Natural Foods - Parenting Healthy

Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars are made with real fruit and whole grains

One of my favorite bars and grocery pick-ups is the Nature’s Bakery Whole Wheat Fig Bars. I first discovered them a while back when I had a sample offered to me and it was the perfect blend of sweetness from the fig and oats from the crust. Now I have tried the new Oatmeal Crumble from their line and they did not last long in this house – so delicious!

Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars Plant-Based Snack Bars

These bars are packed full of goodness that goes beyond just the taste. Nature’s Bakery is made with real fruit for a plant-based snack. Their snack bars are non-GMO, certified vegan and nut & gluten free (some varieties).

You can find a few great snack varieties such as the different fruit whole-wheat fig bars, gluten free fig bars, brownie bars and the new Oatmeal Crumble bars made with real fruit for a morning snack.

You can find Nature’s Bakery products at local grocery stores near you. They are great for the lunch box or in your college care packages!

Food, Healthy Living, Natural Foods

Benefits of Honey for Immunity, Cold Symptoms and Wellness

August 17, 2020August 17, 2020 Erin Sluka

Benefits of Honey

MGO is a substance in Manuka Honey that attacks germs and other invasive bacteria in your body. Pacific Resources International provides top-quality high MGO Manuka Honey to strengthen the human body.

You will find several drops and lollipops or you can just consume some from the jar for symptoms such as sore throats. One of the benefits of honey is that it is effective for treating sore throat with its anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Honey coats the inner lining of the throat and destroys the harmful microbes while simultaneously soothing the throat.

Another benefit is that it is also great for gastritis. It is known to support gut health as a prebiotic (due to the presence of oligosaccharides). Its anti-inflammatory properties may also positively impact inflammatory bowel disease.

Which UMF is right for you?

Manuka Honey is measured as UMF 5+, 10+, 15+ and 20+ varieties. UMF is an extra certification; jars that have this extra certification have a UMF logo on the jar. Which one is right for you? UMF 5+ has natural benefits. It is the most similar to benefits in any trusted source and natural plant. As you get higher in the UMF, you get the best natural benefits offered from its healing and antimicrobial properties.

If you are healthy and not in immediate need of a wide range of healing you can still benefit from UMF 5+ and 10+ just fine and feel good about your source and have it to rely on when minor ailments arise like colds and such.

If you suffer from ailments like chronic acid reflux, chronic sinusitis, eczema and other such conditions that Manuka honey can help bring you relief you would want some that is 15+ or higher, but start small and work up from there.

Pacific Resources International has a wide range of these products in several forms from honey sticks (my son devoured ours), nuggets, lollipops, jars and more. Whether you want the benefits of honey to soothe a sore throat, help cold symptoms or coat your tummy, Manuka honey should be readily available in every home. I always keep my cupboards stocked.

Visit PRI today and stock up for the cold season and back to school! Don’t forget to send some with your college student if they are returning to campus. Make sure they are aware of the benefits of honey as you stock them up.

Food, Natural Foods

The Best crackers that have plant-based ingredients

August 11, 2020August 11, 2020 Erin Sluka

Comment: I was sent crackers for this feature. Thank you to Mary’s Gone Crackers for collaborating with Parenting Healthy

Mary’s Gone Crackers uses only whole, plant-based ingredients

With a new school year paired with these new normals some of us go back to the classroom and some will learn from home – all will still need nutritious snacks. Mary’s Gone Crackers doesn’t just have a fun name, but Gluten-free, plant-based, organic and non-GMO crackers. Great for those in need of a better cracker that is allergen-friendly.

Mary’s Gone Crackers have plant-based ingredients

The crackers actually taste good and are made using only whole, plant-based ingredients you can see within each cracker. Most flavors are good right out of the box and to pair them with good cheese or spreads makes them even better. I really love the herb crackers!

My 7th grader will be home and I have this shopping rule of “if I don’t buy it, he can’t eat it”. Some popular cookies and crackers I will buy as an occasional treat and for daily snacking I look for better, plant-based ingredients brands but they have to taste good or I am tossing uneaten boxes of food and that is a waste. My son discovered the REAL Thin Crackers over the weekend and he loves them. It is honestly the first brand of ‘better’ crackers he has ever eaten.

I was so happy and then I remembered, I had taken them out of the box and put them on a tray to serve for family coming over for dinner and he snuck into the appetizers right before they arrived- I think he related boxes of healthier crackers in the cupboard to not tasting very good but these were away from the box -out on the counter. In this little psychological trick I set the box aside so he never saw these were healthier snacks and ate what ‘looked’ like a good, hearty cracker and loved them. I will forever remember that trick – these sacks I prefer to buy can be removed from the ‘healthy-looking’ box and put in a bowl on the counter and suddenly they get eaten. Brilliant!

Visit Mary’s Gone Crackers to see all of the varieties of plant-based ingredients and find recipes too that pair great with their products. You can find them at grocery stores near you. I have them at my local Walmart, Safeway and Fred Meyer stores.

Food, Healthy Living, Natural Foods

Paleo Pro – Primal Protein Bars

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020 Erin Sluka

It’s been a long spring and summer. Now half of us are back to school shopping while the rest of us figure out distance learning schedules with our kids to start the school year. Can we catch a break? When out and about running your errands (with masks) and figuring this new family life out, remember to take a break. When that break requires a pick-me-up there are Paleo Pro Primal Protein Bars if you are looking for a raw bar made with real ingredients.

With flavors like Cherry Cashew and Coconut Cacao, you’ll get that nutrition boost you need to finish the day. These are made with grass-fed protein and non-GMO prebiotic fiber. The fats are healthy ones – coming from almonds and cashews.

Here is an image of the bar as it relates to the protein bars you are used to. You can literally see each whole ingredient. You will not find any dairy, wheat or soy in these bars.

For those who like a filling bar packed with premium ingredients and not that candy-like taste or texture, these Primal Protein Bars are your go-to for on-the-go. Available from Paleo Pro website and Amazon.