Archives: organic

Yesterday I was strolling up 5^th avenue near 14^th street in NYC and something caught my eye. It was a sign that said “eat real food.” Now most of you know me by now and know that that’s pretty much the motto that I live by. So you can imagine that even though I already had a full belly from eating at my other favorite nearby restaurant named Souen, I was more then happy to check out this interesting place with a sign so clearly written with me in mind!

Have you heard of Hu Kitchen? Let me tell you it’s one to check out. Everything and I mean everything is made from whole food. No preservatives, nothing processed, just plain, simple, clean, local, delicious food!

Their almond and coconut milks are both homemade, they have grass-fed meat, organic chicken, organic veggies, juices, smoothies, chocolate, food to take away – healthy style!! They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner – but it’s not a sit down, waiter type of place – you order, get the food yourself and eat on their beautiful wooden tables. The place makes you want to stay there to eat. Too bad my belly was already full when I discovered this place – no worries though, I’ll be back to give it a proper food review – but I  had to share the good news with you beforehand!

New York is FINALLY hopping on the whole food bandwagon! It took a little bit of time, but I knew it would happen eventually. Add this one to the list.

Here’s a quote from their website:

“We make food for humans and, frankly, we think it’s about time someone did. It isn’t as glamorous as a pill or a fad diet. It probably won’t sell books. We’re OK with that. We’re not here to make a quick buck in the same tired food space. We’re not here to be just another shelf in the megastore of “healthy” food products. We’re here to start a revolution.”

Now that’s what I’m talking about.

Cheers to Hu.

Here’s a link to their website: Hu Kitchen

Amherst, MA farmers market

This weekend my fiance and I went up to Amherst, MA for the weekend. It’s amazing traveling up to MA from NYC where everywhere you turn is cement buildings and pavement. Up there it’s all grass, trees and most importantly fresh air!

I think it’s so important to take a mini vacation from anywhere you are – just to get a change of pace and away from all the pollution.

While we were there we encountered lots of fresh, local produce and we were lucky enough to experience the local farmers market. What an experience the market was! I felt so inspired while walking past all the stands filled with fruit that was picked early that morning and all the other fresh goodies that these local vendors were selling. I was inspired to continue my streak of eating healthy and my eyes widened as I listened to how these farmers picked the fruit that was now sitting on the table right in front of my nose.

I got to thinking about the differences between local and organic produce. One would think that local produce would definitely be the first choice but here’s the debate – local doesn’t mean that they don’t use pesticides, it just means that the food didn’t travel thousands of miles to get to your supermarket or farmers market. Organic means that there was no pesticides used whatsoever but it may have traveled a very long way just to get to you.

My first choice is always organic – even though it’s better for the environment to eat local, I’m conscious about my body first and the environment second.

It’s a toss up for many people though and it may be worth going out to your local farmers market and asking them how the food is grown and the amount of pesticides that are being used.

In any case, everyone should get out to their local farmers market just to meet the farmers and experience what fresh food really looks like. It’s also known that food retains the most nutrients right at the time that it’s picked – so buying local means that the food will probably have more nutrients BUT it may contain pesticides. Clearly the best choice would be to buy local AND organic but it’s very hard to find that combination. Keep your eyes out though; you will come across it at some point soon I’m sure.

I know that many times people think that grocery shopping is a pain in the neck, but I always try to see it as an adventure instead of a hassle. Try to think of it as a time to explore new items and foods! Be adventurous… eating the same thing gets pretty boring after a while.

Recently I’ve taken a huge liking to Trader Joes. If you haven’t explored the great options that they have I would say to get off of your computer right now and head to your nearest store.

The reason I enjoy it so much is that they have a lot of organic, natural, no added preservatives and no added sugar products. They brand most of their items except for the few labels that they bring in, meaning that they can charge less to the consumers. This makes my fiancé and I quite happy and we head to Trader Joes any chance we can.

I hope you can take this summer to enjoy the beautiful weather and also take the time to explore your local supermarkets for products that are new to you, or maybe aren’t on your usual weekly grocery list. Have fun with it!

Food is our essence and it makes us tick, so make sure to tick healthfully and happily.

A trip to the grocery store can be all sorts of fun, but on the other hand it can be VERY overwhelming. If you look around there are thousands of packages that are colorful, bright and just popping out at you.

What I’ve come to notice with my supermarket visits is the increasing number of packages that say “all natural” on the front of the item. What urkes me about this is that these companies are just trying to persuade the consumer into buying their product. If I stop to think about it, how can it be “all natural” like they say it is? Either it’s certified organic, or its not… There really is no in-between. If a product is marketed as “all natural”, then why does it have added preservatives?

What I’ve noticed about myself, as well as other people I’ve gone shopping with, is that we are more prone to buying these “all natural” items, but really, I’m just not so sure that they are so different then the other brand sitting right next to it on the shelf.

My question is this, does anyone regulate these “all natural” products? The USDA has different rules and regulations to allow for a product to be considered organic. Why are these “all natural” items getting away with misleading their consumers?

This is definitely something you can/should be thinking about before buying your products. Take a look at the packaging. Are you just buying it because of these added few words on the cover? Are you even comparing the product with its competitor to the left of it? Ask yourself these questions before you spend your precious money on something that may be false.

Do research.

To know is ten times better than not to know.

I look forward to hearing your stories/thoughts.