orgainic or health food help

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emy10284
emy10284 Posts: 171 Member
in Food and Nutrition
ok so i always see people talking about trader joes or whole food places on here. I dont have ANY heealth food grocery stores near me, i have looked . I would love to be able to try out some new healthier cleaner foods. So does anyone have any places online that use? i honestly have really searched at Wal-mart or places like that . I kind of just assumed i wouldnt be able to find stuff like that at Wal-mart . Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Not even a wheatfields? Hmm well I know a few good sites but it depends on what you are looking for :O
    anything specific?
  • trixylewis
    trixylewis Posts: 197 Member
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    most grocery stores have an organic section to shop at. but honestly, just try and eat foods that are closest to their natural state. raw, unprocessed, to eat clean
  • kyrstensmom
    kyrstensmom Posts: 297 Member
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    Do you have a Fred Meyer or Kroger? They have a decent selection of organic produce and a "nutrition" section that has organic staples and healthier options. We don't have a Trader Joes (although I just read yesterday that they are opening one here next year :happy: ) or a Whole Foods, but I shop at Fred Meyer and a couple of other local grocery stores. I buy everything organic and so far have been able to find most things I need/want.
  • JenFerguson1
    JenFerguson1 Posts: 156 Member
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    believe it or not, You can find a lot of health food at regular grocery stores. You just REALLY have to look for it. I dont live near a trader joes or whole foods but I always tend to find those cool food items at other normal stores. Do you have a Wegmans by any chance? They have GREAT organic and health food these. Even at WalMart I find a lot of good stuff. Keep an eye out:)
  • jspindel
    jspindel Posts: 4
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    I live in rural alaska which makes me pretty far out from the loop... for dried, canned, and bottled specialty organic foods i order from Amazon...and if you spend a certain amount (I believe $50) you can get free super saver shipping... you have to buy in bulk but the prices are pretty great... we also have a place in seatle that over ngihts us fresh produce...as well as a co-op so you may want to look into those... farmers markets also help with buying local and organic... good luck with you journey of fresh produce :)
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Very good responses here :]

    Oooh btw. Beware of organic fruit sometimes. Def found a work crawling around in my organic pear once.
  • humanskin
    humanskin Posts: 42
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    When I look for foods in non-health-food stores I generally look at the list of ingredients. The small the list and the more "real" the ingredients are, the more likely I am to buy it. There are some dirty foods that you should always try to buy organic (they use a lot of chemicals) and some foods that are generally on the growing chemicals that you can buy normally. Here's a list: http://robin.hubpages.com/hub/organic

    My tips:
    Avoid all high fructose corn syrup. (it's harder than you think).
    Buy store brand (it's usually cheaper and oddly, usually contains fewer chemicals)
    Don't go down the center aisles unless you have something very specific to get.
    Don't buy anything but that specific thing in those center aisles.

    Trader Joes isn't as awesome as everyone claims. Bell Peppers in plastic packing burns me up and the food has real ingredients, but is just as processed as anything else in a normal store.

    Do you have any farmer's markets? You might want to look into that.
  • ak_in_ak
    ak_in_ak Posts: 657 Member
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    Safeway has a good organic brand and Fred Meyer has a well-stocked natural foods section. I live in Alaska and am able to get most of the things I need, so I am sure if you are in the states you should have no problem. Organic does not make it healthy, it is really about eating foods that are not processed. Stick to beans, veggies, fruit, meat, and some yogurt ( look for ones that just say milk and cultures, there shouldn't be much else in it). Try making your own salsa, guacamole, and hummus, even greek yogurt is easy to make. None of these things have to be organic and chances are your home made version is better for you than an organic version.
  • LemonPoppySeedMuffin
    LemonPoppySeedMuffin Posts: 302
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    How about going for a day trip to a farmer's market? :)
  • oceanrose78
    oceanrose78 Posts: 133 Member
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    When I shop, I start as local as possible. This means the farmers markets, and farm stands. Then I widen my search from there. We just got a Whole Foods 30 minutes away, and I am so happy, since I love them. But they're a 2nd choice to a local natural foods store. Check around online, sometimes someone will operate one in their home.

    I also go to Costco monthly. I purchase my rice, flour, olive oil, and canned goods there in bulk to save money. When I go I also buy produce there, since it's really, really fresh for the area. We have a Trader Joes next to Costco, and I go there specifically for their blue corn chips (my nephews love them), and for frozen brown rice. They also carry canned Garbanzo beans for a good price.

    I try to buy all organic, as few packaged foods as possible, and cook at home. When you cut out the packaged foods you don't need the specialty stores as much :). Plus you save money and calories!
  • emy10284
    emy10284 Posts: 171 Member
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    wow thank u to everyone these are some great responses.we dont have a fred meyer unfortunately . i will try looking harder at some of the other local stores here. i was disappointed to find out the farmers markets has already closed up shop till next season but we do have kroger so i try there like someone suggested. i think i will just try to read labels even more than now and look more into making my own snacks and side dishes . thank you to everyone this was really helpful!

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