The Whole Truth

Walking is a great form of exercise, and on Sunday our destination was the local Whole Foods Market, an all-natural grocery chain renown (in case you weren’t aware) for organic freshness, environmental responsibility, local produce and abundant free samples – or in the case of the latter, at least they used to be.

For the past few months, the free treats were few and far between – usually a piece of cheese here or slice of fruit there. And I was prepared to write a post bemoaning this, but I’m happy to say the samples are back, at least on Sunday. We’re talking smoked turkey, spicy mango cheese, pumpernickel crackers and two types of cake, chocolate and lemon.

Nothing on the level of Costco, of course, and not even up to the days at WF when they’d offer small deli sandwiches, pizza and sushi, but still. Anyway, the samples have led to many purchases; we discovered the sweetest, most delicious jumbo tangerines we’ve ever tasted, and really good yogurt chips. Whole Foods produce is especially recommended. It’s as natural and fresh as a farmer’s market. And the meat is always very lean and completely organic – including ground buffalo, which is more flavorful than beef and actually leaner and healthier than chicken. Some WF outlets feature ostrich, as well. For those who value Whole Foods, check out www.mindfuleats.com, an interesting site we recently stumbled upon.

Stay tuned. A major Costco expedition is coming down soon. We’re going to start exploring and reporting on different locations as time permits.

.