NatureBox's mission is to make healthy snacking easy and affordable. Unlike other firms that package their products in bags or tin cans, the brand delivers its snacks in a lovely, tiny wooden crate. This method is not only environmentally friendly but also makes getting the goodies out of the packaging and into your mouth easier.
There has been some controversy around whether or not NatureBox vegan snacks are really vegan and cruelty-free. The brand's website states that many of its products are vegan-friendly, but there's no information about whether or not the snacks contain any animal-tested ingredients.
Such information or lack of can have you asking yourself, "is NatureBox healthy for my vegan diet?" Read on to find out more about the snack delivery service.
What Does It Mean to Be Vegan?
A vegan diet excludes all animal-originated products, including fish, meat, eggs, and dairy products. Vegans also avoid using animal-derived products such as beeswax or animal byproducts like leather or silk.
Veganism is a matter of personal convictions and habits. Many vegans opt for a vegan diet for health reasons, including lowering cholesterol, decreasing the chances of chronic illnesses like Type 2 diabetes, and less environmental pollution.
Furthermore, eating vegan effectively detoxifies your system. Read more about skin detox here.
Tips for Going Vegan
If giving up meat, eggs, and dairy has you perplexed about how to eat a nutritious, balanced diet. Here are five tips for beginning a vegan diet:
Consume Mostly Vegetables
When starting a plant-based diet, people often focus more on what they can't eat than what they can. A wonderful dinner, however, doesn't have to revolve around meat.
Vegetable-rich meals are an excellent pick on many fronts: they contain minerals like potassium and nutrients like vitamins A and K, help you stay within your calorie range, and make you feel fuller since they're rich in fiber.
Stick to Whole Grains
A vegan diet can acquire iron and B vitamins by transitioning from processed grains to whole grains. These nutrients come from processed grains. Furthermore, the fiber included in whole grains might help you feel satisfied longer and possibly lose weight.
Consume Various Food Varieties
To ensure you get all the nutrients you need on a vegan diet, eat balanced meals that contain a range of healthy foods. Beans, for example, provide protein and fiber while leafy greens are high in vitamins A, C, and K.
Red tomatoes include heart-healthy lycopene, blueberries contain brain-boosting anthocyanins, and orange sweet potatoes have plenty of vitamin A, which aids with eye health.
Plant-Based Proteins
There are numerous environmental reasons you need to stop consuming animal products.
Contrary to the public belief that vegans have difficulty acquiring enough protein, this is typically not an issue for individuals who eat a varied diet that includes plant-based protein sources on purpose.
Don’t Assume Vegan Food Is Healthier
Vegan cookies aren't inherently healthier than normal ones. For instance, Garlic bread prepared with vegan margarine isn't always better for your heart than butter-based garlic bread, because they both contain saturated fat, which you can often find in several other processed vegan cuisines.
As a new vegan, keep to whole, healthy vegan meals like hummus and carrot-rich soups. Occasionally indulging in vegan goodies is acceptable, but don't consider them healthier alternatives because they are vegan.
How to Tell if a Food Product Is Vegan
Are you thinking about adopting a vegan lifestyle but aren't sure how to identify vegan food products? The truth is that many products are tagged "vegan" due to increased demand for vegan foods.
However, the simplest method to tell if a product is vegan is to search for a 'Suitable for Vegans' label or a 'Certified Vegan' emblem.
Another helpful technique is to scan the Allergen information, an ingredients list specifying if the product includes dairy, eggs, or shellfish, and check for the green dot to determine whether it's vegetarian.
If the first two methods don't convince you, proceed to the 'ingredients list.' You may search for components that aren't vegan.
Is NatureBox Vegan?
Nature Box snacks aren't entirely vegan, but the brand has a line of natural and plant-based products that consists of fruits and nuts. So, it's safe to say that the snack-making company doesn't include animal-derived substances or by-products in their vegan foods.
Furthermore, NatureBox vegan snacks come in various types and packaging, including cashew nuts, plantain chips, dried fruit snacks, etcetera.
NatureBox vegan snacks include:
Fruit chews
Plantain chips
Kettle corn
Fruit granola bars
Pistachio powder clusters
Vegan pretzels
Is NatureBox Gluten Free?
Gluten can have major negative effects on certain people. Some people have a different reaction to gluten because their body perceives it as toxic, leading immune cells to overreact and attack it.
The body becomes a battleground if a gluten-sensitive individual continues to consume meals containing this protein, thus resulting in inflammation. Possible symptoms include hives, itchy eyes, nausea, cramps, diarrhea, swelling or itching of the tongue or neck, anaphylaxis, and diarrhea.
NatureBox claims most of its snacks are gluten-free. However, because all the brand’s snacks are packaged in facilities that also handle wheat, milk, eggs, soy, tree nuts, and peanuts, even those with ingredients not containing gluten aren't certified "gluten-free."
NatureBox gluten-free snacks include:
Kettle corn
Cashew pecan clusters
Honey cinnamon almonds
Elderberry fruit chews
Dried mango snacks
Are NatureBox Snacks Cruelty-Free?
The brand's snacks aren't entirely cruelty-free. While browsing the NatureBox snacks list, you'll encounter beef jerky eatables and honey-buttered pretzels. Also, the company's website doesn't claim the brand is cruelty-free.
Furthermore, the company isn’t certified as cruelty-free, and NatureBox's ingredient sources aren’t public, so it’s unclear if they underwent animal testing before mass production.
While you can always have a vegan NatureBox breakfast, you might want to consider an alternative snack service if you’re looking to enjoy cruelty-free meals.
What Makes a Food Product Cruelty-Free?
PETA created a certification program to ensure that the companies producing certain products don't conduct or encourage animal cruelty. Products that boast the PETA-certified cruelty-free label aren't tested on animals.
The PETA certification program includes the following standards:
Testing products on animals is prohibited
No animal farming
No using animal products in production
No confinement of hens used for egg production in cages or empty warehouses.
Firms invest lots of money into studying how their products affect humans and animals. These manufacturers typically use animals for product testing to examine how various body systems are affected. Furthermore, these tests inform the researchers of any adjustments that need to be made to their formula to prevent unfavorable impacts on humans.
Internal testing happens occasionally. However, animal testing often occurs at a third-party lab or other establishments where the animals are mistreated and kept in substandard conditions.
Besides food manufacturers, other industries that test for animal cruelty include chemicals, household cleaners, and cosmetics.
How to Know if a Product Is Cruelty-Free
The three organizations that impose strict regulations on using their recognized trademarks (Choose Cruelty-Free) are the Leaping Bunny, PETA, and CCF. When you choose a brand's product and see one of these logos, you can be 99 percent certain that it is cruelty-free.
However, be cautious of bogus logos used by any brand with dubious business practices. Furthermore, a label that says "no animal testing" or "cruelty-free" has no meaning. These claims have no established legal definition, so many manufacturers utilize them without authorization.
Verified businesses don't always prominently display their logo on the packaging, because of design considerations. Yet, firms nevertheless highlight their certifications on their websites. So, check the FAQs or About Us section of a brand's website if you have any concerns about its reliability.
These sections probably contain the information you want. If the information is unclear, always look into their parent company. Although some smaller firms don't test their goods, they are sometimes under larger companies that do.
Cruelty-Free Alternative to NatureBox
If you prefer munching on cruelty-free goodies, consider Vegancuts, a brand that solely delivers vegan and cruelty-free snacks and offers subscription plans like NatureBox.
The group aims to celebrate the vegan lifestyle regardless of its various practices and to provide reliable vegan products.
NatureBox Subscriptions
As previously mentioned, NatureBox uses a subscription-based service. If you want a selection of snacks from the catalog sent every month and you want diversity, signing up for NatureBox is the ideal option. You won't need to place new orders once you subscribe. Each package contains your favorite goodies. Furthermore, as a member, you may save around 5% on every item you purchase.
You can choose which snacks will come in each box/shipment from a comprehensive selection of over 100 items. Interestingly, you have the option of customizing your snack box to your taste.
NatureBox subscriptions also have a feature for first-timers: after receiving your order, if you don't like it, don't eat it and report to the customer care service. You'll receive store credit equivalent to the rejected snack.
Other NatureBox Snacks
NatureBox website provides over 100 different snack alternatives, including soy-free, keto-friendly, nut-free, and milk-free options.
These snacks are intended to accommodate subscribers who follow various diets. NatureBox snacks do not include any artificial flavors or sweeteners.
Conclusion
A vegan diet can provide many health benefits and also contribute to saving the environment. From the information you’ve digested so far, you can deduce that with the numerous NatureBox vegan snacks available, it’s possible to follow a veg diet without missing out on anything.
However, it hasn't been confirmed that the brand is cruelty-free and all their products are 100% vegan. So, consider other alternatives if you are looking to munch on a snack that's 100% vegan and contain ingredients that didn't undergo animal testing.
If you decide to buy from NatureBox, it's vital to note that a subscription plan offers you numerous benefits, even as a first-timer.