My concern was that their packaging noted only, “natural flavoring” a vague term at best, and at worst one that green folks are leery of (or should be). The company responded back in record time with this…

“Yogavive’s Apple Chips are made using only natural ingredients. Our Caramel, Peach and Strawberry varieties are what is called, “WONF” – with other natural flavors. These flavors are derived from wholly natural sources and are not chemically synthesized. For example, these natural flavors are made from fruit juices derived from real peaches and real strawberries, or sugar, for the Caramel variety.

These natural flavors are used only to enhance the product’s flavor, and not much different than your favorite fruit juice company mixing water with your fruit juice. Our natural flavors contain natural fruit extracts (WONF), water and minimal amounts of necessary food-grade ethyl alcohol, used as a base.

According to our French flavor supplier, “Flavor obtained through a simple mix of natural flavoring substances, and then natural extracts on alcoholic support, in accordance with EEC 88/388.”

In simpler terms, our flavors do NOT contain synthesized chemicals, only naturally derived components. Essentially, our Peach variety contains peach extracts and the Strawberry variety has strawberry… and so on.”

Also in update news the company just seriously revamped their website making it much easier to find a retailer which was another concern of mine. They even have online retailers posted. Nice.

I’m still not thrilled about the packaging, but I’m popping these up a point since the company got back to me – that almost NEVER happens. If you missed my first review of this healthy snack you can read it now – Yogachips by Yogavive.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

PRODUCT: Yogachips by Yogavive – Organic 100% apple chips in 5 different varieties including Original, Apple Cinnamon, Caramel, Peach and Strawberry. Yogachips are made using a two part drying process where the apples are oven baked and then popped to a light airy chip-like snack.

INGREDIENTS:

• Apple: Organic Fuji apples.
• Apple Cinnamon: Organic Fuji apples, organic cinnamon.
• Caramel: Organic Fuji apples, caramel flavor.
• Peach: Organic Fuji apples, peach flavor.
• Strawberry: Organic Fuji apples, natural strawberry flavor.

COST: $1.29 for a .35oz bag 

ECO-PERKS:

• Certified Vegan, Kosher, Halal and Gluten-Free
• Certified organic by both USDA and EcoCert

PROS:

• The eco-aspects above are pros.
• All my taste testers, both adults and kids loved the taste and crunch of these apple chips. Even my extremely picky son Cedar, who was apprehensive and a HUGE real apple fan, ate them up. Everyone liked all the flavors, with basic apple and caramel apple as the two winning favorites.
• Much healthier than chips when you want a crunch.
• More portable than real apples to a point.
• Had more crunch than other dried fruits we’ve tried in the past.
• Tasted very fresh and the flavored ones were not TOO flavored.

CONS:

• I have no idea what they mean by “flavor” the company says there are no added preservatives or chemicals but when the package says something like “peach flavor”, that’s very vague. Not to mention that the strawberry package says, “natural strawberry flavor” while the caramel and peach simply say, “peach flavor” and “caramel flavor”. So, is the strawberry natural but not the others? UPDATE: (SEE WHAT YOGAVIVE TOLD ME ABOUT THE FLAVORING ISSUE)
• The bags are tiny. All my adult testers said it was barely a snack and that they’d have to eat a few of the smaller bags to feel like they got an entire snack – and all my adult testers were healthy active folks. My kid testers seemed more satisfied, but not by much, with the exception of Cedar (the I don’t eat much kid). The company supposedly offer larger sizes but I haven’t seen any online or in stores.
• Not a large availability – currently available in maybe 21 states in very few select stores. I only found two online retailers – Dr Soda Company and The Vegan Store. Neither of the online stores carry the larger sized bag. NOTE: Yogavive is rumored to have an online shop going up soon.
• Real apples are a good source of fiber and contain vitamin A, C, and iron. The Yogachips have fiber but lack vitamins. Although real apples also have a calorie count of about 80, you’d pack in a more nutritious and filling snack if you just ate an organic apple.

The biggest eco-bad issue by far for me is the packaging. I would buy these once in a while if I could get them in bulk – which I’m sure would make them lose some of their crispy quality, but all those little bags makes for a lot of trash. We tossed our bags into the recycling, but I’m not even sure if you can recycle the bags. The packaging has zero info about recycling and there’s nothing at the website either. I would also consider getting these in a MUCH larger bag.

OVERALL:

Four out of five happy little trees. UPDATE: This product originally scored a three, but I bumped them up a tree due to the company addressing some of my first concerns. Very few companies respond so fast to consumer questions, so this is excellent.

Below is my original scoring comments, but updated to represent their new score.

I almost gave these less than four trees because of the packaging and the fact that it’s silly to not simply eat an organic apple vs. these dried chips. However I’m giving them a four because my boyfriend’s daughter ate them. My own son was raised vegetarian and eats piles of fruits and veggies every day by choice – this is not the snack for him.

However, my boyfriend’s kids were not raised on as many veggies and fruits, and I can’t even remember seeing these kids ever eat a whole serving of fruit or vegetables. THIS is who this snack is for. These kids love chips and candy and Yogachips would be a much healthier alternative. PLUS his daughter actually ate and liked these. If you’ve got a kid who doesn’t like fruits or veggies, you should of course try to get them on board with healthier eating, but in the meantime, serving snacks like this is a good start.

So overall – I’m frowning on the packaging but they do taste great and are much healthier than many other snack choices, so I’ll suggest these for families trying to make a healthier change in their eating habits.

Visit Yogavive to learn more.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

There are lots of ways to plan an eco-friendly birthday but today it’s all about cake design. If I decide I should work on my birthday I may be back with tips; if not look for those tomorrow.

If you’re planning an eco-friendly birthday you might as well go all the way and even make it a theme party. Here are some amazing cake ideas that can help.

You have to visit Pink Cake Box to read more about this cake below. Whenever I need a cool cake for a post my first stop is always Pink Cake Box and they never disappoint.

I can’t tell if this next one is real or not but if it is real it sure is sweet.

I really love this next one.

And because it’s not all about me; here’s a super easy World Tree Cake that you and your kids can make right now.

Simple and it would look great with decorations of little frosting apples or flowers. Get instructions here.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family