The Healthy Shopper Picks for Spring 2012 (with reviews)

Have you heard of The Healthy Shopper? I've been a fan of them for the past several years; I love that they make purchasing items that are healthy for you, your family, and the environment that much easier! This Spring, they have released 'The Healthy Shopper Picks for Spring 2012'. The products selected were chosen to help give Canadian women and their families a selection of healthier options (diet-wise, lifestyle-wise, and environmentally thinking)!


Randy Boyer and Andrea Donsky are the co-founders of The Healthy Shopper, which is a coupon book that brings healthy food within your family's grasp, making it more reasonable price-wise!  Check out the new Healthy Shopper 2012-2013 Coupon Book!  Randy and Andrea are also the co-authors of the newly released book “Unjunk Your Junk food”, which I will be reviewing in the next little while (stay tuned!).


I received a gift bag full of The Healthy Shopper Picks for Spring 2012 to share with you.  Below you will find a short description and a review of the 'picks' that I've tried so far!

Earth Balance produces an award winning line-up of buttery spreads, sticks, shortening, a soy-free spread and coconut spread, which are the perfect substitutes to butter or margarine.  All of the products that Earth Balance produces are plant-based, vegan, cholesterol-free, lactose-free, free of artificial ingredients as well as hydrogenated oil, and do not contain dairy, gluten, or egg ingredients. 


I received a coupon to try Earth Balance products (which I have been eying up for some time now!) but I haven't had a chance to try them yet (the coupon is buried in the boxes we still have to unpack). I'm looking forward to trying Earth Balance products soon!

Ecover produces plant and mineral-based cleaning products such as natural dish washing liquids, dishwasher tablets and laundry detergents.  Ecover products are effective, powerful and perfect for sensitive skin. I love that all of their products are phosphate-free, safe for septic tanks, and never tested on animals. Even their packaging is friendly to the environment; Ecover dish washing soap and laundry detergent come in 100% PlantPlastic, which is an innovative new PolyEthylene (green plastic) that is made from sugar cane (meaning that it is 100% renewable, reusable and recyclable).

I have tried Ecover products before and was excited to receive a few more products to try out.  My favourite Ecover product is their natural dishwasher tablets. My husband and I find it difficult to find a dishwasher detergent that works, and trying to find one that is natural and phosphate free is even more challenging! I love Ecover's dishwasher tablets because not only do they work great, but, they are also safe for the environment. I also enjoy using Ecover's laundry detergent for laundry in our HE washer.  I find that for normal everyday laundry, it works really well. For items with things such as left over food (i.e. bibs, etc.) they should be pre-soaked or treated before washing for best results.

Simply Natural produces pasta sauces, salad dressings, mustard, ketchup, and salsas that are organic and perfect for the whole family!  Their products only contain the best and freshest organic produce and herbs.  Their ingredients are grown and produced without hormones, pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers, insecticides, are GMO-free and do not undergo antibacterial radiation. 


This was the first time that my husband and I had the chance to Simply Natural products. After trying Simply Natural sauces, we did prefer my homemade pasta sauce over most of the Simply Natural products. But, we did really enjoy the Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce. We love that it is quick and easy and perfect for night's that I haven't had a chance to prepare my homemade sauce.  Since our family is switching to a more organic lifestyle, we appreciate that this product is all organic!

Natracare offers feminine hygiene products that are made from organic ingredients and are chemical-free!  Each Natracare product is made from only certified organic 100% cotton and natural cellulose materials. Plus, they do not contain any plastic, they are free of chlorine, and are bio-degradable and compostable.

Thanks to mother nature and breastfeeding, I haven't had a need to test these products out yet.

Kiju produces 100% Certified Organic Juices. All Kiju's juices are completely pure and made from organic ingredients.  Kiju (released on Earth Day, 2005) was the first certified organic juice box in Canada that had no added sugar!  Kiju offers the following fruit juice flavours: mango orange, lemonade, grape apple, apple and pomegranate cherry.  This year, Kiju is also launching a line of natural and organic iced teas, including flavours such as Pomegranate Green Tea, Mango Passion Maté, and Hibiscus Rooibos.

For me, trying a new juice and iced tea is always a treat!  I found that these juices were just right in terms of sweetness (not too sweet like many of the juices that you buy in your conventional grocery store). I especially liked the grape apple juice flavour.  I found that the natural organic iced teas were mild and delightful. I like that these iced teas offer a unique variety of flavours.  My favourite was the Hibiscus Rooibos; I love rooibos and the hibiscus added a flowery flavour that was a pleasant surprise. I'd definiately enjoy Kiju products again in the future.

Those are The Healthy Shopper Picks for Spring 2012! Make sure to check them out in a health food store or a grocer with a natural/organic section near you! Also, make sure to check out The Healthy Shopper Coupon Book for more great savings on these products!