Since I graduated from college a few years ago, my health and the food I put in my mouth have become increasingly important issues to me. I became a vegan over a year and a half ago for numerous reasons, including health. I started eating a lot of fruit, vegetables, and other non-processed food, and I preached the benefits of whole foods and organic/local produce.

I realized, however, upon reading Michael Pollen’s books, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food,” that what I was saying and what I was doing were not matching up. I often ended up grabbing the cheaper food rather than the organic food, opting for convenience rather than sustainability.

One of Pollen’s messages was that we spend less on food and more on healthcare, and I realized that I may be spending more on food at the moment, but in the long run, I would be benefiting myself, my community, and the world.

When a new Earth Fare opened up in my neighborhood, I started shopping there, and I’ve finally started living up to what I believe. I no longer say one thing and do another. I’ve been eating organic and as locally as possible for almost a year, and I have enjoyed every second.

I know my power as a consumer is having a positive effect on my community, and I continue to encourage my friends and neighbors to support whole foods movements, organic brands, and local farmers’ markets as a way to enrich their health and our community’s health!

You can share YOUR story with Earth Fare’s readers (and win a $50 gift card for yourself) by clicking here.
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Pat’s Fresh Start
Clean AND Healthy – Penny’s Story
Lisa’s Story: 100 Days of Real Food

In August of 2010, I found myself in the ICU.

I was there for a week and a half, most of which I don’t even remember. My body was shutting down because, while I didn’t know it at the time, I am a type 1 diabetic.

My husband and I thought we were living a healthy lifestyle before my diagnosis, and certainly we did try to include lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meats and whole grains in our diet. But when I was released from the hospital, I vowed to completely overhaul our entire outlook on food.

Over the past year I’ve discovered how to make pizza crust out of cauliflower instead of wheat flour; to love new and different vegetables like kale and chayote squash; and to cook with alternative flours made from almonds and coconut.

That research, creativity and willingness to try new, healthy alternatives has paid off more than I could have imagined. My medication doses have been drastically reduced; my doctors are continually impressed with my blood sugar averages and other lab test results; and I feel great! Even my husband and three-year-old son love the healthy recipes I’ve discovered and created, so I feel good knowing all of us are on a path to a long, healthy and happy life.

You can share YOUR story with Earth Fare’s readers (and win a $50 gift card for yourself) by clicking here.
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Audrey’s Poem about her Healthy Home
Healthy Food, Healthy Baby! Amy’s Story
Clean AND Healthy — Penny’s Story

Audrey’s story (in her own words):

Kids, Junk and Hyperactivity

After my divorce, my daughter and I went on a junk frenzy fueled by my guilt for all of the pain she was experiencing.

I just couldn’t say “no” to cookies and candies and high fructose ; OH MY!

We were spiraling down every day from our sugar high.

Laughing then crashing, repeat repeat.

She would do anything for an ooey gooey treat.

We decided enough was enough, to Earth Fare we go!

Dashing and slashing our cravings you know.

Over the Ravennel and away like a flash,

we found our new treats and built quite a stash.

So thank you Earth Fare for changing our meals.

We are oh so grateful and got lots of deals!

You can share YOUR story with Earth Fare’s readers (and win a $50 gift card for yourself) by clicking here.

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As Young As He Feels! Mike’s story…

Meg’s Healthy DIY Family

 Healthy Food, Healthy Baby! Amy’s Story

Abigial Faith was born August 6, 2010.

She was a gorgeous, healthy baby girl at 7lbs 4oz. But then she was jaundice with no reason to be. Abigail was born a few days after her due date, a completely natural birth with a midwife. She was even on home light therapy for the jaundice for a week. During this time she was also constipated. As a breastfed baby she should have been very regular.

By one month she was very gassy, constipated often and had awful baby acne covering her face and ears. Eczema spots were on her arms. She had a rash spreading down her torso. After finding a chiropractor that specializes in nutrition consultation, I found that she was very sensitive to dairy and corn in my breastmilk.

What I was eating was bothering her.

The Doctor explained that her liver could not handle all the toxins in her system. That is why she was jaundice early on. Her liver was already stressed. When your liver is stressed you will see it in your skin. Your liver acts as a filter for toxins in your body. I went home and threw out my NON-dairy coffee creamer that had casein(from dairy) and lots of corn syrup.

I cut all dairy, which I had done from early on I thought because she also had reflux that I knew was from dairy. I got rid of all corn. Wow! Corn syrup is in alot of products. I thought we ate pretty healthy already. The Doctor told me not to focus on what I could not have but what I could have.

I tried to just focus on eating more fruits, veggies and meats. In just 5 DAYS Abigail’s skin cleared COMPLETELY! She was a gorgeous baby girl again. The roughness was gone, the acne was gone, the rash was GONE! It took longer for her system to straighten out with her constipation. But, I am a believer in clean eating.

Abigail has changed our family in many wonderful ways. At almost 11 months I still can’t have dairy without her spitting up. She is doing so well now.

You can share YOUR story with Earth Fare’s readers (and win a $50 gift card for yourself) by clicking here.

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Boosting Her Immune System! Allison’s Story

As Young As He Feels! Mike’s story…

Meg’s Healthy DIY Family

A few years ago when I first became pregnant, I left my typical processed-heavy diet behind and began to eat more “real” natural foods.

Knowing that I was carrying a precious child inside of me really made me focus on my own health, and now that I have two busy toddlers at home I am dedicated to providing them with the most nutrient rich and chemical free diet as I possibly can. Back when I first made this life-changing decision, I dove headfirst into all the research, reading article after article, feeling this spark of excitement building in me.

We have been told our whole lives that things like butter, whole milk, and beef are bad, unhealthy, and even dangerous…. yet things like fake chemically filled margarine, hormone-laden skim milk, and cow-lot grain fed beef, is the norm and even supposedly healthy for us. Well, I then decided to take the plunge and change our entire diet. I started to buy the full fat organic milk, the grass-fed cheeses, and pastured eggs. We ate rich, organic, and raw…. and it was delicious!

The only problem was after a few months I realized that I had gained weight and I really didn’t feel any better than I did before.

Well, the obvious took me a while to actually realize….yes I added these foods in, but I did not take the processed foods out. I would down a few Oreo’s (with my organic milk). Or have a big bowl of Edy’s Ice Cream (with organic raspberries). Processed food was still a huge part of my life! So, my first attempt at eating healthy was a big FAIL!

But now I knew what I was doing wrong. My new goal: NO PROCESSED FOODS and NO FLOUR! Once again, we ate rich, delicious and healthy, but this time everything was homemade, with good quality, natural ingredients. And to my surprise, not only did I start to feel wonderful, have more energy, feel more happy, but I lost about 10 pounds. I was actually eating more to keep weight on! Today, our main motto in our house is “if we want it… we have to make it”.

If we are craving Oreos, well, we will find a good recipe online and try it out…. same goes for crackers, cereal, granola bars, tortilla shells, etc. Pretty much anything is fair game just as long as we are using good, natural, high quality ingredients and of course avoiding processed food in general. This year I took my passion for healthy eating to the net, and started my blog, Fresh Idea Mama (www.freshideamama.com). I just find so much joy in sharing my healthy tips and ideas with others!

You can share YOUR story with Earth Fare’s readers (and win a $50 gift card for yourself) by clicking here.

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Worldwide Health with Jennifer

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The backstabbers, the trash talkers, the characters who are as nice as can be face-to-face, but downright nasty when it’s time to tell the truth. They just ooze fakeness and are often sickeningly sweet.

You know the pink, yellow and blue packets you see in every restaurant and coffee shop? They’re the same as those reality TV villains. Dangerously fake and sickeningly sweet.

Artificial sweeteners, like artificial fats, gained the perception of being “healthy” because they contain no sugar and little to no calories. Although it is definitely possible to overindulge with sugar, our bodies know what sugar is and can process it. Even natural ingredients such as sugar can be unhealthy when not consumed in moderation. But chemicals aren’t better than calories – in fact, they are more harmful.

In 2004, a study by Purdue University found that artificial sweeteners impair the body’s ability to regulate food intake and body weight. What does this mean? Artificial sweeteners trick our bodies into eating more and not being full.

Aspartame (NutraSweet & Equal), saccharin and sucralose (Splenda) are the most commonly found artificial sweeteners. They were all discovered in a lab during work on non-food programs such as medicinal drugs, pesticides and coal tar products. While the FDA considers them safe, their consumption levels are grossly underestimated.

Artificial sweeteners are included in the ingredients of over 10,000 products. And although they can be up to 600 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), watch how people use them in their tea and coffee. Most people use the same amount, packet for packet, as they would regular sugar.

There are better, healthier and tastier options than resorting to artificial sweeteners.

Honey, agave and maple syrup provide more sweetness in less quantity. Stevia, an herb, provides sweetness without the negative effect on blood glucose levels. Don’t forget fruits and fruit juices to sweeten up a beverage. Find these and other natural sugar substitutes at Earth Fare.

Avoid scary ingredients and stick to the natural options. We’ll help you out by giving you a coupon for 25% your bulk purchase. This coupon is valid through Sunday, 10/30, so be sure to click here and print yours today!

I come from a family of big women and have struggled with my weight my entire life.

I was living on Okinawa, Japan when I converted to vegetarian in Oct. ’08; it was hard. It became even harder when in Jan 2009 I cleaned out my kitchen and pitched everything that wasn’t vegan! My husband and four kids ages 10-18 were not pleased, and it did not last long.

I had a difficult time finding healthy foods because I couldn’t read Japanese and had to rely on the locals who assured me the labels said vegan in their health food stores. I struggled to eat right and almost gave up.  I met a naturopathic doctor who helped me set some goals, get off of all my medication and give me health, wellness and nutritional guidance.  By Sept. 1, 2009 I was committed to getting healthy.

I gave up on trying to convert my family and did it on my own. I lived on vegetables & rice at first, I worked out several days a week and managed to lose 20 lbs in six months.  I moved to Greensboro, NC in August, 2010, a full fledged vegan and was thrilled to find Earth Fare! I was even more excited to discover that they offer a 10% military discount!

I now do all my shopping there and I am able to eat the foods I love, including Tofutti “sour cream” & “cream cheese”, Galaxy “cheese” and Veganaise. Earth Fare’s Pacific Rim Vegan “Chicken” is amazing! I have lost a total of 38 lbs and I couldn’t be happier or healthier! I still have a few pounds left to lose, but thanks to my healthy lifestyle and a little help from Earth Fare that will be a piece of cake!

You can share YOUR story with Earth Fare’s readers by clicking here.

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More stories like this:

Boosting Her Immune System! Allison’s Story

As Young As He Feels! Mike’s story…

Your Health: Tinkerbelle’s Turnaround

Thanks to everyone who entered our contest, and congratulations to our winners:

Maureen, Lisa R., Saffa, Chris, and Michael!

We’ll see you in Dayton!

Much like artificial preservatives, antibiotics are often touted as being a safeguard for food-borne illnesses. But antibiotics can do more harm than good when they are given to livestock to replace hygiene and humane treatment.

Factory farms and feedlots are a breeding ground for illness because of improper diet, overcrowding and unclean conditions. Antibiotics are being given to animals BEFORE they are ever sick to prevent disease caused by these unsanitary and unnatural living conditions. In fact, the USDA reported that in 2010, 80% of all the antibiotics in America were given to livestock.

Antibiotic resistance in humans is on the rise and one of the reasons is the antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant strains of viruses that are present in conventional meat and dairy products. More and more people are dying of once treatable staph infections because their body has become immune to antibiotic treatments.

Synthetic growth hormones are being given to dairy cows to increase milk production, as well as livestock on feedlots to increase their size in a faster amount of time. More meat and more milk in less time may provide larger, less expensive steaks, but its also contributing to America’s obesity epidemic as well as hormone imbalance, including early onset of puberty in young girls.

Earth Fare has a full selection of antibiotic and growth hormone free meats, milks and cheeses. Check out one of our farms, Hickory Nut Gap in the video below:

Be sure to click here and get your coupon for a free pound of All-Natural Chicken Breast. This coupon is valid today through Sunday, October 23, so be sure to redeem yours soon!

Naturally aged flour is better for baking and retains more nutritional value. And when allowed to age naturally, flour turns a consistent white color through oxidization. So why is bleached and bromated flour so prevalent? Simple. Using chemicals gets flour and baked products to the market faster, with no extra time or storage needed while waiting for grains to age, which makes the entire process cheaper for manufacturers.

At Earth Fare, we don’t allow bleached or bromated flour in our baked goods, crackers, cereals – not anywhere, in any products, in our stores.

We bet you wouldn’t make a sandwich out of bread that had been dipped in a pool or smeared with acne cream. And yet bleached flour is turned white with exactly those ingredients – chlorine gas or peroxides. Nutrients such as Vitamin E, phosphorus and iron are lost during the bleaching process.

A century ago white bread was considered food for the rich and was actually more expensive. In 1930, Wonder Bread brought white, sliced bread to the masses. Today refined bread made with bleached flour and chemicals dominates the shelves of many conventional supermarkets.

Bromating also involves adding chemicals. Potassium bromate is added to improve elasticity, giving the unaged flour better rising action.

We often worry about food from China and their lax quality standards. China, along with Europe, Canada and the UK have banned the use of peroxides and potassium bromate. In 1991, the state of California did declare potassium bromate a carcinogen and baked goods sold in the state containing bromate have a cancer warning; however, the FDA has not banned the use of these chemicals or the processes of bleaching and bromating flour. So we took it upon ourselves to do the banning.

We think natural ingredients are the best thing since sliced bread. Want to try some of our baked goods for yourself? Start with this coupon good for half off our cookies, brownies, and muffins. It’s only valid through Sunday, 10/16, so be sure to get yours today!