Everyone, meet Taige – the first kid to collect all 50 Itty Bitty Bites trading cards, AND the first kid to be turned into an Itty Bitty Bites character!

We got the chance to hang out with Taige at his party last Thursday, and he is seriously one of the coolest kids on the block. He was more than willing to show off his card collection and share his fresh chocolate cake (in between meeting other Itty Bitty Bites characters and getting a sneak peek at the next comic book, of course).

Hey! Want to win a week’s worth of FREE Itty Bitty Bites meals? Just leave a comment on this blog post! At the end of the week, we’ll choose one lucky commenter to take home five Itty Bitty Bites meals – all at once, or one at a time. Perfect for parents who pack their kids’ lunches!

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More posts like this:

Join the Healthy Lunch Challenge!

Columbia’s Back to School A-RAMA

Healthy Vegetarianism Runs in the Family with Mia

Leah’s story (in her own words):

I have always considered myself a healthy person, but did not understand how much food and what I put in my mouth can influence my health.

I am an avid runner and was training for a marathon last September when I went to see an Allergy Doctor for itching on my arms that I have had for years. My doctor sent me for a chest x-ray to rule out Hodgkins Disease and Lymphoma, as itching can be a sign of a blood disorder.

The x-ray was negative for that, but showed a mass in my thoracic region. I had surgery in November to remove it and the surgeon could not get it all because it was attached to my spine.

The biopsy was sent to Mayo clinic and came back that it was a chondrosarcome, which is a rare form of primary bone cancer. I am about 1 of 50 people in the world with one on my spine!

This past February I had major surgery at UVA medical center where they had to remove pieces of two vertebrae and replace with cadaver bone and use rods and screws to hold it in place. I also had pieces of 2 ribs removed and a piece of my lung. The tumor was attached to these places as well.

I never thought I would hear the words cancer and undergo such an intense ordeal, but after discussing with my allergist how I can take control of my health, my husband and I are embarking on changing to an anti-cancer diet.

We are reading the book “Anti-Cancer” and moving to organic, whole foods and trying to remove refined sugars, which cancer cells feed on. I also want my children to begin to eat like this and learn that we can help our bodies fight cancer and other illnesses.

I am still recovering from surgery, but my margins came back clean and am currently cancer free and plan to stay that way!

The last chapter of my story will be when I am able to run again and finally complete my marathon!

Want to know how you can share your story with Earth Fare’s readers? Click here and then click “Share Your Story” in the right sidebar. We want to hear your health story!

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Other posts you may like:

Solving Health Mysteries with Brenda

Join the Healthy Lunch Challenge!

Living Organic with Katie

Earth Fare’s home office softball team started this season with a rocky run, but soon the motley crew found their stride, finishing the season with a strong record of 12-4.

The Buncombe County Hospitality Softball League held its championship game on Sunday, pitting Earth Fare against the formidable opponents playing for KR Construction.

Though Team Earth Fare won with an impressive final score of 18-3, victory did not come easily. Third baseman and Food Service Director Mitch Orland slammed a grounder into right field for an inside-the-park homer, taking his bases with dexterity despite his two pulled hamstrings.

“It was like watching a wounded rabbit run from a coyote,” commented left fielder / Produce Director Wade Pruter.

A special thank you goes out to Bonnie Cathey and Scott Kisselburg for coaching the winning team!

We’re proud of you, team! Congratulations on a great season.

Brenda’s Story (in her own words):

Years ago, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and a host of other chronic health problems.

After years of taking medications, and becoming increasingly sick and crippled, I finally made a connection between the foods I was eating and my symptoms. After much journaling of what I was eating on a daily basis, I realized that I was poisoning my body with loads of unnecessary chemicals, colors, and artificial flavors.

I discovered that EARTH FARE was only an hours drive from my home, and began making a trip there every week to buy (and learn about) healthier alternatives to the foods I had been eating. The EARTH FARE staff was great at pointing me towards more nutritious, and even tastier options, for the foods I was used to. Much to my delight, my health QUICKLY improved dramatically, and eventually I healed completely!

I learned that genetically modified, chemical laden foods were actually causing an allergic response in my body. I also discovered that I had undiagnosed celiac disease, and needed to switch to a gluten free diet. By switching to EARTH FARE’S organic, wholesome ingredients, my body detoxed and I am now fit and healthy. Their variety of gluten free products made the transition easy and fun!

I STILL travel an hour each way, once or twice a week, just to shop at Earth Fare. Thank goodness they offer such great deals and coupons-more than makes up for the gas! THANK YOU, EARTH FARE!

Want to know how you can share your story with Earth Fare’s readers? Click here and then click “Share Your Story” in the right sidebar. We want to hear your health story!

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More posts you may like:

Living Organic with Katie

Making the Best of Allergies with Heather

The Healthy Lunch Challenge

Earth Fare Columbia held a Back to School party for local kids! We met firemen, went on a scavenger hunt, and made lots of cool new crafts (and friends!). Check out the action in this video.

The Friend of Earth Fare program helps us  to give back to our community. Every time YOU use your reusable bag, we donate 5 ¢ to our Friend of Earth Fare – and those donations add up! Together with our Friends of Earth Fare, we’re fighting to end childhood obesity – and you’re helping just by shopping at Earth Fare!

For more information on our Friend of Earth Fare program, click here, or visit your local Earth Fare.

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GO FAR (Go Out For A Run) Greensboro

Friend of Earth Fare Program

Join the Healthy Lunch Challenge!

Thank you to everyone who entered our lunchtime story contest! I asked for funny, memorable stories and you really delivered! It was tough (but FUN) reading through all the entries and choosing a favorite, but we’ve finally narrowed it down to a winner. This story was a great mix of action, suspense, and a pretty epic food fight. Congratulations, John N!

Here’s his winning story:

“It was 6th grade in 1992. My friends and I were settling into our usual booth to discuss normal topics of the day (i.e. girls, sports and band). We recently got our first government IDs made up and we were comparing our horrible photos. You don’t exactly look your best at the onset of puberty. Anyway, a commotion broke out on the other side of the cafeteria where different cliques were yelling at one another.

Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw something fly across the great expanse. Thinking it was nothing, I settled back into my sandwich. Then, another mysterious object sailed across the fluorescent light. This time a chunk of something appeared on our table. At this point it seemed the mute button was unclicked after being set at full blast and kids roared with laughter, yelling and screaming.

Almost instantly, food began flying from almost every direction. My friends and I sought cover under our little booth’s table while I distinctly remember witnessing a can of Dr. Pepper spewing foam and fizz as it flew across no-man’s-land. The cafeteria was symmetrical which yielded an almost perfect storm for the food fight. Ranks naturally broke down the middle as each group sought protection behind the paneled railings to enter the service line. A good 5-10 minutes passed before virtually all the teachers in the school were brought in to breakup the event.

For the next week each student was subjected to intense interrogation to locate the culprits. We were threatened with the 6th grade dance being cancelled. This eventually proved impossible since 95% of people in the room ended up throwing something. I remember being asked why I didn’t leave. I wasn’t trying to be a smarty, but the excuse of ‘the bell hadn’t rang’ didn’t seem to earn me any fans in the principal’s office.

The dance went on as scheduled, ruler rule in total effect.”

Thanks again to everyone who entered! And be sure to keep an eye on this blog for more contests like this one in the future!

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Check out the Healthy Lunch Challenge!

Other posts you may like:

Original Contest Post

Parents vs. School Lunches

Earth Fare Healthy Recipes

Katie’s Story (in her own words):

When I first moved away to college I weighed 260lbs. I am only 5′6″ so that was way too much!

I tried just working out, trying to eat in moderation, fad diets, all sorts of things to lose weight. Nothing was working. I had been trying to get my parents to eat organic and avoid processed foods while I lived at home and while they were supportive they just didn’t want to make the total switch. So when I moved away to college I took the opportunity to make it for myself.

I went totally organic and cut out pork. I made a conscious effort to budget in only organic, all natural, free-range, and humane certified meats, vegetables, fruits, and dairy. In just a few months at college I went from 260lbs to 145lbs. I feel fantastic.

Unfortunately I am back with my parents for the time being and have gained about 10lbs as a result of my fully organic diet being cut into but I am still healthy and active.

I am proof that eating in season and eating organic can change your health.

My friends and family were so impressed that they even worked organic fruits and veggies into their diet. Today my parents have an organic garden in their back yard and are even willing to drive out of their way to make special trips to Earth Fare for certain foods.

Eating organic changed my life and probably prolonged it and I will be eternally grateful to the farmers who grow the food that helped me go from plus size to kayaking. Thank you very much.

Want to know how you can share your story with Earth Fare’s readers? Click here and then click “Share Your Story” in the right sidebar. We want to hear your health story!

Elementary school. Cafeteria. What do those words make you think of?

We’ve heard what you think about school lunch these days. Now, we want to hear what you remember about your school lunchroom! What’s your BEST school cafeteria memory? It can be gross, funny, a tale of an epic food fight…if it happened and you remember, we want you to tell us about it!

Leave your lunchroom tale in the comments, and on Monday, August 16, you might just be the winner of a $50 Earth Fare gift card!

We’ll be looking for the most memorable lunchroom tale, so don’t hold back! We want to hear YOUR story.

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Check out the Healthy Lunch Challenge!

Other posts you may like:

Take Our Tomato Winners

Parents vs. School Lunches

Earth Fare Healthy Recipes

Whew! This year, the competition was STEEP! Thank you to everyone who entered – you guys got really creative, and we loved seeing the photos you sent in.

Of course, for every contest, there is a winner – for ours, there were several! And here they are:

Customers:

Grand Prize – $250 Earth Fare Gift Card – Agnes

Second Place – $150 Gift Card – Mia

And tied (3 ways!) for 3^rd – Myles

Malia

and Michael

We also held a competition for team member entries. Here are the winners:

1^st place – Mike

2^nd place – Kathryn

3^rd place – Megan

Congratulations, everyone, and thank you for entering! Now, start brainstorming for NEXT year’s contest!

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered and voted in our lunchtime contest!

First place (and a $150 Earth Fare gift card) goes to Farrah Leigh, who got 53 votes. Here’s her lunch:

“I’m at work all day so I pack lunch and a couple snacks. My fave is:

Mock chicken salad
Wheat crackers
Grapes
Carrot sticks or sweet pepper or cucumber slices
String cheese
Apple slices
And maybe even some chai chocolate yum!”

Second  place (and a $75 Earth Fare gift card) goes to Christine Riggs, who got 30 votes.

Third place (and a $50 Earth Fare gift card) goes to B. Lawson.

Thanks again, everyone! Be sure to check back here on Wednesday for ANOTHER fun contest!

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Check out the Healthy Lunch Challenge!

Other posts you may like:

Original contest post

Parents vs. School Lunches

Earth Fare Healthy Recipes