Toothpaste, Jerky and Beans Look What’s New

Readers of my newsletter know that I attend multiple expos and conventions throughout the year looking for new innovative healthy products. And with that I share some of the cool products that I find. Many are food, but some are also body care, pet care and home cleaning products.

This past weekend I attended the IDEA World Fitness and Nutrition Expo in Los Angeles. There were 335 booths with 80 of them being food, beverage and body care products. And I visited each one.

I’ve shared my passion for healthier body care products, but I haven’t really talked much about toothpaste. The popular brands that have been around for years, contain harmful ingredients like fluoride, aspartame, sodium laurel sulfate, triclosan and synthetic dyes.

Fluoride is linked to Cancer, Developmental/Reproductive toxicity, and is a neurotoxin, while aspartame has been shown to cause depression, anxiety, memory loss and mood swings.

Triclosan is an antibacterial chemical that has been shown to disrupt hormone especially raising testosterone in humans. Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) is a registered pesticide! It’s irritating to the skin so why would it be in toothpaste? It’s a foaming agent. But foam can be achieved in products without using a pesticide.

Davids toothpaste has only natural ingredients, and they do NOT do animal testing. You can scan your toothpaste with this app Cruelty Cutter to see if your toothpaste is being tested on animals. Davids is also 100% made in the USA including packaging, ingredients, and jobs – that means more American jobs. You can purchase it HERE

Lorissa’s Kitchen makes a delicious healthy jerky from grass fed beef, antibiotic free chicken and pork raised responsibly with no growth hormones. Many jerkys are loaded with soy (think gluten and lots of sodium), sugar and comes from animals that have not been raised clean. A 2.25 oz of Lorissa’s contains a whomping 11 grams of protein (what a great snack!) has no preservatives, no MSG, no added nitrites (this is what causes so many headaches in people), and all are gluten free. Best of all, the taste and texture is great! You can buy it on Amazon by clicking the “buy now” on their website. With 4 different flavors you’ll find one to satisfy your taste buds. Personally I love the Sweet Chili Pork. Snack well!

Better Beans are packaged in non BPA containers which are recyclable and freezable. They are certified non GMO and Vegan, free from gluten, soy and nuts. The beans are locally sourced in the USA.

If you abstain from beans because of the discomfort they cause you, you are in for a treat! Better Beans use only freshly grown beans. Beans become harder to cook and digest the older they get. The beans are soaked which activates enzymes that make it easier to digest all the nutrients in beans. And they use ingredients that help ease bean digestion. The main ingredient which breaks down indigestible sugars to help digestion is Apple Cider Vinegar. They have 1/3 less sodium than canned beans, and if any ingredient they use is on the EWG Dirty Dozen list, they source it organic.

You can use these beans in quesadillas, burrito bowls, as a side dish or even eat straight out of the container. Any way you look at it, these beans are delicious and very healthy for you. Great way to reach your daily fiber goals! You can buy better beans at these locations.