Tea drinking is ingrained in my routine – I drink anywhere from 6-8 cups a day. I find tea soothing and love the idea of maintaining my health naturally. Recently, I read an article Do You Know What’s Really In Your Tea? by Food Babe that made me realize that I wasn’t being careful enough when making tea purchases. I highly suggest reading the entire article, but the main takeaways are:
most tea is not washed before it is put into bags, so unless your tea is organic, you are likely drinking pesticides
many teas contain artificial flavoring, natural flavors, and GMO’s
many paper tea bags are treated with epichlorohydrin, a compound that is considered a potential carcinogen and that is mainly used in the production of epoxy resins
many “silky” and “luxurious mesh” tea bags that hold loose leaf teas are made of plastics, and these plastics may break down and leach out when steeped in boiling water.
Traditional Medicinals Tea Steeping
Choosing Traditional Medicinals:
However, it’s not all doom and gloom! There are tea companies like Traditional Medicinals that shine even brighter because of their efforts to provide quality, clean tea. Traditional Medicinal’s teas are all organic and non-GMO verified. The herbs in Traditional Medicinals tea go through at least 9 rounds of testing before being deemed “good enough” for the tea bag. Microscopists and lab analysts test each herb’s identity, strength, and purity while the cupping team ensures that the tea tastes right. These quality control measures make for good tea. And with a wide variety of teas – greens, herbals, and those especially formulated for detox and relaxation – Traditional Medicinals is sure to make a tea that suits everyone’s taste buds.
New Teas:
Traditional Medicinals recently debuted two new Dandelion based teas (2) Dandelion Leaf and Root and (2) Every Day Detox Dandelion. Why all the focus on dandelion? Dandelions naturally stimulate the liver and help with your body’s detoxification process.
Dandelion Leaf and Root:
The Dandelion Leaf and Root tea is made from a combination of dandelion leaf and unroasted dandelion root. It’s an herbal tea with a mild taste designed to promote healthy digestion. It’s a great tea to sip on any time of the day!
Traditional Medicinals Dandelion Leaf and Root Tea
Every Day Detox Dandelion:
The Every Day Detox Dandelion is a blend of dandelion leaf, dandelion root, licorice, fennel, and peppermint. This tea has a sweet and refreshing taste and is designed to aid the liver and promote flushing of waste from the kidneys. I really enjoy the harmony of flavors at play in this tea.
Traditional Medicinals Every Day Detox Tea
To learn more about Traditional Medicinals and their delicious (and clean!) teas check out their website! I hope you enjoy the teas as much as I have
I don’t live under a rock. I had heard of subscription boxes. But I thought they were only for makeup. Once I found out there were boxes devoted to delivering vegan treats to your doorstep each month, I was ready to try one! And so the research began (after all I wanted to try a quality box!). Conscious Box appeared on list after list of “the best” vegan subscription boxes, including VegNews’ “5 Amazing Vegan Subscription Boxes.”
What Is the Conscious Box?
Conscious Box is a subscription service that delivers 10-20 ethical, natural, non-GMO products to your door each month. They offer 3 boxes: (1) classic, (2) vegan, or (3) gluten-free (I am of course partial to the vegan option!). Conscious Box pledges not to include products that use animal products or any animal derived ingredients in its vegan box. They also participate in the 1% for the Planet, meaning that they donate at least 1% of their annual net revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. More questions about Conscious Box? Check out their helpful FAQ Page!
I ordered my vegan Conscious Box, and a few days before Christmas, it arrived! Merry Christmas to me!
This product is designed to decrease oxidative stress – a process that occurs when your metabolism doesn’t fully neutralize free radicals. The packet is divided into two compartments (1) the bottom is filled with purified, reverse osmosis water and (2) the top is filled with antioxidant-rich root and fruit extracts (including Dandelion Root, Licorice Root, Angelica Root, Artichoke Flower, Lemon Balm Leaf, Acerola, and Lemon). The directions instruct you to squeeze the packet until the seal between the two compartments breaks and to then shake the packet until the water has dissolved the extracts.
REBOOTizer gets credit for truly creative packaging that makes it possible to enjoy the product on the go. REBOOTizer tasted sweet with a slight caramel after taste. It’s difficult to say whether I had fewer free radicals after drinking it. REBOOTizer suggests drinking a pouch for 6 consecutive days. Perhaps, documenting a 6 day experience with REBOOTizer will be the subject of a future blog post!
Women in Ghana have been hand pressing this soap made from coconut oil, raw shea butter, cocoa pod ash, water, and palm kernel oil for centuries. Finally, a product that has an ingredient list that I understand! The soap is said to diminish acne, clear oily skin and blemishes, and relieve eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis. The soap has a mild smell and an attractive brown color. I love that this product relies on natural ingredients to naturally nourish skin!
I loved these roasted chickpeas. They were crunchy and slightly salted. With 90 calories, 4 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein per serving, it’s a snack you can feel good about eating!
I drink more cups of tea per day than I can count. And Mighty Leaf Tea is one of my favorite brands. I don’t know how they do it, but this tea is organic, flavorful, and fresh. If you drink tea and haven’t tried Mighty Leaf yet, you are missing out!
This lavender scented, coconut oil based bar is certified USDA organic. The soap is vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty free. The aloe vera moisturizes the skin while the ground lavender buds ensure that it smells absolutely amazing! Lavender is calming and helps to relieve stress. And couldn’t we all use a little less stress in our lives?
I think savory tea is a brilliant idea. Tea has already conquered the dessert landscape (I do love a good chocolate chai or vanilla bean tea!). Savory is the next frontier. I loved the curry and carrot flavors mixed with the green tea. Absolutely delicious. I will definitely be ordering some soon!
I love lip balm (See my Booda Butter post for more on my lip balm obsession!). And this one smells amazing. Pleasantly citrusy with a hint of juniper. And most importantly, the balm kept my lips hydrated. I’m thrilled to have a new lip balm to add to my rotation.
I thoroughly enjoyed this bar. Peanut and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Plus, Two Degrees Bars are vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO. Even though the bar tastes like a dessert, I felt good knowing that I was also eating a nutritious bar full of quinoa, chia, and millet. Two Degrees also is on a mission to feed hungry children. For every bar you buy, Two Degrees feeds a child a meal. What a great cause.
Two Degrees Chocolate Peanut Bar
(9) Logic Product Group Wash & Shampoo and Liquid Dish Soap
I’m always looking for new, natural body and home care products. After all, I don’t want to absorb chemicals through my skin or eat them off my plate. So thank you Logic Product Group for making these natural products. I liked the shampoo (I don’t care if it’s made for kids, shampoo is shampoo!). It left my hair feeling clean and soft and had a nice, light scent. The liquid dish soap had a mild citrus smell and left the dishes clean without a film. I’m happy to have this company on my radar!
Ok, so I don’t have a baby. But I’m glad Conscious Box included this product. As much as I worry about being exposed to toxins and chemicals, I worry even more about babies being exposed to them. So thank you Conscious Box for showing everyone that there are natural options for baby care!
BumBoosa Baby Wipes
Conclusions:
I loved my Conscious Box. It was convenient (dropped off on my doorstep!) and provided a variety of vegan products to sample. I’m excited about some of the new products and companies I discovered. The added bonus? Coupons for many of the products are included in the box! I hope you enjoy Conscious Box as much as I have!
For more information on how to sign up for a Conscious Box subscription check out:
