Healthy grocery lists made easy for you!

When we first moved to Singapore 6 years ago we got huge sticker shock the first time we walked into a food store. Especially when it came to more ‘natural’ or organic options at the healthy grocery stores – there was no way we could ever swallow $12 for a few sticks of organic celery! This was a huge eye opener for us as we came from the US and were used to the conveniences of Target, Walmart, and plentiful organic stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes. We could tick off all of the items on our list be it personal, household, and grocery needs all under one roof!

It usually takes 2-3 different trips around the island to source all of the products I’m after here in Singapore, and even still I’m often left empty-handed. Until we landed upon iHerb.com and now it’s become a one-stop-shop for all of our healthy grocery and household shopping needs!

I find the prices are much more affordable than what you can find in store here in Singapore and with the convenience of free shipping and delivery in just a few days, it’s a no brainer that we do most of our healthy grocery shopping on iHerb!

We’ve been using their platform for the last 6 years and in that time I’ve done a LOT of ingredient reading & testing different products. I wanted to make this as easy as possible for you so I’ve complied a list of all our healthy grocery and household staples. These are products we have tried and loved, are currently using, or have vetted the ingredient lists for any toxic offenders and would feel comfortable using the product in our home.

This past year has been a huge catalyst for change in our home and we’re more intentional than ever with what we’re consuming & putting on our body. We will never be able to control all toxic exposure in the environment, but what we can control is what we choose to use in our home. We are the gatekeepers and have the power to sift through ingredients, ask questions, and learn how our food and home products could be impacting our health.

The theme of our year is to SIMPLIFY. Cut down on all that unnecessary jargon you see littering the ingredient lists. What happened to real food from the earth? When did we start adding colours and flavours and thickeners and conditioners and preservatives? If your ingredient lists are long (like reading a short novel) and you can’t pronounce many of the ingredients… then that should be your first red flag. Making a healthy grocery list and buying the same staples and brands every week will cut down the work for you, so you can ensure you’re only welcoming the best products into your home!

Here’s a short little list of some of the red flag offenders we choose to avoid in our food products. This list is not all-encompassing, but serves as a quick reference for you if you’re just starting to read labels. 

Ingredients we choose to avoid in our food products:

– artificial food colouring (blue, red, yellow, caramel)
– artificial sweeteners: saccharin, aspartame, sucralose
– acesulfame potassium (Ace K)
– BHA, BHT
– high fructose corn syrup
– hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils
– canola oil, vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, safflower & sunflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil
– monosodium glutamate (MSG) & other flavour enhancers
– carrageenan
– cellulose
– sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, sodium phosphate
– hydrolyzed vegetable protein
– ‘artificial flavours’ or ‘natural flavours’ which are undisclosed
– ‘gums’, ‘thickeners’, ‘conditioners’

… and with that, I present to you our master lists of iHerb favs!!!!!

1. Safer Swaps for Cleaning

Click here to shop our favourite cleaning and laundry products

2. Safer Swaps for Cooking & Baking

Click here to shop cleaner condiments, spices, cooking & baking items

3. Safer Swaps for Food & Snacks

Click here to shop our favourite food & snack items

4. Safer Swaps for Kids & Babies

Click here to shop safer swaps for kids & babies

5. Safer Swaps for Supplements

Click here to shop our favourite supplements

6. Safer Swaps for the Bathroom

Click here to shop safer swaps for personal care and bathroom products