New Every Day Sales: Garden of Life’s “My Kind” Organic Line, and More

We know how difficult things can be and how prices have gone up everywhere, but we really believe that supplements and natural foods are important, so we're trying to make things more affordable for everyone.

I'm not sure if you checked out our food prices lately, but they're pretty great, especially our sales- I've gone to other grocery stores to compare and would definitely say ours are better on an item by item basis (which was definitely not always the case- especially a few years ago).

We also have two new big everyday sales to announce for 2023, Garden of Life's "My Kind" line, along with an assortment of other Garden of Life products that we especially recommend, that will now be on everyday sale for 20% off. I do really like Garden of life, but they are pricey (if they're reading this, I apologize, but it's true), we've been working with them for a while and have been able to secure a discount for our customers that we're passing along.

Also, Country Life's is a brand we really like, that has quite a few unique products that we’d recommend. We've been working with them to be able to get a discount to be able to pass on to customers for a number of their best-selling products, including their Core One multivitamins that are a big customer favorite starting in January, so be on the lookout for that.

So please, if you haven't been to the store in a while, stop by and check us out. We have tons of everyday sales on the majority of our most recommended products and we have great monthly food sales throughout the store. As a small business, it's sometimes hard to compete sometimes with huge companies like Walmart or Amazon, but we're doing our best trying to make things affordable for everyone, since we really do believe in the real benefits of natural supplements and natural foods.

Stop by and see us at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights. In January we’ll be celebrating 28 years in Palos Heights as a women owned small business!

Store Hours Change

We have decided to switch the day that we stay open later from Fridays to Thursdays. We’ve had customer feedback that Thursday would be better as our late day, so we decided to switch.  Beginning this week, Thursday July 7th, we will be open until 7pm and will close at our regular time of 5:30pm on Fridays. We hope the change makes things more convenient for everyone!

Organic Wine Tasting- July 9th

We’ve had many customers request it, so we will be having another large organic wine tasting at the store on Saturday, July 9th from 11-3. We will be focusing primarily on white and rose wines for summer, but should have a couple reds to sample as well. Please be sure to mark your calendars, it should be a nice time and a good way to taste a variety of organic wines from around the world.

We’re at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights, I hope we see you there!

Masks No Longer Required at Pass Health Foods

What a time it’s been with Covid. Things really seem like they’re turning a corner lately, and we hope it stays that way. We just took down the plexiglass barriers by our registers that we put up nearly two years ago- it felt so odd at first with them gone.

Since the indoor mask mandate has been lifted and the Covid numbers have gone down so much, masks will no longer be required at Pass Health Foods for shoppers or staff. We have told our staff that they should make the decision that they feel comfortable with for themselves. We will respect our staff and customers individual decisions with what they feel comfortable with in regard to wearing a mask. I know some people can’t wait to be done with them, while others still feel safer wearing them, since we’ve worn them for so long. I think it’s going to take a while for everyone to get back to normal, and for things to really feel normal.

We appreciate each of our customers for continuing to support us through a trying two years. Additionally, we will continue to offer curb side pickup for customers who prefer it. Thanks again for your support, we wouldn’t be here without you.

Event Cancellation & Masks

Due to new vaccination requirements in Cook County for certain activities, we have chosen to cancel our wine tasting that had been planned for Friday, January 7th.

We also wanted to reiterate our mask policy at the store, that everyone shopping at the store will need to wear a mask in accordance with state and local laws. We had relaxed our stance a bit in the past, usually wanting to avoid confrontations with customers not wearing masks, but with increased Covid positivity rates we will be going back to asking each person to please wear a mask while shopping in the store. We have masks available if needed.

Additionally, we will continue to offer curbside pickup for customers who prefer it, just give us a call at the store at 708-448-9114 and we will help you with collecting your order and then will bring it out to your car when you arrive.

We really appreciate your help with this and for supporting us! ❤️

Our New Natural Liquor Section!

We are so excited to announce (drum roll please….) that we have been approved for our liquor license at the store! We’ve gathered a curated selection of organic, vegan, and sulfite-free wines; local organic beer; certified gluten-free beer; and local craft ciders. You can see our entire current collection on our website here. It’s best viewed on a desktop to be able to search through the different categories, but on mobile phones there will be a small plus sign to click to show the different categories and the individual products for each.

Organic Wine & Beer Catalog

Organic, Vegan, & Sulfite-Free Wines

As someone who’s been a vegetarian for nearly 20 years, it’s kind of embarrassing that I’ve only just discovered in the past few weeks that wines could not be vegan (since they’re obviously not made from ham or what have you), but it turns out that most wines use animal products like gelatin, egg whites, the swim bladders of fish, or milk proteins in their production processes. The processing varies from winery to winery, but it’s generally not something that’s advertised (probably because the idea is definitely a turn off). Those animal products are used during something called the “fining” process, which helps to produce a “crystal clear” wine. Those animal products are removed before bottling, but many people (including me) would prefer to choose wines that do not use those animal products in their production. Additionally, people who are Jewish or Muslim may wish to choose a vegan wine since the types of gelatin used in the production are usually unknown.

Another thing we have looked for is for no sulfite-added wines. Sulfites are a type of preservative added to most wines. Some people aren’t bothered by added sulfites, but for others, sulfites can cause headaches. People with asthma can also occasionally have negative effects from sulfites. Everyone’s body is different, but I do feel better after drinking a sulfite-free wine when compared to conventional wines.

Our new wine section has special labels underneath each wine with a short description but also logos that denote if a wine is vegan or sulfite-free (90% of our wines are vegan and sulfite-free). Our wine list on our website (see our red wines here and our white wines here) also lists if a wine is vegan or has sulfites.

Local, Organic Beer

We also have a wonderful local organic line of beer that we’ve brought in called LaGrow that’s made in Chicago. They’re a small, family-owned business and we’re really glad to support them (plus their beer-especially their stout- is absolutely delicious). They were actually the first USDA Certified Organic Brewery in Chicago. We’ve talked to the LaGrow brothers are they are really nice people, so we’re thrilled to have their products at the store!

Gluten Free Beer

Conventional beer is made from wheat and barley, which is fine unless you are sensitive to gluten or have Celiac. There are a number of beers on the market that are called “gluten reduced” which add an enzyme that helps to break down some of the gluten in the beer, but those beers are still made from barley and wheat. The gluten-free beers that we’ve brought in are made from gluten-free ancient grains and have been certified to be gluten-free and safe for people with Celiac or wheat allergies.

I wasn’t sure what gluten-free beer would taste like, but after sampling them, I was impressed by how delicious they were! We will actually be sampling some of our gluten-free beer on Friday, December 3rd at the store from 5-8 and also at our ribbon-cutting event for the new section on Saturday, December 11th from 11-2 (click here for more information on the event and tastings).

Local Craft Cider

We wanted to sell a hard cider as another option for our gluten-free customers, and we found a local Chicago small cidery that we’ve brought in called Right Bee Cider. They have the cutest story:

“Boy meets girl. Boy makes cider to woo girl. Now he's right beside her. Right Bee Cider. What started as a romantic gesture grew into Chicago's FIRST cidery, owned and operated by a local husband and wife team. Small batches, small business, and a ton of love sent your way with every sip.”

Their ciders are absolutely delicious, so we’re really glad that we found them and have been able to connect with them to be able to carry their products!

See our entire catalog of organic and natural wine and beer (including pricing) here.

Note: If you’re on a mobile phone, click on the small “+” in the upper right-hand corner to see the different sections of the catalog.

Stop by to see us at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights

We offer curb-side pickup!

Mask Mandates at Pass Health Foods

What a year this has been, but we are so incredibly grateful that things are starting to get back to normal little by little. 

We wanted to address new mask recommendations by the CDC for vaccinated people, and just say that regardless if laws change in our town or state in the coming weeks, we will still require masks to be worn at Pass Health Foods. 

We have many children and other medically vulnerable people who come into our store, and we want Pass Health Foods to continue to be a safe place to be for everyone. We will not be checking people for vaccination cards now or ever, so we ask that everyone please continue to wear masks while shopping in the store.  Additionally, we will continue to offer curb side pickup if you prefer.

We really appreciate each of you, and thank each of you in advance for helping us to keep everyone safe.

Dangers of Buying Supplements Online

Online shopping has exploded in popularity, and understandably so, particularly in this crazy time. I just wanted to mention some new research that has come out which was undertaken by NOW Foods, a local company with quality supplements.

The trouble with all natural supplements is that they are not regulated by the FDA in the same way that pharmaceuticals are, and because of that, many companies have sprung up putting out products that do not match what it says on the label- in many cases having different, lower strengths of ingredients (if it even contained any at all).

This is why it’s important to buy supplements from reputable sellers with reputable brands. You’re not really saving anything buying a cheap product online if it doesn’t really contain the right active ingredients.

This report is NOW’s fifth in 2020 regarding suspect brands whose main sales appear to be on Amazon. Previous reports include: CoQ10, Acetyl-l-Carnitine, SAMe and Phosphatidyl Serine, and now they have just put out a new report on the findings of online Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) supplements (you can follow the links for the individual articles) that found that the products tested averaged less than 50% of the potency advertized on the labels.

Without a doubt shopping online is convenient, but when it comes to supplements, I’d steer clear due to the fact of so many unscrupulous sellers. Also, it’s not just weird brands selling fake supplements, but there have been problems on Amazon that the company has admitted to where Amazon sellers were selling counterfeit supplements of well known brands by relabeling or resealing products with adulterated pills. Even when online sellers are selling genuine products, there can be issues with how supplements are stored and at what temperature, damaging the ingredients-probiotics in particular, but it holds true for all supplements.

Online shopping is a reality of 2020, we just advise caution in regards to supplements.

To make shopping at our store easier, while we will remain open to customers coming in the store, we do also offer curb side pickup, where you can call or email to place an order or ask questions and we will bring it out to your car when you arrive. We can do so in a way that is entirely contactless if desired, putting the bag in your trunk or backseat. Additionally, you can read about our ongoing store safety procedures here.

Call the store to place an order at 708-448-9114 and we will run it out to your car when you arrive. We have a product catalog of our recommended products that you can see on our website here.

We're Reopening on June 1st!

We are excited to announce that beginning June 1st, Pass Health Foods will be reopening to the public with extended modified hours- we will be open from 10-4 Monday through Saturday.

Face masks that cover the nose and mouth will be required to shop in the store, though we will also have inexpensive face masks for purchase. We will have a basket of individual $1 face masks outside of our door. If you do not have a face mask, please take one to put on before entering the store, and you can pay for it with your other purchases.

Maintaining social distancing while shopping is also very important, and we ask for everyone’s help in ensuring that everyone stays safe. This is a new experience for all of us, so we appreciate your patience in navigating these uncharted waters.

We will have hand sanitizer at our entrance and at both registers that we encourage everyone to use as they enter the store and during check out.

The health of our staff and customers is of our utmost importance, and we will be doing everything we can to ensure that everyone stays healthy and that our store is a safe place to be, including regular cleaning and sanitizing practices, plexiglass counter guards, and social distancing. Even with those measures, however, we do recommend that at-risk groups like the elderly or those with compromised immune systems continue to choose our curb side pickup option.

We will continue to offer curb side pickup for the foreseeable future, so to place an order for pick up, please call the store at 708-448-9114 or email us at passhealthfoods@gmail.com and we will bring your order our to your car when you arrive.

Also, while we’ve been closed, we’ve been trying to make improvements to the store, so this terrible time isn’t a complete waste- we have switched all the lighting in the store to environmentally friendly LED lights and are working on installing new flooring. This is not how we anticipated out 25th Anniversary Year to go, but we are very grateful to have such wonderful customers who continue to support us during this crazy time.

Regarding face masks, we do have a supply of surgical masks available at the store if you need to purchase a mask. Additionally, we have ordered masks for our personal use from a woman on a website called Etsy and have been very pleased with them. They have straps that go behind the head which I believe are more comfortable that those that go behind the ears. We aren’t in any way affiliated with her store, I just wanted to share a link to the ones we ordered since they are well made and fit better than others I’ve tried (here’s the link to the masks).