Passing on better choices to the next generation
Long before a table is set or a meal is shared, someone has stocked the pantry, filled the fruit bowl, and tucked snacks into the cupboard. The first people we learn to care for aren’t our guests—they’re the family we come home to every day.
Perhaps that’s why grocery shopping has become one of my favorite rituals. Not because I enjoy running errands, but because every trip is another opportunity to care for the people I love.
These days, when we walk into Healthy Options, my daughters know exactly where they’re headed. One reaches for her favorite snacks, another looks for the vitamins she’s taken since she was little, and my eldest has started reading ingredient labels out of curiosity.
Watching them, I realize they aren’t simply choosing products—they’re learning to make thoughtful choices for themselves.
A brand that grows with you
Healthy Options has grown alongside us, too. These days, it even has its own butcher—a reminder of how much it has evolved over the years.
Healthy Options was founded in 1995 by lifelong friends Romy Sia and Christian Tan after a deeply personal experience. When Sia’s young son developed severe food allergies, he struggled to find food free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. His search became the inspiration for creating a place where Filipino families could shop with confidence—knowing that every product met thoughtful standards for quality and ingredient integrity.
And 30 years later, that same philosophy continues to guide the company.
I discovered Healthy Options when I was in high school. At the time, parenting and wellness were still chapters of my life waiting to be written. I was simply drawn to the store because it felt refreshingly different.
It was where I first tried almond milk, explored different teas, discovered interesting snacks like apple chips, and developed a curiosity for ingredients from around the world.
Looking back, I wasn’t just shopping. I was learning. But as the years passed, my reasons for returning changed.
When I became a wife and later a mother of three, grocery shopping stopped being just another errand. Every item that went into the cart became part of our family’s everyday life. Parenthood has a way of making ordinary decisions feel meaningful because today’s groceries become tomorrow’s breakfasts, lunchboxes, family dinners, and after-school snacks.
Making thoughtful choices wherever we shop
Like most families, we don’t buy everything from one grocery store. We still shop at the supermarket, visit the wet market, wander through local weekend markets, and pick up what we need wherever it makes the most sense. I don’t believe healthy living is about buying everything from one place. It’s about making thoughtful choices wherever we shop.
I started taking biotin to care for my hair, skin, and nails. After the pandemic, vitamin C with iron became part of our family’s daily routine. Today, my daughters take them too. It’s simply one of the quiet habits they’ve grown up with.
The same is true when it comes to food. When the girls were babies, I loved preparing their meals from scratch, but I also appreciated having wholesome snacks for busy days. Freeze-dried yogurt bites were always in my bag. As they’ve grown, their favorites have grown with them—from Bunny Grahams and Honest Kids juice to Kind Bars before sports practice.
They don’t think of them as “healthy snacks.” They’re simply the snacks they’ve grown up enjoying. Perhaps that’s how healthy habits are really formed—not through rules, but through familiarity.
The stories behind the food we eat
The kitchen has also become a place where curiosity continues. I still remember discovering carob and baking healthier brownies, simply to see whether something wholesome could still feel indulgent. It absolutely could. Certain ingredients have quietly become part of our family’s recipes over the years. A splash of San-J gluten-free tamari in our home cooking. Herbes de Provence in our pasta sauce. Nutritional yeast for homemade vegan cheese. Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat flour for blinis at brunch.
They’re not ingredients we buy because they’re trendy—they’ve simply earned a place in the meals we love to cook and share.
Even during one of the busiest chapters of my life—my butler school training abroad—those little habits stayed with me. I slipped pocket-sized Manuka honey into my breakfast every morning before long days filled with classes, practical training, and countless hours on my feet.
It became one of those quiet rituals that reminded me to care for myself while learning how to care for others. In an unfamiliar place, that small habit brought comfort, familiarity, and a reassuring sense of home.
The joy of healthy living
Of course, healthy living should always leave room for joy. Some afternoons call for freshly baked madeleines, a Fig Newman paired with chilled sparkling water, or St. Amour sugar-free cookies shared with the girls. Choosing better has never meant giving up life’s simple pleasures. It has simply taught me to enjoy them more intentionally.
One day, my daughters will push grocery carts of their own. They’ll choose what goes into their pantry, what they’ll cook for the people they love, and the habits they’ll pass on to their own children.
I don’t expect them to remember every snack, every supplement, or every recipe we made together. But I hope they’ll remember this: Hospitality begins long before we gather around the table. It begins with the thoughtful choices we make for the people we love, one ordinary grocery trip at a time.
Because in the end, the greatest things we bring home aren’t always what’s inside the grocery bags.
Sometimes, they’re the habits we pass on.
5 better choices we can start today
Healthy living begins with small, thoughtful choices:
- Read one label: Discover how simple ingredients can be delicious with St. Amour sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free cookies.
- Try something new: Add variety to family meals with a comforting bowl of Bob’s Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix.
- Sip better: Refresh with naturally sourced sparkling water like Voss or Mountain Valley.
- Let children choose: Happy Baby Organic Yogis come in a variety of flavors, making healthy snacking fun.
- Care naturally: Extend the same thoughtful choices to your daily routine with Attitude Shampoo and Conditioner, Dr. Tung’s Toothbrush Protector, and Smart Floss in cardamom flavor.
