My Iherb Recommendations

After being asked fairly frequently about what I usually order on iherb.com, I thought I would do a blog post. This by no means is a way to get you to buy from iherb specifically, nor the exact products, however, I just thought it would helpful. And yes, I do have an iherb code, which you can use to save $10 off your first order (AJO567)- however, I make like 1% or something really small, so honestly I’m not doing this to make money. And always, I’d recommend you to buy from whichever source is most cost-effective, ethical or sustainable for you- be it online or from a local store. I’m putting the prices that iherb currently lists, because that way you can compare it to whichever source you use.

Also, I recommend that you do your own research on the supplements- there’s a ton of information out there (both good and bad), so I’m not going into details about all the benefits etc on my choices. And of course- supplements are meant to supplement your diet. I certainly don’t take them expecting miracles to happen, and use them to add to my diet in case of deficiencies. Again, this is just what I use, adjust for your own goals.

*Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, doctor or qualified anything- so don’t take things just because I like them! Use your own judgement and consult with your medical practitioner before starting etc, etc.

Okay, so now that all that is out of the way- on to my recommendations! In no particular order..

***So after linking all the products then previewing this post- I realized that wordpress will NOT allow me to link the products to the iherb page. I apologize for that, but because this is a free website they don’t allow any “affiliate links”. So if you want more information, just copy and paste the brand into the iherb search engine.

Peanut flour. I use Protein Plus, because that’s what iherb carries, and haven’t tried any others, and I LOVE this stuff! It’s sooo good! It’s flour made from dried, de-fatted peanuts. So very low in fat and high in protein. It tastes like peanut butter but with a fraction of the calories! And actually, has such a high protein content that it is very comparable to whey protein powders. It costs $11.04 for 907g. Stats: for 30 grams, 1/4 cup: 110 calories, 4g fat, 8 g carbs, 4g fiber and 16 grams of protein. Really impressive!! You can mix this with water, with mashed banana, with yogurt, with kabocha…. it’s awesome!

Liquid Fish Oil. I love taking Nature’s Answer, Liquid Omega 3, Deep Sea Fish Oil EPA/DHA. I take both the Natural Orange and Lime flavours, and like them both. I like the stats of the Orange better- it is higher in Omegas, but I take the lime for variety. It costs 15.95/480 ml, which is the best priced fish oil on the site. I’ve heard Carlson’s fish oils are awesome, but they are way more expensive- so I use this, and am very happy with it. Stats: 1 tsp (5ml) 40 calories, 4.5 gram fat, EPA 650 mg, DHA 450 mg total Omega-3 Fatty Acids 1,150mg. You can either take this by the tsp straight, or what I do is I pour it on top of my steamed veggies, like broccoli, with some sea salt- yum! Maybe not everyone like’s orange flavoured veggies- but I like it! It’s like a salad dressing. I take 3 tsps of fish oil daily- it’s super important!!
Biotin. I take Now Foods Biotin, 5,000mcg, $9.93/ 120 capsules. There’s tons of brands, but this is cheap and I am usually really happy with Now Foods. I used to have really brittle nails, and so I started supplementing with biotin, and wow have I ever seen a difference! One of my fellow figure competitor friends also uses biotin and totally recommends it.

Collagen. I’ve tried more than one brand, but Doctor’s Best, Best Collagen, Types 1 & 3 is the best deal at $9.36/200 grams. I haven’t been taking this anymore, but I did for about 6 months when I was having a lot of hair loss (caused by stress and dieting), and this, combined with the biotin, made a HUGE difference in how my hair looked and felt. Collagen is also excellent for skin, nails, joints.. there’s a lot of benefits. I’ve also read that you can take Beef Gelatin and get the same results, but haven’t personally tried that. One thing to note with collagen is that you need to dissolve it with a little bit of Vitamin C, in order for it to be absorbed. I used Now Foods, Vitamin C Crystals ($9.55/ 227 grams) when I was taking this.

Sugar Free Drink Mixes. I love having something sweet in my water, and really like these drink mixes. I can’t stomach aspartame or splenda very well (nor do I like consuming them) and these are sweetened with stevia. Now Food’s Tropical Punch with Fibre is just one of the flavours. I like them all, and although they aren’t calorie-free, they do have lots of vitamins that are beneficial, including 100% of your RDV of Vitamin C. Stats: 1 packet 10 calories, carbs 4g.

Cocoa Powder. I love using cocoa powder to cook with, and the stats on this brand are great. Now Foods Organic Cocoa Powder is $9.48/340g. Stats: 1/4 cup, 21.5 grams 55 calories, 2.5g fat, 6.5g fiber, 5 g protein. Bet you didn’t think cocoa powder could be a source of fiber and protein!! Because this is unsweetened, you do need to add something sweet to it- I like adding stevia or mashed banana. It’s great in your baked goods recipes.

Stevia. I love sweet! And because I don’t really like eating sugar, aspartame or splenda, stevia is my go-to sweetener. It used to have a really bad aftertaste, but the current brands on the market have made major improvements! I love Stevia Glycerite, but its pretty expensive at $18.35/ 237ml. The good thing is that you really don’t need much- a little goes a long way. I also like NuNaturals, NuStevia Packets. Which are much cheaper- $5.99/100 packs. These do have 1 gram of carb and 1 gram of fiber per packet, however again a little goes a long way. There are other stevias out there- but you have to be careful, many are mixed with other ingredients, so just check the labels.

Calcium+Magnesium. I like taking a calcium supplement because I don’t really drink milk and yes, I know dark leafy greens contain calcium, but I’m not sure if its enough, so I take a supplement. I like Now Foods, Magnesium +Calcium $15.93/250 tablets because it also contains Vitamin D3. Stats: 3 tablets vit D3 1000 IU Calcium 400mg Magnesium 800mg Zinc 15mg.

Guar Gum. You might have noticed that I use guar gum frequently in my recipes. I really like it as a thickener and gelling agent. I use it to thicken sauces in stir fries, soups, stews, thicken puddings and desserts, and also in baking to help hold dishes together. You can also use Xanthum gum with pretty similar results. The nice thing about these gums is that you don’t need to cook them or chill them to see results (where as in the case of gelatin, you do need to chill it). And just a small amount works for a large amount of liquid- so use sparingly! I like Source Naturals Guar Gum, $6.71/ 454g. Stats: 1 tsp 3 grams 10 calories 3 g carbs 3 g fiber. I like this as opposed to something like corn starch- guar gum is an alternative I feel is much healthier as it is fiber based.

Spices. I love to flavour my food with all kinds of spices- and there is such an amazing variety on iherb. Starwest Botanicals has so many varieties, and the prices are great. Here is a 1lb bag of organic cinnamon powder for $4.74. Other spices I like: chilli powder, cumin, curry powder, no salt mixes, oregano, basil, ginger, allspice, garlic, onion, parsley, thyme…

Tea. I love tea! It’s such a delicious, healthful, calorie-free way to get your water in! There are thousands of varieties of tea- some of my favorites are by Celestial Seasonings- yep nothing fancy- but I’ve grown up drinking Celestial Seasoning and still love them. Favourites of mine include Sleepy Time, Bengal Spice, Cinnamon Apple Spice, Gingerbread Spice and Candycane Lane. And they are really cheap- $3.23/20 bags.

Coconut Flour. I’ve tried both Nutiva and Edward & Son’s Coconut Flours, and I prefer Nutiva. It’s lower in calories, cheaper and sweeter tasting- so an all-in-all win for me! Coconut flour is an awesome gluten-free low carb baking alternative to wheat flour, but you do have to be careful- it has a VERY high fiber content!! So if you are someone with gut sensitivities, this might not be for you. Nutiva Coconut Flour is $4.80/1 lb bag. Stats: 2 tbsp (18g) 45 calories, 2 g fat, 11g carbs, 8 g fiber.

Multivitamin. I take a multivitamin everyday, and like Rainbow Light, Just Once, Women’s One, Food-based Multivitamin. It’s $25.19/ 90 tablets. I like that you only have to take one pill, and that the pill contains probiotics to help with digestion.

Protein Powder. There is a huge selection of protein powders and kinds. Whey, casein, egg white, hemp, rice etc. It sort of depends on your goals and budget. A really high quality powder I like is Bluebonnet Nutrition, Duel Action Protein, Whey+Casein blend in Chocolate or Vanilla. $40.76/ 2lb. What I really like about Bluebonnet is that the milk protein is sourced from grass fed organic cows, so you don’t have to worry about all those crazy hormones. The flavour and mixability are good, and they are sweetened with stevia- which I like. Stats: 1 scoop (34g) 125 calories, 1 g fat, 27 g protein. Other cheap and okay options that I’ve used are Elite Whey+Casein Blend- which is only $24.18 /2lbs, Optimum Nutrition Whey and Caseins and MRM Low Carb Proteins. These all have similar nutrition stats, however do contain things like splenda and aspartame and aren’t organic. However, if that’s your budget then what can you do.