I wish...

An addition to College Station that I would absolutely love is a Whole Foods Market! I do not have one in my home town, but there is one about an hour away in Houston, TX. This past summer my parents both took a day off to spend time with me and my brother. We were thinking of fun activities to do like a movie theater, mall, family beach day...but do you know what we decided on!? You probably know where this is going-A TRIP WHOLE FOODS MARKET! Why be so excited about a store you may ask? I would love to elaborate :)

"We search for the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful and natural foods possible because we believe that food in its purest state — unadulterated by artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings and preservatives — is the best tasting and most nutritious food there is."

There are so many sections to a Whole Foods Store I do not know where to start! So I'll just share what I start with once I walk it!
I love love pure honeycomb! Wax and all! It is an amazing snack! Just pop a piece in your mouth and chew on the wax until the honey is gone!
I also love the granola in the plastic canisters but they have crazy ones. Last time I got a bag full of ginger honey granola. Mmm.
The salad bar is amazing, along with the bakery and sandwich shop and and the poultry section the sushi section and the cheese selection! Whew!...no matter what, I leave with a fresh baked cookie and a salad!

Whole Foods is a great place to experiment with food since there are soooo many organic options that you can stroll through the isles have have thousands of products catch your eye!

Whole Foods is a National Phenomenon! USATODAY article!

Legit reasons to eat organically!

I stumbled across an article in the Seattle Times that had a headline of "Is Organic Food Worth it?". I read some very interesting things that I had not known before and only reinforced my beliefs dealing with organic food. The author Astrid Pujari shared some facts about pesticides that blew my mind!! Eh, just kidding. Maybe that was a little over exaggerated but they are still pretty thought provoking and interesting!
The first question she asked was "Q: Do pesticides cause cancer?" which is a pretty serious inquiry.
She said that we don't have proof yet but there are a lot of different aspects of pesticides that make her somewhat apprehensive.

Here are a few right from Astid's article:
" Many pesticides cause cancer in animals. Recently, I reviewed 22 of the top pesticides used by agriculture in 2000 and 2001 on the Environmental Protection Agency's Web site. More than half of those chemicals were considered likely, probable or possible carcinogens (meaning that they are linked to cancer development), and five of them had not been studied enough to know for sure one way or the other.
• Population studies suggest links between pesticide exposure and different cancers. Of 99 human studies summarized in a comprehensive scientific report by the Lymphoma Society, 75 found a connection between pesticides and lymphoma.
• Atrazine is the most commonly used herbicide in the United States, with about 60 million pounds used per year, mostly on corn. It has been banned by the European Union because of concerns that extremely low levels cause sexual abnormalities in frogs, and an increased rate of prostate cancer in atrazine-production workers."

 

I know that looks like kind of a lot to read but man it was interesting! Can you believe a herbicide we still use in the United States is banned in the European Union? Hm, kinda scary.

 

Reading this article really opened my eyes to the real dangers of additives and pesticides that were more extreme that what I thought.

 

>>Here<< is the article to make sure I was not lying :)

 

Also, this blog describes the connection they think exist between pesticides and cancer. Better be safe that sorry?

 

 

Blasphemy!

Breaking News about Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream!

As I was browsing the internet and checking my e-mail, I saw a headline about Ben & Jerry's ice cream not being "all natural" like it says on the label! In my hometown I have been a loyal employee for 2 school years and 3 summers, and was a supervisor for one whole summer (no big deal, I was just an awesome scooper :)). Anyways, so I know the ins and outs of a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop! Most people know that ice cream from Ben & Jerry's is pretttttty pricey! Believe me, I've gotten tons of complaints from customers. My only back up to these angry people was that Ben & Jerry's ice cream is all natural and contained no artificial ingredients or colors (That explains why our mint chocolate is not green, which confuses most customers who refuse to believe it is in fact mint). Needless to say, when I stumbled upon this story on the Washington Post my whole world was turned upside down! This corporation's lies lead me to tell lies! What I feel was the backbone of the company was a complete lie! Crazy! When I found this out I hated to think that this gives natural food labels a bad name and that consumers would start to question the credibility! What I want to leave you with is even though I go on and on about organic and natural foods, check the label! Stuff like like high fructose corn syrup does not fly!

This is me and a coworker hard at work in the back on free cone day(i.e the shirt)!

>>Click here<< to go to the Washington Post article!

H.E.B finds!

I took a trip to H.E.B on Texas ave and found so many great items...and I got a little camera happy! As soon as I walked in I made a B line to the health foods section. I wanted to go to H.E.B first before I went to Natural Foods so I can show my wonderful reader that you do not have to stray from your normal shopping routine to get great food! All the pictures I took was of products that were either all natural, 100% organic, or contained organic ingredients!

My first stop was at all the canisters with different goodies in each one that have the cost of what you want by the pound. This particular section has everything from couscous, coffee beans, dried fruits, and trail mix (my personal favorite!). The ingredients are right on the front and allow you to size up each canister to see exactly what is it! I took pictures of the foods that has large green "ORGANIC" stickers on the front.

This is an example of health foods that contain organic ingredients but is not 100% organic. This particular bar has organic dates and oats. I think that any amount of organic in a product is that much better than one without!

 

I LOVE SUPERFOOD! They are my favorite types of snacks. Super food on any thing may it be drinks or bars usually green from spinach and spurulina. But they usually also have fruits like kiwi or mango, and they are sooooo good. I wish I would have got a better picture with the USDA ORGANIC logo but if you look to the bottom right I got about three fourths of the logo! That little logo is what you want to look for!

Here is another example of how easy it is to get coupons for organic and all natural products. I mean, this one is right on the box! It can't get any easier than that right?! When I was younger my dad would always buy energy bars before my soccer games and they would always be cliff bars. I love most of the cliff bar products and they provide a healthy treat that doesn't scream THIS IS HEALTHY FOR YOU-but it is! :)

See the USDA ORGANIC logo on the left? After reading this, you will be a pro at scouting these suckers out! This is another product of cliff bar that looks way too good to be healthy!

So this one got me! I had to walk out of the store with this! The front looked good enough, but the back is where this product convinced me! Look at those ingredient! Apples, Cherries, Blueberries, Strawberries, and NOTHING ELSE! That is awesome! And by the way, they were amazing!

Logo is on the bottom left! I love crunch dried snacks, and the words sweet corn are somewhat alluring! All this information on the front show how easy it is to snack healthy!

Who said organic couldn't be cheap?! Major brands like Odwalla and Cliff Bar are showing up with these super low prices! I think (with no actual research to back this up) that places like H.E.B and our other average grocery stores have better deals like this because most people do not go to grocery stores for organic and all natural food. If you go to a Natural Foods store they might not have these deals! One dollar per Odwalla Bar and 75 cents per Cliff Bar! That's crazy!

So with this last product, I was done doing my health food hunt and I saw this in the chips isle! Organic foods are expanding!! Major brands, like Tostitos, are jumping on the bandwagon and shoveling out these products! This goes to show how easy it is to find healthy, organic, and all natural food even when you are not looking for it!

Check out this article by our very own Battalion about our eco friendly gardens in the B/CS area!
>>>Sprouting Success!

How to shop organic ON YOUR OWN!

Now that I have shown you all of the local, organic, sustainable food establishments (to the best of my knowledge), I will start revisiting some where I can talk a little about the products sold! This way once you get to one of these said places, you'll be hip on all the local organic lingo..just kidding. I wish there was some cool underground slang for organic places. But seriously, so you can be comfortable with the new food you are buying and know all the positive,wonderful things it can do for your body!


Locally you can check out your Kroger or H.E.B and find some finds (that I will touch on soon) or if you are anywhere in the U.S you can go to online website's such as http://www.organickingdom.com/! Speaking of national..USAtoday has written an article about how Local food trend helps more folks eat fresh fruits, veggies by Janice Lloyd and I could not agree more! Even though I have harped on the importance of eating locally, I feel that if I can influence you to start shopping for any organic foods then I have made some impact on you!

Walmart. Everyone where in the B/CS area has access to one! According to The New York Times, Walmart Plans to Buy More Local Produce and there is usually at least one isle full of organic products but at most Walmarts and other grocery stores there is a section of organic foods. BUT be careful, look for the USDA organic seal on it>>

It is known that organic food is slightly more expensive than the over processed junk, but I think its worth it because there is a mass amount of coupons that can make those organic products less than the non organic! You can find these coupons in newspapers and online-they honestlty are not hard to find at all! Knowing where to look is the first step. In the next few posts I will find actual products to share with you guys: pictures and all!

Still don't believe me about the benefits of organic eating? Here is a Organic Foods Benefits blog that will reinforce what I have been saying!

Sand Creek Farm

Of course another family owned establishment..the best. They provide dairy, meat and vegetables to the members and public so even if you missed the membership deadline (if there is one) you still have an opportunity to buy the local sustainable food they provide! But there are perks to being a member! You can set monthly orders and receive a discounted price on milk AND your first picks before the public get on it. They plow the old fashioned way and gather all generations of their family to pick, hoe, and feed their stock to really emphasize their family owned farm.

Sand Creek offers whole Milk, Skim Milk, Cheese, Yogurt, Butter, Ice Cream, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Chicken, Eggs. They also plan to get honey bees-if they have not already. All of their animals are fed whey and a soy free / non-certified organic / whole grain -legume ration that is custom made just for Sand Creek Farm.
They also offer many different events at their farm from classes to family farm days! In the month of November they have FIVE upcoming events including a farm day Nov. 13th! Farm days include making butter the old fashioned way, a horse drawn hay wagon ride, feeding the Pastured Hens, collecting eggs, AND tastings!

Quick Stats from Sand Creek Farm:
Beef - No Antibiotic Use, Non Confined, 100 Percent Vegetarian Feed, Grass Fed, No Added Hormones
Chicken - No Antibiotic Use, No Added Hormones, Cage Free, Pasture Raised, 100 Percent Vegetarian Feed
Dairy - Grass Fed, No Added Hormones, No Antibiotic Use, Non Confined, Pasture Raised, 100 Percent Vegetarian Feed
Eggs - Pasture Raised, No Antibiotic Use, 100 Percent Vegetarian Feed, Cage Free, No Added Hormones
Lamb
Other - Pasture Raised, Non Confined, No Antibiotic Use, No Added Hormones, 100 Percent Vegetarian Feed
Pork


UPDATE: I recently found out that this farm has moved locations to Cameron, TX, so if you are ever in the neighborhood you should stop by!

Their website>>> http://www.sandcreekfarm.net/

Farmer's Markets-YESS!

Farmers Markets! If you are not familiar with our Brazos Valley Farmers' Market here is the chance to get familiar! Lets start with the basics : A farmers market is an opportunity for farmers to sell their produce to the public. In other farmers markets farmers might drive pretty far to sell their products but not in the Brazos Valley!The BVFM is exclusively local growers, just so that it impacts out community that much more.
There is so much variety at the farmers market, they offer tomatoes, cucumber, corn, eggplant, summer squash, winter squash, green beans, hot peppers, sweet peppers, okra, onions, potatoes, carrots, tomatillos, zucchini, watermelon, cantaloupe, figs, peaches, apples, berries, plums, pears... .and so much more! It also is not just confined to food, there are exceptional crafts including bath products and pottery.

Aside from the local revenue, BVFM gives back to our community by also recycling the following food packaging: egg cartons, glass jars, plastic bags, paper bags, rubber bands, twine, plastic berry boxes, fabric scraps, buttons and plant pots! An article was posted in The Battalion (Texas A&M news) about the Brazos Valley Farmers Market and their recycling habits!

Don't rush out of here just yet! I have to let you know where it is located..
September - April

Wednesdays - 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
In front of Natural Foods store (my previous blog!)

Lucky you! There is a special event coming up in a few weeks! Below is the information for the Halloween Festivities>>>

Art Step Special Market

Time:

Saturday, October 30^th (8:00 AM - 12:00 Noon)

Location:

Brazos Valley Farmers' Market @ Health Department Parking Lot
201 North Texas Avenue

The BVFM will be celebrating with Halloween festivities on Saturday, October 30th (8AM-Noon). Included will be raffles for great market prizes, costumes and decorations, treats for the kids as well as a kids booth full of activities so they can play while you shop. Don't miss this 2nd annual celebration and remember to dress up in your favorite costume!

visit their blog too :)
http://fbvfm.blogspot.com/