Friday, April 18, 2014

The "Gross"-ery Store

Hello All,

I am back from my vacation visiting my best friend in Omaha, NE, which is why last Friday you also saw no post. While there I discovered a few things I hadn't thought of too much while living here in California. Now, if you know me you know I am not a fan of California for the most part but it has been brought to my attention that it has at least one positive thing going for it and that is the availability of fresh produce and other food items, and lots of health food stores and farmers markets that last most of the year. I wanted to touch on that today, as I know many of my readers live in Wyoming and other states that get cold winters and have small towns. Your grocery stores... you know the chain grocery stores by Kroger and such suck... flat out. I went shopping in two different stores in Omaha and was mortified! I had forgotten just how bad regular grocery stores are. I went to a Bakers and Fareway and I couldn't find hardly anything that was healthy, non-gmo, or pesticide free. They both had the smallest organic sections I had ever seen and I spent a fortune on the measly stuff I did find that was actually food! I asked the meat department if they had any cage free or vegetarian fed chicken, and with almost a laugh the man working said "um, no". I felt gross just shopping there! Seriously I thought about the millions and millions of people in the United States eating food like products, and not food. I looked around at the people shopping there and it occurred to me that almost all of them were overweight and I see why! I don't mean to judge people because if you want to buy that stuff then you have every right to do so, but I am truly ashamed at our lack of knowledge and responsibility in this country!

So what can you do? Well my friend had no idea what a health food store was or where one was so of course I hopped on the computer and found farmers markets (that didn't open until May or June because it's Nebraska and cold so farming things has a season) and a Natural Grocers Store the had organic produce! Not just a tiny selection of half rotting fruits or veggies! The spices were according to my friend amazing and she fell in love with this store and guess what!?! It probably cost less because they didn't have the waste factor, because people actually buy it! There is a difference between a health food store and a grocery store so google "Health food stores in________" and fill in the blank with your city or town.

There are also things called bountiful baskets and other programs for people that don't have as much selection as other states. http://www.bountifulbaskets.org click and see if it's in your neighborhood. Another place to look is http://www.localharvest.org, that site gives you food co-ops, csa's, farmers markets, stores and other helpful links to healthy food in your area. Check out amazon, and other online sites that will mail or deliver you healthier options and stop caving to the grocery stores and big industry selling you hardly food items that harm you, cost them very little to make and give them big gains (which I would have no problem with if they didn't spend tons of time and marketing to lie to us about the "food" we consume).
www.znaturalfoods.com

I have learned to LOVE grocery shopping, but not at the chain grocery stores. Learn to love shopping, save money on the good stuff and don't end up paying for cheap food now and having prescriptions and hospital bills out the wazoo later. Feed your body don't deprive it with junk "food".

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2). 



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