National Vegetarian Week – my favourite products

It’s National Vegetarian Week 2016, and I’ve been thinking about what my favourite ‘staple’ products are. Vegetarianism is nothing new to me (23 years and counting!) but I have friends and family who have decided to go veggie over recent years, and people often ask for advice. Here’s my Top 10 of favourite vegetarian friendly products, and why I love them! You can discover them with a fantastic 20% off this week.

1. Cupboard staples (and easy meals!)

Amy’s Kitchen have a lovely range of soups and chillis that I’d recommend having stocked in the cupboard any time. I’m particularly fond of the Spanish Rice and Red Bean soup. They make a very filling meal – the chilli is also good with nachos, on jacket potatoes, or with rice.

Yoghurt is a great way to make a healthy snack full of protein, but sadly I’ve spied gelatine in some ready-made ones in shops, particularly low fat versions. Now I make my own! EasiYo is a really easy way to make your own yoghurt – with original 1kg and new mini 500g makers, it’s very handy. You simply mix the yoghurt mixes with water, store in the maker overnight and it’s done! I’m a big fan of the Lemon Yoghurt and Reduced Fat yoghurt varieties.

Good old pasta is a cupboard must have for anyone, and I always have some Tree of Life Penne. It’s easy to top with vegetables, pesto or veg-friendly sauces for a quick meal. Seeds of Change Spinach Trotolle is a nice change and looks really good on the plate!

A few other favourites I usually have in the cupboard are delicious Clearspring Miso Soup (a fab low calorie snack too), Biona Cashew Nut Butter – or any of their amazing nut butters, and Organic Vegetarian Burger Mix, another handy option for quick meals.

Things to look out for: read our article from 2015 on ‘hidden ingredients’ to look out for, like gelatine and rennet.

2. Sweets and treats

Gummy and jelly sweets are often made with gelatine, and thus aren’t suitable for vegetarians. Thankfully, when you fancy a sweet fix there are loads of vegetarian ingredients for gelatine alternatives, and veggie-friendly sweets like Jealous, Sugar Sin and Biona are delicious and the Cosmic Cracker makes a great gift! Try the Sugar Sin Handmade Fruity Lollipops! A nice healthier snack – handy for workdays! – are our new Kallo Chocolate Rice Cakes. On the biscuit front, Traidcraft Chocolate Chip Cookies and Against the Grain Choc Chip & Hazelnut are far too good.

3. Beauty saviours

With no animal ingredients or animal testing involved, I absolutely love all of Green People‘s products. My favourite every day moisturiser is their Day Solution Anti-Blemish, which is brilliant for even sensitive skin. It’s the perfect partner to the luxurious, Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask which is a real treat, and the most amazingly scented mask I’ve ever tried!

Shower gels and bath product choices are plentiful, with the brilliant 100 Bodycare Strength shower gel a soothing treat for your muscles after a workout. They’re all natural and made in the UK too. Faith in Nature is another favourite UK brand with a great range of fragrances and ingredients – I’m a big fan of their shampoo and conditioners and have worked my way through most of the range in the past few years!

When it comes to make-up, I can’t recommend BM Beauty more – affordably priced, quality ingredients and fab makeup that lasts. Their Lash Thickening Mascara is always in my bag, and I’m eyeing up their super soft animal-free Foundation Brush.

New favourites:
Pacifica have a colourful range of ‘7 Free’ Nail polishes meaning they’re also free from formaldehyde, toluene and other harsh chemicals. 1972 Pool Party is my current favourite!
Suncoat nail polish remover is an amazingly clever plant-based liquid which is biodegradable and non-toxic, and with a handy pad applicator on the top too.

4. Health & supplements

I often get questions like ‘how do you get enough iron?’ or questions about vegetarian nutrition. To be perfectly honest, in all these years I haven’t needed to focus on it – I eat a decent variety of food and have never had any issues. However, there are numerous supplements available for everyone to make it easier to get a balanced diet and all the micronutrients you need.

Terranova vitamins are a great natural way to supplement your food, and I am trying the Full Spectrum Multivitamin. I’ve used the Floradix iron formula recently to try this out, and a friend of mine took it while she was pregnant as regular iron supplements weren’t allowed.

I often use a variety of superfood supplements to add to smoothies and juices, like Green Origins or Linwoods powder which taste good, and are very easily mixed in. You can even blend them into a yoghurt. My absolute favourite is Aduna Baobab ‘Superfruit’ Powder – a vitamin packed fruit that’s tasty and easily mixed.

We have a wide range of vegetarian-friendly protein in stock, and I’ve used many of the brands for post-workout protein shakes.

As you can see, there’s a huge range of vegetarian products easily available, so you won’t struggle to eat or shop veggie. It’s easy to search for exactly what you want here at Ethical Superstore – shop our Vegetarian ethics page and filter by the exact category, brand, or price you’re looking for. Let us know what your favourites or new discoveries are!