Our Top 8 Favourite Wholefoods

At Nature’s Choice, we don’t believe that there is one “Magic” food that can cure all. We do however believe that a balanced, junk-free, wholefood diet gives your body the best chance to be as healthy as it can be. We also don’t believe in selling anything we feel will impact your health negatively and are always refining and improving our product offering. We do have our favorites though and here are our top 10 and in no particular order…

Coconut Water

Coconut water is the ultimate thirst quencher and offers a tasty alternative to water. This pure liquid is packed with nutrients that yield an array of health benefits. Our beautiful glass bottles are recyclable and we also offer this nourishing drink with a splash of pineapple and mango. It makes for the perfect post-workout rehydration and is naturally low in natural sugars and calories.

Coconut Oil

Recent studies are showing the health benefits of coconut oil, which had been looked upon as a source of saturated fats and therefore to be avoided for those individuals with concerns over their cholesterol levels.

While it is true that coconut contains saturated fats, what is now being brought to light is that there are actually different types of saturated fats, just like there are different types of fats in general, and some types of saturated fats are good for you.

A very traditional food, coconut oil is making a comeback these days as a popular cooking oil. Much of the saturated fat in coconuts is not long chain, but medium-chain fatty acids; in fact, coconut oil contains between approximately 55-65% 62% medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), including the healthy fats, lauric acid, caprylic acid, and capric acid. Lauric acid is the most plentiful of the MCFAs in coconut oil, and sometimes accounts for as much as 75% of this oil’s total MCFAs.

Another good thing about coconut oil is that its saturated fatty acid profile gives it a higher smoke point than many polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oils. Therefore Coconut oil is a preferred cooking oil.

Beans & Legumes

Beans are in fact good for your heart, thanks in large part to their soluble fibre, which soaks up cholesterol so the body can dispose of it before it can stick to artery walls. Studies find that diets high in soluble fibre can cut total cholesterol by 10 to 15 percent. The same soluble fibre, combined with beans’ protein, makes beans beneficial to blood sugar. Their magnesium helps relax arteries, giving blood more room to flow and lowering blood pressure. Finally, a recent study ranked beans among the top antioxidant foods.

Blueberries

The antioxidant plant pigments that make blueberries blue, flavonoids that are called anthocyanins, guard against heart disease, cancer and age-related blindness and memory loss. Like their cranberry cousins, blueberries and blueberry juice are tops when it comes to preventing urinary tract infections, thanks to antioxidant epicatechins, which keep bacteria from sticking to bladder walls. Plus, the fibre in blueberries makes them powerful antidotes to constipation. Nature’s Choice dried blueberries contain no preservatives like Sulphur dioxide and make the perfect portable snack as well as a fruity and tangy addition to your porridges, cereals and baked goods.

Walnuts

Walnuts not only taste great but are a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and an excellent source of those hard to find omega-3 fatty acids. Those are the fats that lower the bad-for-you cholesterol (LDL) and raise the good-for-you kind (HDL). Like most nuts, they can easily be added to your daily diet. Just chop and add to your favorite salad, vegetable dish, fruit, or dessert.

Hulled Hemp Seeds

Considered a complete protein, hemp seeds deliver 5 grams of protein in a 2 tablespoon serving, making them a great addition to vegan and vegetarian diets. Hemp seeds provide a perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids in each serving. These fatty acids promote heart health, lower triglycerides, work to reduce inflammation, promote brain health, and support the immune system. Low in carbohydrates, hemp seeds are ideal for those following the paleo diet or who need to be carb conscious for their health.

With a pleasant nut-like flavor and creamy texture, our hulled hemp seeds are a nutritious and delightful addition to hot cereal and smoothies. Their light flavor allows them to blend easily into desserts, bread, pancakes, granola bars and other baked goods. Try them sprinkled on salads and blended into pilafs.

Hemp seeds are raw and are not toasted or salted. Because of their high oil content, hemp seeds should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer to keep fresh.

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

This product really deserves its own post. It’s effective for pretty much anything, your skin, your hair, your house, and even your pets can benefit from its qualities. Raw, organic, unfiltered, and unpasteurized, ACV is so much more than a salad dressing. It’s made from apple juice and is fermented to hard apple cider. It’s then fermented a second time to become apple cider vinegar. This product has been a medicine cabinet staple for centuries and is just as popular now as ever before.

Apple cider vinegar can be used as a rinse for your hair after shampooing, and it will boost your hair’s body and shine.

Chia

Chia seeds come from a flowering plant in the mint family and are native to Central America. They’ve been considered a superfood dating back to the Mayans and Aztecs. These seeds dissolve in water and create a gel and when this happens in your stomach, it slows the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar, making chia a great long-term fuel for athletes. This can also help curb your appetite and help you eat less at meals. Also, unlike flax seed, chia seeds don’t need to be ground up to get to the omega 3 fats. They also don’t go rancid the way flax seed do.

10 Ways to Add Chia to Your Diet

Create a Mexican drink by soaking chia seeds in 100% fruit juice or seltzer water
Add two tablespoons to cooked porridge
Blend into your smoothie for a little crunch
Sprinkle onto Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for some added fibre
Create a delicious pudding by mixing 1/4 cup chia with 1 cup almond or coconut milk, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Let it sit in the fridge overnight (or for just 15 minutes) and enjoy
Whip us a quick salad dressing with chia seeds, vinegar, oil and honey
Add seeds to stews and soups
Add to homemade energy bars or balls
Mix into homemade hummus or other dips
Sprinkle on salads (or sprout them)