new year's resolutions Archives

Exploring plant-based foods and products gets easier every year. Welcome to Veganuary!

The New Year is a time for starting fresh. Few resolutions can make an impact in so many ways as choosing more plant-based products. Whether you are a committed vegan, or are just starting to find out more about it, London Drugs’ Veganuary event is for you.

What is vegan?

The word ‘vegan’ was coined in 1944, originally meaning “non-dairy vegetarian”. Since then, veganism has come to mean ‘a person who does not consume, use or eat any animal products’, and has grown to include subsets of dietary veganism, ethical veganism and environmental veganism. These describe three of the primary benefits of vegan choices:

Dietary Health: Although veganism can require careful planning, many say we can get all of our necessary nutrients outside of animal produce. Some studies show vegans are thinner, have lower total and LDL cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.¹

Preventing Animal Cruelty: For some, it’s a belief that all sentient creatures have a right to life. For others, affection for animals makes the idea of harming one to put food on their own plate difficult. Whatever the reason, vegan choices are animal-friendly choices.

Reduced Environmental Footprint: Animal agriculture uses a huge amount of land, water and energy. Farmed animals also generate some 14.5% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions^{. 2} Plant-based choices lessen these impacts.

Can you be ‘part’ vegan?

Generally, being ‘vegan’ is defined by completely avoiding animal products, but products that are certified as ‘vegan’ can be enjoyed by anyone. Some people decide to eat vegan once a week, others just like to work more vegan products into their lifestyle.

Check out these great Veganuary choices.

With over 100 plant-based deals in our Veganuary flyer, it’s easier than ever to choose plant-based. Here are just a few ideas:

Try vegan taco night.

Ecoideas Spicy Mexican Jackfruit Shreds have a zesty flavor and meaty texture that is a great soy and gluten free substitute for meat in numerous recipes. Pair it with Que Pasa Vegan Taco Shells and you can start a whole new trend!

Warm up with vegan soup.

Go Asian vegan with Koyo Ramen. Slurp these classic noodles in soup or break them up and eat them ‘raw’ in salads or as a fast snack.

Snack it up, vegan style!

Vegan doesn’t mean ‘no fun’! Bite into Healthy Crunch Dark Chocolate Superfoods – just 70% dark chocolate and real fruit. Vego Whole Hazelnut Chocolate Bars make a great pocket-size snack. And if you crave the savory, get a flavor and fiber blast from Solar Raw Kale Chips, in Pink Salt, Cucumber Dill or Better than Cheddar flavor.

Try vegan cleaning power.

Food isn’t the only way to go vegan. Attitude Cleaning Products can take care of all sorts of surfaces, from bathroom to kitchen and beyond. Ecomax Laundry Detergent lets you wash clothes efficiently, effectively and animal-free. And for the purist, Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Soap and Bar Soap bring the power of castile with certified fair trade ingredients and organic hemp oil.

Choose Animal-Free Beauty

There are more and more choices for vegan beauty products. Mad Hippie Skin Care is free from cruelty, parabens, petrochemicals, GMOs and more. Herbatint Hair Colour gives you 100% grey coverage with no ammonia, alcohol or parabens. Province Apothecary is made in Canada, with organic botanicals sourced from all 10 provinces.

This is just the tip of the vegan iceberg. See for yourself just how many choices you have to join the Veganuary movement. It may just become a whole way of life.

¹ Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – Health effects of vegan diets
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/89/5/1627S/4596952

² Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock: https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/

4 Tips to Help You Save Money

If you’re like one of many people who have made saving money their new year’s resolution, you’re not alone. Making small changes throughout the year can help you save big in the long run. We’ve rounded up some ways that can help you tackle your money-saving goals.

1.) Track your Expenses

It’s easy to guess how much we spend per month, but instead of guessing, get a more accurate look at your expenses. Look through your bank account or credit card statements for the month and separate them into categories so you can easily see the breakdown of your monthly spending. These categories can be things like groceries, electricity, car & gas, clothing, medical, miscellaneous, etc. This way, you can see how much money is going to each category and where you are able to cut back.

2.) Food Savings

After breaking down your expenses, you may realize you are spending way too much on going out to eat, or purchasing take out. When you factor in the price of your meal, tip and even the gas money it takes to drive to the restaurant, it can really add up. Cooking more at home is not only easier on your wallet, but it allows you to use up what you already have at home. If you’re someone who loves grabbing your fancy morning latte or lunch time cappuccino every day, why not invest in a coffee maker and milk frother for home? You can even add a few drops of vanilla, a pinch of cinnamon, or whatever flavouring you prefer to make a fancy coffee drink without having to spend a fortune in the long run.

Another way to save money regarding food purchases is to invest in items that can help prolong the shelf life of your food. FoodSaver is a food preservation system that includes vacuum seal bags, vacuum zipper bags and containers designed to work together with vacuum sealers for optimal performance. The system removes air from bags and creates an air-tight seal to lock in freshness and protect food from spoiling. As well, dehydrating fruit using a dehydrator is a great way to have an endless stash of healthy snacks!

3.) Energy Savings

If you see an opportunity to cut back on your home electricity and utilities bill, there are so many little ways you can save money in this area. These include:

Turn off any lights when they’re not being used
Unplug any unused electronics
Take shorter showers
Wash laundry in cold instead of hot water
Hang laundry to dry
Swap any old lightbulbs for energy efficient ones
Wear warm sweaters and pants or use blankets instead of tuning up the heater

BC Hydro has a full list of all the ways you can cut costs, which you can view online here. Another great way is to invest in a smart thermostat. These can be easily controlled from your phone, tablet or laptop, and can be used to check your energy history, to see how much you save and see how to save money. As well, they can turn themselves down when you leave your home.

4.) Brand Swap

We all have our tried and true favourite products that we restock or often reach for. But if your goal for 2021 is saving money, and you are struggling to find items that won’t break or break the bank, the London Drugs family of brands is for you! The line up of “by London Drugs” products offer quality items at great price points. Each line has products in different categories:

Today by London Drugs – Everyday essentials
Collection by London Drugs – A unique assortment of items, from food to home decor
Wellness by London Drugs – Vitamins, supplements and wellness products
Eco Essentials by London Drugs – Planet-friendly products
Trusted by London Drugs – Batteries and computer components
Certified Data – Computing products and accessories

We hope you found these tips helpful. Remember, you don’t have to try all of these tips at once. Start with one, and then slowly incorporate another into your lifestyle. By keeping track of your expenses and making small changes, reaching your money-saving goal for the new year may be easier than you think!

3 Easy Ways to Crush Your Goal of Drinking More Water

There are so many reasons why drinking water is important to your health. The body is made up of approximately 60% water, so it comes as no surprise that water assists with many bodily functions. These include:

helping to absorb and transport nutrients throughout the body
flushing out bodily wastes
lubricating tissues, joints, mouth and eyes
helping to regulate body temperature
boosting skin health

Drinking enough water each day can be challenging, especially for those of us who don’t normally make it a priority. That’s why we’ve collected a few tips below to help you reach your goal of staying hydrated!

1. Divide and Conquer

If your goal is to drink 8 cups of water a day, divide it up into smaller portions throughout your day to make it easier and less daunting. Set a timer and drink a cup every hour or hour and a half. If you have a big refillable water bottle, use a sharpie to create marks about 2 inches apart from each other. Make it a goal to drink to each mark every half hour or so until you have finished off 2 full bottles. Another way you can slowly drink water throughout the day is to take 2-3 big gulps every time you send a work email, check your phone or go to the bathroom. Tie it to anything you do frequently, to ensure you reach your water-drinking goals.

2. Make it FUN!

There are so many ways to make drinking water more fun, you won’t even realize you’re trying to increase your water intake! If you don’t like the flavour of water, add your own flavour. This can be done a number of different ways, like adding mint leaves, cucumber and lemon slices to your water, or purchasing water enhancing flavour drops. If you’re a soda lover, invest in a Soda Stream to add some sparkle to it!

If you like the refreshingly clean taste of H2O but need to make it a little more exciting, think outside the box. Add in fun-shaped ice cubes to your water (and flavour them while you’re at it), buy a water bottle that changes colour with temperature, drink out of a crazy straw, fill your fanciest wine glass with water, whatever you need to do to feel bougie as you make every sip of water count!

3. Use an App

If you’re still really struggling despite breaking down your water-drinking to smaller chunks, or making it more exciting, it may be time to reach for an app for a bit of assistance. Here are just some hydration apps that can help:

Daily Water Tracker Reminder is one to download, as it allows you to set your daily water intake goal and then log every ounce (or milliliter) with just a tap. You can also see your progress after every glass to see how close you are to reaching to your daily goal.

Hydro Coach is a great hydration app, as it will remind you when it’s time to drink up, and it can even be customized if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.

Plant Nanny2 is one of the cuter hydration apps, as it not only reminds you to drink water throughout the day and tracks you water intake, but each glass also waters your virtual plants in the app! The more you drink, the more your plant garden thrives!

Regardless of what you do to help you reach your water intake goals, the important thing is to stick with whatever works for you. Good luck and stay hydrated!

New Year’s Giveaway

New Year’s Giveaway – Official Rules

To enter:

Whether your New Year’s resolution is to focus on fitness and nutrition, prioritizing your mental health, or even taking up a new hobby, tell us in the comments below and you could win one 1 of 2 $50 London Drugs gift cards!

Participating and entering in this promotion is considered a complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant. It is also an acknowledgement that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook.

Contest Dates: Jan 1 – 15, 2021

No purchase necessary. Limit one (1) entry per social network per contest. Limit one (1) prize may be won per household. Entries must be received no later than 11:59 pm Pacific Time on Jan 15, 2021, 11:59pm PST. London Drugs is not responsible for entries that become lost or misdirected.
Contest is open to all residents of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba who, as of the date the prize draw is made: (i) have not won a London Drugs contest since Jan 15, 2020; (ii) have reached the age of majority in the province in which they reside as at Jan 1, 2021 (iii) are not employees of London Drugs, their respective advertising and promotional agencies, the independent judging organization (if any), or any family member living with any such employee.
The winners will be randomly chosen on the day the contest ends (see dates below) in Vancouver, British Columbia, from all eligible entries received per contest. To win, selected entrants must have correctly answered the skill-testing mathematical question on the entry for on the online entry form and must sign London Drug’s declaration and release confirming compliance with the contest rules and acceptance of the prize(s) as awarded, releasing London Drugs from liability in association with the contest and prize and consenting to the use of their name, photograph, voice and statements for promotional and publicity purposes.
There will be 2 (two) prize(s) awarded to 2 (two) winners: each receiving a London Drugs Gift Card valued at $50. Prize(s) must be accepted as awarded, are non-transferable and no substitutions are permitted. London Drugs reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value should any prize become unavailable for any reason. Prize will be awarded at the closest London Drugs location to the winner.

Contests dates: Jan 1 – 15, 2021

Draw Date: 12:00 PM Pacific Time: Jan 18, 2021

Selected entrants will be contacted by email, or social network they were drawn from. No correspondence will be entered into except with selected entrants. If the winner does not respond then she/he will be notified for the second time, 3 (three) days after the first notification. If the winner still does not respond within 3 days of the second notification, a new winner will be chosen in the same manner until a winner is successfully contacted.
The chances of winning a prize will depend on the number of eligible entries received. Decisions of the judges in respect of all aspects of this contest including, but not limited to, eligibility of entries and correctness of answers given to the skill-testing question, are final.
London Drugs, their respective advertising and promotional agencies, the independent judging organization, and their respective agents are not liable to an entrant in any manner relating to the contest or the awarding and use of the prize(s).
This contest is subject to all federal, provincial, and municipal laws and regulations. By entering the entrant consents to the collection of all personal information included on their entry and agrees to the use and disclosure of such information by and between London Drugs and their agents. The winner(s) also agrees to the collection, use and disclosure of their name, entry, photographs, voice and statements for London Drugs’ publicity purposes without further compensation. All personal information collected from entrants will be used only for the purposes of administering the contest and for marketing and promotional purposes as contemplated by these rules; under no circumstances will any personal information be sold or rented to third parties. All personal information collected by London Drugs will be kept in accordance with the privacy policy of London Drugs, which can be viewed at londondrugs.com, and in accordance with all applicable privacy laws.
The right is reserved by London Drugs to terminate this contest, in whole or in part, and/or modify, amend or suspend the contest, and/or these rules in any way, should any cause beyond the reasonable control of London Drugs or its agents affect the proper administration thereof.

Statement of Declaration and Release

All selected entrants will be required to sign the Statement of Declaration and Release attached before they can be declared a winner and receive a contest prize.

7 Resolutions for Beauty Buffs

The New Year is a time to look back on the past year, reminisce and maybe resolve to make positive changes. That includes ditching bad beauty habits. London Drugs Beauty Advisors have rounded up the top beauty resolutions from developing a good skincare regimen to tossing expired makeup.

Invest in a good skincare regimen

It’s time to take better care of your skin. This year, invest in a quality skincare regimen that will keep your skin healthy and looking great. NeoStrata’s Glycolic Renewal and Night Repair creams will exfoliate dead skin cells for more radiant and younger looking skin. If you have dry, sensitive, or acne-prone skin, try one of Bioderma’s skincare lines which will target your specific skin concern.

The right tools can also improve your skincare routine dramatically. The Philips PureRadiance Facial Cleansing System is 10 times more effective than hand cleansing, thanks to its vibrating and rotating brush.

Exploring plant-based foods and products gets easier every year. Welcome to Veganuary!