Fitness for One and All Home Page
iHerb Natural Foods Reviews
Reviews of and direct links to
products on
iHerb.
When checking out, use referral code HOP815 to receive up to $10.00 off your first order.
Many of these items can also be ordered from
Vitacost.
Create an account at Vitacost and get $5.00 off of your first order of $30 or
more.
Some items are cheaper at one store and some at the other.
It is recommended to
compare prices before ordering.
Now Foods, Real Food, Natural, Unblanched Almonds, Unsalted
Very healthy, not too expensive
Nuts are a very healthy food. They contain healthy monounsaturated fats, protein, fiber, and a wealth of vitamins and minerals. Almonds in particular are healthy due to having a high calcium content, one the of the best plant sources of calcium. Also, I have found that almonds are the only nut that I can eat at bedtime without disturbing my sleep. In fact, my doctor recommended eating almonds to aid sleep, so I mix a small handful of nuts into a dish of yogurt for my bedtime snack.
However, nuts tend to be expensive and organic nuts extremely so. But it really is not necessary to buy organic when it comes to nuts as they do not draw up pesticides from the soil like fruits and vegetables do. I know this to be true. Due to my multiple chemical sensitivities, I have to eat mostly organic fruits and vegetables; but I have found I can eat some non-organic nuts without problems, but it depends where I get them. I used to buy nuts in the bulk section at my local co-op that did not bother me, but I've grown to be uncomfortable with that. You never know who's been reaching into those bulk bins, sneezing into them, etc. So I tried buying packaged nuts at Giant Eagle, but they caused me problems.
Then I saw these Now almonds on iHerb and decided to try them. They do not cause me problems at all, even with eating them at bedtime. And they taste great! And with iHerb's "extra quantity discount" for purchasing four bags at once, they are not too expensive, so I have been getting my almonds from here for some time now. For more on why nuts are so healthy, see the chapter on "Nuts, Seeds, and Peanuts" in my God-given Foods Eating Plan book.
Now Foods, Certified Organic Real Food, Whole, Raw, Cashews, Unsalted*
Good tasting and healthy
These tastes good, are very healthy, and are a good price for organic nuts.
Now Foods, Real Food, Raw Pecans, Halves & Pieces, Unsalted
Good for pre-workout snack, not too expensive
My pre-workout snack is a bowl of cereal, with fruit and nuts added to it. The fruit is usually raisins, as they are easy to digest, and I limit the nuts to a very small handful. I've found a small amount of fat wards off hunger during the workout, but too much sits in my stomach. I also add creatine. I alternate between peanuts and cashews in my morning oatmeal, and I eat almonds at bedtime, so for something different, I thought of using pecans in the cereal. But they tend to be rather expensive, so I looked for the least expensive option I could find, and these Now pecans fit the bill, especially with iHerb's "extra quantity discount" for purchasing four bags at once. They are also easy to digest, taste great, and are of high quality. So I have been using them for some time now.
Now Foods, Real Food, Whole, Raw Brazil Nuts, Unsalted
Taste great and relatively inexpensive
The RDA for selenium is 55 mcg, but at one time many authorities believed 200–300 mcg would help in preventing prostate cancer. Rather than taking a separate selenium supplement to reach this level, I got in the habit of consuming one large or two small Brazil nuts on most days, as I figured that would be more natural. One large Brazil nut contains 95 mcg. However, I recently did some Googling and found newer research shows that not only does supplemental selenium (of 200 mcg) not decrease the risk of prostate cancer but it actually increases it (as does supplemental vitamin E of 400 IUs, see Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial). However, this research is about supplemental selenium, not selenium naturally found in foods. So I’m not sure if the selenium in Brazil nuts is problematic or not. So I still eat Brazil nuts regularly as I like them, and my gut feeling is that being natural they would be beneficial. And these Now Brazil nuts are relatively inexpensive, and they taste great and are of high quality. So I have been using them for some time now.
Now Foods, Real Food, Roasted Pistachios, Salted
Fun and healthy to eat, but a little salty
Pistachios are fun to eat and taste great. They are also very healthy, being a good source of healthy monounsaturated fats and a variety of vitamins and minerals. These Now pistachios are especially good as there are rarely any nuts that are difficult to open. But I am used to eating unsalted nuts, while these are rather salty. But that keeps me from eating too many of them!
Now Foods, Real Food, Certified Organic, Pumpkin Seeds, Unsalted
Far different from white seeds as a kid
Growing up in the '70s, the only pumpkin seeds I ever ate were roasted seeds that had so much salt on them that they were totally white. I was actually quite surprised when much later I found out that pumpkin seed are actually green! But they still taste great even without all of that salt and without being roasted. But they tend to be rather pricy. That is why I was glad I came across this Now product on iHerb. They are reasonably priced and taste great. If I am still hungry after lunch or dinner, I grab a small handful of these, and that always hits the spot.
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of essential omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and
healthy monounsaturated fats. I discuss the benefits of these types of fats in
my "God-given Foods Eating Plan" book. Pumpkin seeds are also an excellent
source of iron (32% of the RDA), magnesium (48%), zinc (24%), copper (60%), and
manganese (48%). Being organic is also important as seeds tend to draw up more
pesticides from the soil than nuts. So these Now pumpkin seeds are a good
tasting and healthy snack.
MaraNatha, Organic No Stir Peanut Butter, Crunchy*
Healthy, tastes great, and convenient
Peanut butter is a great food, loved by many. And it is very healthy, being high in healthy monounsaturated fats and various vitamins and minerals. But commercial peanut butters usually contain hydrogenated oils, which is to say, trans fats. Even if the "Nutrition Facts" says it has zero trans fat, if the ingredients list has hydrogenated oils, then there are some trans fat. The law is such that if a food has less than 0.4 grams of something, the label can say zero. But that half a gram can add up, especially with a food like peanut butter that some people tend to eat a lot of. And any amount of trans fat is unhealthy.
Natural peanut butters do not contain hydrogenated oils. But the problem with most natural peanut butters is the oil separates to the top, and it can be difficult to stir it back in. One trick I learned a long time ago was to turn the bottle upside down for a few days before opening it. That way, the oil sinks to the bottom of the jar, so when you turn it right side up and stir the oil back in, it doesn't make quit as much of a mess. But even with that trick, the oil still tends to spill over the sides when you stir it.
But all of that hassle is avoided with this product. By adding a small amount of palm oil and sugar, this product does not need to be stirred, but it still has that strong peanut taste that is indicative of natural peanut butters. And all of the ingredients are organic. So this is a healthy, good tasting, and convenient peanut butter product.
MaraNatha, No Stir Almond Butter, Crunchy*
A nice alternative to peanut butter
Almond butter is a nice alternative to peanut butter. Both are very healthy, but almonds maybe a little bit more so. And this product is especially convenient due to it being "no-stir." The oil does not separate like other natural nut butter. This product is not organic, but nuts tend not to draw up pesticides from the soil like fruits and vegetables do, so that is not a problem. Overall, a this is a healthy, good tasting, and convenient nut butter product.
Alphabetical
List of Pages
Text
Search
Contact Information
Information
About FOA and Its Director
