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Be a Smart Grocery Shopper: Your Health and Wallet Will Thank You!

One everyday aspect of normal life that’s really been put under the microscope recently is grocery shopping. With the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic came a lot of panicked stockpiling and associated fears of food shortages. While things have stabilized quite a bit compared to what was going on earlier this year, it caused many shoppers to evaluate their grocery buying habits. How can you buy the healthiest food for your family while saving money at the same time?

There are many ways to shop smarter the next time you visit your local supermarket:

Cut out the processed food.

Processed food might be cheaper and easier to prepare, as it usually comes in packaged form and might just take a zap in the microwave or a bit of hot water to make. But it’s definitely not healthier. Do your best to limit the amount of processed food you buy, and look toward whole food options instead — focus on purchasing whole grains, lean proteins, and fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods are not only healthier, they’ll help you to feel more satisfied longer, reducing cravings and the desire to eat more unhealthy snacks.

Shop seasonal produce.

Try to purchase produce that’s in-season, rather than out-of-season fruits and veggies. If something is out-of-season, it’s harder for the grocery store’s supplier to the source; therefore, it’s more expensive when it hits the shelf. Plus, in-season produce is fresher. So, you’re getting fresher produce at a better price — what do you have to lose?

Everything does not have to be organic.

Bear in mind that food does not have to be organic to be healthy. Organic foods are grown without pesticides, GMOs, fertilizers, and other products, which is undoubtedly healthier. But other foods — things like whole grains, beans, or peanut butter — are just as healthy as something labeled “organic,” and they’re less expensive. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that everything you purchase needs to be organic to be healthy; your wallet will thank you.

Buy in bulk when you can.

Another one of the golden rules when it comes to saving money, whether it’s groceries or just about anything else, is to buy in bulk. Canned goods, dried foods, and other food that won’t spoil over time is great for bulk-buying — you’ll be able to stretch that supply out for a long time, making for significant cost-savings in the long term.

Change Your Grocery Shopping for the Better

The next time you visit the grocery store, shop smart. Have a plan before entering the store, and you’ll find that you come out with a lot more healthy options and a little more cash in your pocket at the same time.

The Best Strategies for Placing Vending Machines in a Post-COVID World

Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn — not to mention governmental social distancing guidelines — has changed the nature of the vending machine industry somewhat, the business remains attractive to entrepreneurs for one simple reason: it’s profitable! And it turns out that vending machines are still doing good business even given the current restrictions. Placing your machines effectively, however, is a little different than it was a few months ago.

Let’s take a look at the best strategies for placing your machines in a post-COVID world.

It’s All About Traffic

One golden rule of vending machine operation hasn’t changed: foot traffic is the name of the game. It’s just that where foot traffic is found might be a bit different now. The basic idea is still the same because you need to find areas where a large number of people walk by on a daily basis. Those individuals may make an impulse buy if they see something that catches their eye, or they might get into a habit of purchasing from a vending machine regularly, perhaps on their lunch break or on their way into work or school.

But where is foot traffic found now? Places like schools, office buildings, and gyms are likely to be dead zones now that social distancing measures and government lockdowns prevent people from gathering in large groups. But that doesn’t mean that everywhere is a bust. Foot traffic is still high in other places, like apartment complexes (people still need to live somewhere, after all), industrial parks and factories, hotels, public parks, etc. It just might take a little out-of-the-box thinking and extra research to find those areas where foot traffic is still high.

Consider the Competition

Something else that hasn’t changed when it comes to placing your vending machines is the fact that it’s important to evaluate the competition. While it’s always profitable and ideal to be the first vending operator to secure a location, thereby capitalizing on that foot traffic before anyone else does, you can also place your machines in areas where other operators’ machines already exist. You just have to offer something that they don’t. That “something” might be a more varied selection, healthy vending options, easier payment methods, lower prices… there are many ways to set yourself apart.

Think About Essential Businesses

Remember that many places of work are still operating as normal, simply because they have to for the benefit of everyone. These essential businesses include places like hospitals, doctor’s offices, and supermarkets — the essential workers staffing these establishments need your vending products now more than ever.

Want Help With Placement?

If finding great vending machine locations in a post-COVID world sounds like a daunting task, don’t worry. We’re here to help. Naturals2Go can help you place your machines in the most profitable locations and get started on your path to vending machine success.

Has the Consumption of Processed Foods Increased?

Most of us are aware that processed foods aren’t very good for us. These foods include things like packaged baked goods, sugary cereals, ready-to-eat meals packed full of additives, dehydrated soups, and fizzy and sugary drinks. If you’re trying to be conscious of your health and wellness, limiting the consumption of these types of foods is a great place to start. But has the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in the consumption of processed foods?

Are People Eating More Processed Foods?

The jury is still out on whether or not the consumption of processed foods has officially gone up during the pandemic – further study will be warranted as the pandemic ceases before we’re able to see facts and figures. But simple common sense tells us that, more than likely, consumption of this type of food has gone up. This is for two reasons:

One, processed foods tend to keep far longer than fresh food, and as many worry about food shortages and try to stockpile what they can, they’re buying more processed foods. Secondly, processed foods are often just easier than cooking a full meal at home. It’s far simpler to turn to packaged foods and snacks when you’re stuck at home, reliving the same day over and over again.

The Risks of Too Much Processed Foods

A study performed by researchers in France and Brazil recently found that a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was linked with significantly higher rates of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Essentially, as the amount of processed food in the diet goes up, the risk of health problems – and even death – increases dramatically. While eating the occasional baked good or bag of potato chips certainly won’t do you major harm, it’s not wise to make it a habit.

Eating Right at Home

Although we’re still learning more and more about the risks associated with processed foods, and it’s still unclear how the pandemic may be affecting the amount of processed food consumed, one thing is for sure: processed foods should be consumed in moderation. Make your own healthy meals at home with fresh ingredients, as often as you can – your family will thank you.

Make Health a Priority

Do you part to minimize processed foods in your home – buy fresh ingredients instead and prioritize your health with wholesome meals. Don’t let the pandemic ruin your health and wellness!

Best Practices to Manage Your Vending Machine’s Inventory

A basic rule of any business model is to meet your consumer’s demands, especially as those demands change and evolve. In the world of healthy vending, you’re always trying to stock your machines in such a way that it provides the best possible products for your customers while also being a smart business decision. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has adjusted our way of life – and demonstrated how vending machines continue to serve customers well through tough times – it may be time to adjust the way you think about your inventory.

Let’s take a look at some quick tips for best managing your machines’ inventory during the pandemic.

Do Your Research

Market research is always a sensible thing to do in order to give your customers what they want and need. It’s all the more important now. A lot of this depends on where your particular machines are placed. Who are the customers who are using your machines? What are their demographics? What types of products have been bought up the fastest in the past? Is there something extremely popular that you find yourself constantly restocking? Asking yourself questions like these will help you to adjust your inventory as necessary as time moves forward.

THINK ABOUT ESSENTIAL WORKERS

Remember that essential workers may very well be using your machines to keep them fueled while on-the-go. This is, of course, especially true if your machines are located in hospitals or healthcare facilities, but remember that essential workers might use a vending machine in all sorts of places – in the lobby of a middle school when they’re picking up their child, for example. If you can do your part to keep essential workers fed and fueled during this time, why wouldn’t you?

Keep It Healthy and Quick

At the end of the day, following the simple rule of keeping your inventory healthy, portable, and easy to consume is always a safe bet. People turn to vending machines for something easy and quick, but they don’t always want junk food. In fact, consumers are looking for healthy snacks or even small meals that will keep them well-fed without ruining their diet – or making a mess.

Healthy Vending Options to Stock Your Machines

Remember: it’s completely up to you what you decide to stock your machines with. It depends on your demand! Take a look at Naturals2Go’s healthy vending options to decide what you’ll put in your healthy vending machines.

Finding a “New Normal” Fitness Routine

It goes without saying that recent world events have changed our daily lives in a myriad of ways. Fitness is one of them – it’s a safe bet that your fitness routine has been forced to adjust these last few months. Those who love going to the gym have had a rough go of it, as gyms and workout facilities have been forced to shutter until social distancing restrictions ease and it’s safe to gather again.

So what can you do to build a new fitness routine? Here are a few suggestions:

Exercise At Home

The obvious choice for fitness during a time like this is to exercise at home. You can lift free weights in your basement; do push-ups and sit-ups on the living room floor; use a stationary bike to get that cardio workout in. If it helps, move some furniture aside in a particular room and designate it as your “home gym” for a few months. Make a point to get a workout in on a regular basis, even if the schedule is modified a bit from your normal routine. It’s okay to adjust things a little bit – after all, these are unprecedented times.

Use the Great Outdoors

Remember that you have the great outdoors at your disposal. While it may be tough to socially distance depending on where you live and what your neighborhood is like, you almost certainly have some open space nearby that you could use to exercise in. Even if you can’t go for a jog in a local park or around your block, simply doing some aerobics in your backyard can do wonders for your physical health and mental well-being. Don’t underestimate the power of fresh air!

Have an Accountability Partner

Let’s face it: it can be very difficult to muster up the motivation to work out regularly during times like these, especially if you’re working at home and aren’t able to go to the gym. It can be very helpful to have an accountability partner to keep you on track. That person could be your partner, a friend, a family member or neighbor, or just about anyone else. It could even be a reminder on your phone! Having that accountability on a regular basis can help you make this new routine a habit.

Don’t Give Up

It’s not easy to adjust to a new way of living. And your fitness routine may be one of the first causalities. But as you implement a new fitness routine, stick with it as best you can – if you give up, you’ll just have to start all over!

Start Your New Routine Today

There’s no time like the present to get started on a “new normal” when it comes to your fitness. Buckle down and start your new routine today.

Business Opportunities for a Post-COVID Life

The unprecedented scale and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way businesses operate across all kinds of industries. And we’ve seen that some business models and services are hit hard, while others persevere. “Unattended retail” businesses, as they’re sometimes called, are in high demand right now because they have a unique ability to survive a pandemic and the resulting economic downturn.

Set It and Forget It

“Unattended retail” is just what it sounds like – a business that’s able to function in an unattended way, without the need for a human running things on the front end. The ability to “set it and forget it” is a great business model for a situation like a pandemic, in which people aren’t conducting business transactions the way they used to. Customers can simply interact with the technology (whether it’s through a mobile service, or a touch screen ordering system, for instance) and receive their goods or services, all without having a human facilitating the transaction on the other end.

Contactless Service

As sanitation and cleanliness reign supreme as the pandemic wears on, the need for contactless service has also arisen. Contactless service means, of course, not having a human being handle goods while passing them off to the customer so as to prevent the spread of germs. This is especially important in the food industry – businesses are trying to limit human contact when passing plates, bags of food, groceries, etc. from an employee to a customer. We’ve seen many restaurants and grocery stores, as well as businesses outside of the food industry, modify their service models to accommodate this need.

Essential Service

Speaking of the food industry, we must remember that it is, in many ways, an essential service. And that’s why it’s so important for there to be unattended retail options in the food realm – customers, many times essential workers themselves who are serving in hospitals or on the front lines, need to eat, after all!

The Healthy Vending Industry is the Answer

The healthy vending industry meets all of these requirements, making it the perfect business opportunity for a post-COVID life. Vending machines were unattended retail, contactless businesses long before the pandemic struck! And they provide an essential service that will still be needed long after the pandemic is over.

Are you interested in the healthy vending field? It’s the perfect business opportunity to help you thrive in these unprecedented times. Contact Naturals2Go to learn more.

Exploring Today’s Healthy Living Trends

Healthy living isn’t just a fad — it’s a lifestyle that more and more individuals and families are implementing into their standard routine. For obvious reasons, health and wellness have become even more of a priority as 2020 rolls on. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular and beneficial healthy living trends that are almost certainly here to stay.

Plant-Based Diet

The sale and consumption of plant-based foods are likely to continue rising as time goes on. Vegetarianism has been popular for years, but it’s becoming more and more mainstream and less and less fringe. And with more meatless and meat-substitute options out there than ever before, eating a largely plant-based diet is easier than it’s ever been. And a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle isn’t just healthy for you — it’s good for the environment, nature, and the world as a whole.

Natural Remedies

More and more individuals are looking for natural remedies versus prescription medications, especially as our healthcare structure continues to change, and as we learn more about the potentially harmful side effects of certain prescription drugs. Natural supplements and herbs, probiotics, and things like collagen are seeing increased sales as people turn to healthy and all-natural solutions, especially in a preventative context.

Plenty of Sleep

We know more now than we ever have about the importance of sleep. It’s vital to just about every bodily function! Coupled with a great diet and regular exercise, a solid sleep schedule is now seen as one of the most important factors for a healthy life. So make a point to get the sleep you need as 2020 rolls on — it’s good for you in every way.

CBD Products

CBD oil itself, as well as foods, beverages, and other products that contain it, has become extremely popular in recent years. Many consumers are seeing it as a valuable alternative to medication, or simply as a way to combat problems like anxiety in a natural way. And as legislation across the country continues to evolve, CBD products and even products that contain THC — the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana — are being sold in greater quantities in more places than ever.

Work/Life Balance

Both employees and employers are now seeing the essential benefits of a proper work/life balance. Overworking only results in burnout and poor efficiency — that’s not good for individuals or companies. This is one healthy living trend that’s good for everyone, so expect to see more and more of it as time goes on.

What healthy living trend are you planning on trying next?

Stick to it and see how it benefits the health and well-being of you and your family members.

Couple Goals: Why They Should Include Starting a Vending Business

Have you ever considered making your life partner your business partner? Now is the perfect time to do it — after all, you’ve had a lot of time recently to discuss your personal and professional goals. For many couples, partnering up to run a successful vending machine operation is the perfect business venture. Here’s why:

Costs Are Low

All things considered, the costs involved in launching and maintaining a vending machine business are low. It’s a cheap process to maintain your machines, stock your inventory, and track your sales. And if you need tech support or help with placement, you’re completely covered (more on that later!). For a couple, launching a business venture, low startup costs are a good thing, especially in these difficult financial times.

Management is Easy

Another good thing about starting a vending business with your life partner is the relaxed management approach. Think about the life cycle of a vending machine and its inventory: a customer uses the machine, gets their product, and the machine collects payment. You and your life partner are just responsible for keeping the machines stocked and collecting the profits. That ease of management is a great thing for a couple and reduces the risk of conflict or disagreements related to the business.

Scaling Up or Down is Simple

Couples will also enjoy the ability to scale up or down as necessary once their vending machine business becomes profitable. If you want to scale up, simply find more locations, place and stock the machines, and watch the profits roll in. If you need to scale back, all you have to do is remove a few machines. It’s up to you to add as much or little to your workload as suits your lifestyle.

Support is Always Available

One difficult thing about running a business venture with your life partner is that you have to deal with any and all issues yourselves. If you launch a healthy vending machine business with Naturals2Go, you don’t have to worry about that. Our 24/7 operator support is here to assist with technical problems and product sourcing information; we also offer lifetime coaching to help you with whatever you may need. And our location professionals will come to your city to find the most ideal placements for your machine.

Achieve Your Goals

Launching a business venture with your life partner may not be something you’ve considered before, but make no mistake: the healthy vending business is the perfect vehicle for success. Contact Naturals2Go today to learn more and get started.

Foods That Boost Your Immune System

If there’s one thing we’ve all been focused on this year, it’s our health. Now is a great time to make sure your immune system is in tip-top shape. But even if we weren’t in the midst of a global pandemic, eating healthy and keeping your immune system firing on all cylinders is always a good idea! Here are five great food choices for boosting your immune function:

Spinach

Spinach is jam-packed with great nutrients like vitamins A and C, folate, magnesium, iron, and fiber. These nutrients are essential for cell division, DNA repair, and immune functionality. To get the maximum nutritional benefit from spinach, eat it raw (perhaps in a salad or as a sandwich topper) or lightly cooked. And don’t forget that you can use spinach in dips, lasagna, soups, and a variety of other dishes.

Berries

Many types of berries — especially blueberries, acai berries, and elderberries — are considered “superfoods.” This is mostly due to these berries’ high concentration of antioxidants, which boost immunity and lower inflammation in the body by fighting off free radicals, or disease-causing agents. Some studies have even demonstrated that elderberries reduce the longevity of cold and flu symptoms!

Sweet Potatoes

If you’re going to eat potatoes, making it a sweet potato is a healthier option. That’s because sweet potatoes have an incredibly high vitamin A content, plus vitamin C and fiber. And sweet potatoes are fat- and cholesterol-free, so you don’t have to worry about the unhealthy parts of your meal while getting some great immune boosting.

Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables out there. It’s full of nutrients like vitamin C, various B vitamins, beta-carotene, magnesium, zinc, iron, and potassium, and it contains a powerful antioxidant called glutathione. All of this combines to make one great food for immune function! And broccoli makes for a versatile, tasty vegetable that you can include in salads, soups, casseroles, or simply as a tasty side dish.

Oysters

There are other options out there besides fruits and vegetables when it comes to great foods for the immune system. Oysters, believe it or not, are fantastic immune boosters — they contain 190% of the necessary daily value of selenium, and also offer plenty of other nutrients like iron, vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc, and protein. So don’t feel guilty about that oyster appetizer, because it’s actually quite good for you!

Stay Healthy

These aren’t the only foods out there that are great for immune system health. Do your research to find out what kind of superfoods will work best for your lifestyle and family. And enjoy!