Foods Alive

In the last few years we’ve started buying more of our health food ingredients in bulk because.. when is convenience and affordability a bad thing?!

We’re so fortunate to have a bulk health food store not far from us and we take advantage often. Foods Alive is located in Angola, Indiana, but they sell all of their products online. Check out their website HERE.

We’ve been buying their products for years and we’ve always been impressed with their quality. Plus, we love being able to support a local business!

 

Foods Alive Products

 

**We don’t make a habit of endorsing products or companies, but we regularly use so many Foods Alive products and they’re packed with health-promoting nutrients, so they deserve a shout out! Disclaimer: they generously gifted us some of their products to try, but we don’t have an affiliate partnership or profit from their sales… we just really like their stuff  😋

 

Now let me give a run down of our common Foods Alive go-to’s.

Flaxseed Crackers – We buy these and gift them to Macy, Natalie’s 2-year old, for every single holiday. She’s addicted to them and Nat has to hide them or she’ll eat the entire bag. Luckily, they are ridiculously healthy! They have 9 flavors and she loves them all. The ingredients vary between the different flavors, but are always made up of flaxseeds with spices and seasonings like oregano, rosemary, curry, onion powder, etc. Sometimes we have fun making our own flax crackers too — Check those out HERE.

Nooch – AKA Nutritional Yeast – We use nutritional yeast in many of our savory recipes. The main reason we choose Foods Alive nutritional yeast over others is because theirs is non-fortified. Nutritional yeast naturally contains lots of B Vitamins. Fortified nutritional yeast contains even more B Vitamins, but that’s because they are synthetically added during processing. This gives the fortified Nooch a bit of a chemical aftertaste. You can read more about nutritional yeast HERE.

Globe Trekker Trail Mix – A container of healthy trail mix should be in everyone’s office, purse, car, backpack, etc. because it’s the perfect go-to when you’re famished and about to make some questionable dietary decisions. It doesn’t get much healthier than this Globe Trekker mix. It’s made up of peanuts, goji berries, mullberries and cacao nibs — none of which have added oil or sugar. I dare you to find another store-bought trail mix with zero added oil or sugar… go ahead… try it…

If store-bought isn’t for you and you’re wanting to make your own trail mix, check our nut mix recipe.

 

Foods Alive Trail Mix

 

Chia Seeds – These tiny seeds pack a huge nutritional punch! They’re rich in soluble fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, and protein. We add these to a couple of our granola and cookie recipes, like our Chunky Granola and No Bake Cookies. They also make a delicious Chia Seed Pudding. You can read more about chia seeds HERE.

Flaxseed – Another little seed that packs a huge nutritional punch! There is a catch though… if you eat flaxseed whole, you’re going to miss out on most of those nutrients. Flaxseeds must be ground up before eaten or they won’t be digested, therefore it’s common for flaxseeds to be sold already ground. The problem is after they’re ground they start to oxidize and go rancid. So, the best option is to buy flaxseed whole and grind them yourself (a coffee grinder or food processor works great).  After grinding, store in the freezer to keep the healthy fats from going bad. You can read more about flaxseed HERE.

 

Foods Alive Products

 

Goji Berries – Another Macy addiction! She snacks on Goji berries almost daily and can’t get enough of them. Goji berries are one of the most nutrient-dense berries (that’s why they have such a bright color). They contain a ridiculous amount of phytonutrients, so we try to eat them often — usually by mixing them in trail mix or baking them in muffins or quick breads like our Spiced Zucchini Bread. Check out our goji berry post to learn more.

Cacao Nibs and Cacao Powder – You may be thinking “What’s so special about this? Why not get my cocoa powder from the grocery store?” Well, cocoa and cacao or two different things. In short, cacao is raw and cocoa is roasted, therefore cacao retains more of the nutrients from the cacao beans. Cacao also has a more rich chocolate flavor, so even though it’s often more expensive, you can use less. Cacao nibs are crumbled dried bits of the cacao bean, therefore they contain zero sugar and are bitter. We love to add cacao nibs into things that we would normally add chocolate chips to (cookies, muffins, quick breads) because they add some chocolate flavor without the processed sugar. For example, you’ll find cacao nibs in our Granola Bar Cookies and our Double Chocolate Mint Bites.

 

This list barely scratches the surface — They also have hemp seeds, maca powder, tart cherries, sesame seeds, raw pecans, pumpkin seeds, raw almonds, moringa powder, white mulberries, and so much more. For an extensive look at their products, we recommend perusing the Foods Alive website.

We’ve found that often it’s hard to find some of these ingredients at the grocery store, especially without added oil or sugar. So, we regularly buy many of these Foods Alive products in bulk and store them in the freezer.

 

Leave your questions and comments about Foods Alive and these ingredients in a comment below!



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *