two weeks allows for the toxins that are stored in fat cells and other cellular structures to be removed, in addition it allows for the body to adjust to the removal of substances that should not be present in the body in the first place. As the body eliminates debris from the lungs, liver, stomach, kidneys, and blood, there may be some side effects such as headache or fatigue. This is the body’s reaction to the removal of toxins, the stimulation of the cleansing process and the strengthening of the immune system. Symptoms should subside within a day or two. Once finished you should feel refreshed with a renewed energy and ability to function and concentrate. Your mood will be calm and more positive and digestion should return to normal.

To maintain your health you should consider doing a detox cleanse every 3-6 months, depending upon your exposure to toxins and if symptoms of liver stagnation or deficiency reoccur. Detox teas are readily available at natural grocery stores, and online (we recommend Ultra Slender Tea). They are inexpensive and you should never use an entire box in one sitting. Therefore it is easy to keep a detox tea on hand. Always read the directions before use because some detox teas are more potent than others and may require different steps.

If you want to learn more about detox tea and how to utilize tea for weight loss, we highly recommend this ebook! It’s really affordable and can be downloaded right onto your ipad (using the kindle app of course) or kindle.

Best Tea Shop For Quality and Unique Gifts

Posted on 29/11/2013 by sbonham

Up until this point, eco-savy has focused a lot on harmful chemicals in products and what to stay clear of. However, now and again we are going to shift our focus on the importance of behavioural science and mindset in staying healthy. Let’s face it, when we are in a great mood/mindset or someone reaches out and does something so kind and unexpected, it has a lasting affect. Having the right mindset is important for you to achieve success and happiness in all areas of your life…along with surrounding yourself with the best, healthy (toxin free) products 😉

Continuing this thought, I Sara (founder of Eco-Savy) would like to mention one of my favorite places to go in Aurora Ontario (town I am from in Canada). This small town as one of the best tea shops I have ever been to in Canada and in my travels around the world. It is called Bonsai Hill, and the owner is probably the most dedicated, educated man about tea I know.

The atmosphere is so magical at Bonsai!! Just to give you an idea, imagine drinking tea and having soft classical music playing in the background, all the while you are surrounded by really high-end unique gifts for sale (from all around the world). This is followed by local unique artwork for sale and fresh teas mounted on one wall all around the world.

We all know the incredible benefits of tea for our health in helping us loose weight (i.e. ultra skinny detox tea), have great skin and preventing illness (due to the high antioxidants), so I won’t get into that in this article. What I want to talk about primarily is kindness and mindset.

Normally, we don’t get personal here on Eco-Savy, but I felt so compelled to share my little story that sometimes it’s okay to make an exception. Anyways, today was my birthday and {of-course} I had to stop into my favourite tea store Bonsai Hill on the way home from work. Immediately I was greeted by Yanding (the store owner). Despite the fact that the store was busy, the owner still took the time to speak with me and show me all the amazing new tea additions to the store (and cute silver teaspoons which I just HAD to buy… view picture below).

When I was at the cash register, the store owner did the most kind, unexpected thing. He gave me a big bag of high-end white tea to take home. If you aren’t a tea fanatic like me, just know that “white tea” is very expensive and contains the most antioxidants of all the teas {it is also super tasty and less bitter than green tea}.

This unexpected act of kindness touched me so much that it literally made my whole day and birthday complete. It also reminded me the power of going “out-of-the-way” sometimes and being kind to others, because you may really make a difference in that person’s day or life. For example, that small act of kindness compelled me to write this article to all 20 thousand of you who read this blog….bet Yanding (store owner) didn’t see that coming 🙂

In a world where everyone is so busy and caught up in their day-to-day activities, it’s important to reach out to one another sometimes and be kind. You just don’t know what it will lead to, or how it will positively impact that person.

Cheers.

It’s Here! Eco-Savy has created a Detox Organic Tea!

Posted on 04/11/2013 by sbonham

Today Eco-Savy’s very first product is being released! It is called Ultra Skinny Tea and it is an all-natural/organic detox tea! We are so excited and hope you are too! The project was a major undertaking and took months of perfecting all of the ingredients to ensure the tea was of the highest standards and best quality.

Benefits include: clears skin, reduces bloating, increases metabolism, promotes digestion, detoxifies, increases energy, clears toxins via kidneys, aids in alleviating mild headaches, reduces inflammation in body

You can purchase it in the link below, or search via Amazon.ca – just type in “Ultra Skinny Tea Detox”! Can’t wait to read your reviews.

Cheers!