The Healthy Shopper Picks for Fall/Winter 2012

I've always been very aware of the choices I make for our family in regards to the products we consume and use in our household.  I was fortunate enough to grow up having a mom who made very healthy choices through food and exercise and encouraged me to as well.   As a result of that, it's natural for me to always be reading labels on everything I buy, fine combing the ingredients list on foods (paying close attention to the trans fat, cholesterol, sugar and sodium numbers), as well as the ingredients on every day household and beauty products.  It's important to me to have these choices available to choose from, but it's not always easy finding these products.  I receive many coupons in the mail and online for foods that aren't so healthy or natural, as well as products.  But what about the foods and products that make it easier to lead a healthy lifestyle?  Sometimes it seems like the natural and organic products are so much more expensive compared to other choices, making it hard at times for people to commit to healthy alternatives.  

The Healthy Shopper is the FIRST and ONLY free coupon book in Canada for natural and organic products, created by Randy Boyer and Andrea Donsky in 1999.  Their goal was to encourage more Canadians to pursue and maintain a healthy lifestyle while saving money at the same time.  

I received a bag full of natural and organic products to experience, all of which are included in The Healthy Shopper coupon book, making it even easier to purchase these healthier choices.  These products are Randy and Andrea's picks for Fall/Winter 2012.

Their 4 Healthy Shopper brand picks were Ecover, Natracare, San-J and Simply Natural Organic Salad Dressings.  These included the following products:

• Ecover Pomegranate and Lime Scented Dish liquid
• Ecover ZERO Laundry Powder
• Ecover Bay Breeze Toilet Cleaner
• Natracare Regular Natural Ultra Pads with Winds
• Natracare Organic Cotton Intimate Wipes
• San-J Gluten-Free Teriyaki Sauce
• San-J Gluten-Free Orange Sauce
• San-J Certified Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce
• Simply Natural Organic Salad Dressings 

Note:  They also include San-J Tamari Peanut Asian Dressing in their Healthy Shopper Picks, but they were kind enough to leave it out of my goody bag, as my daughter has a severe peanut allergy.  This dressing adds a tender Thai touch to salads.  Certified gluten-free and is a combination of wheat-free tamari, peanut and spices.  It makes a light, savory salad using mixed greens, carrots, apple cubes and sunflower seeds.

Their first choice includes 4 of the gluten-free, Asian-inspired San-J sauces.  With the tasty Gluten-free Orange Sauce as the newest addition to the San-J brand, the San-J sauces are minus the gluten, but without sacrificing flavour.   These different sauces can be used for marinades, vegetables, salads, pasta, etc.  They are a much healthier option compared to other prepared sauces that typically contain high amounts of sodium and preservatives.   These sauces are flavourful and add a wonderful punch of taste to any recipe.  We do a lot of Asian cooking and these sauces are a staple in those meals.

The 2nd Healthy Shopper Pick are Natracare women's hygiene products.  What's great about these products is that they offer a full range of 100% organic sanitary products.   The Organic Cotton Intimate Wipes are made from natural, renewable and sustainable resources and I love that they are flushable, biodegradable and compostable.  It's important to minimize waste and products like these help dramatically reduce that extra waste in the garbage.

Simply Natural organic salad dressings is their 3rd choice including Creamy Ceasar, Honey Mustard, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Italian with Roasted Red peppers and Goddess.  They're organic and delicious.  I'm loving these dressings and our whole family has been enjoying them on our salads at dinner time.  So much flavour, but nice and light.

The last pick for The Healthy Shopper is Ecover and their plant and mineral based cleaning collection.  I'm already a HUGE fan of Ecover products and have used many of them.  They are wonderful!  The Ecover ZERO Natural Laundry Powder is HE friendly, cleans great and doesn't leave any odour or residue on clothing, without fragrance, optical brighteners or phosphates.  I've been really enjoying the Pomegranate and Lime Dish Liquid that has a nice, clean and light scent while effectively cleaning dishes and pans.  The Bay Breeze Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner is so much better than those toxic toilet bowl cleaners that I'm used to.   With an angled spout, it's easy to get under the lip of the toilet to remove those grimy stains, decalcify and freshen too.    All of the Ecover products are made with plant-based ingredients, phosphate-free, and are completely biodegradable.  How awesome is that??  One of the many reasons why I love Ecover.

I'm loving these fantastic picks for The Healthy Shopper 2012 and completely agree with the healthy choices Randy and Andrea have chosen.  These products will help you on your way to a healthier lifestyle in no time.

Be sure to check out The Healthy Shopper to learn more and also follow them on Facebook.

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review.  I was not monetarily compensated for this review.  The views/opinions expressed are honest and from my own personal experience with the product mentioned.