Greetings from New York City! It’s currently -6 degs C, which is damn frosty. Almost as frosty as the reception I got from the lady at HSBC when I asked to open an account as a non-US citizen. But that’s another story.
Anyway, I started Day 2 with one objective: get my coconut fix at Whole Foods Market.
A lot of people who come to New York may drool over the fashion, the smorgasbord of bars and clubs, or the endless entertainment options. Me? I’m all about the food. And not just any food. As much as I have been told about the following ‘must eats’, I have no desire to hoe into a cream cheese bagel, a supersized slice of pizza or a cornerstand hot dog.
Rather, I’ve made it my mission to find the greenest, healthiest and tastiest food offerings around, my first stop being the mecca of ‘natural and organic’ food and products: Whole Foods Market.
If you haven’t heard of Whole Foods, it’s basically one giant health food supermarket. They have fresh produce, raw and organic snacks, supplements and all the usual gluten-free, sugar-free goodies. And, like, 20 varieties of coconut water.
I discovered Whole Foods whilst holidaying in the US in 2012, and would have brought the whole store back with me if I could.
The best bits I’m loving:
+ They have a whole section of scoop-it-yourself nuts, beans, granola, grains etc. Most have organic options. I even found sprouted almonds. What!
+ You can make your own almond butter, peanut butter, and – wait for it – chocolate peanut butter. Ah. Mazing.
+ They’ve got stuff you can’t get easily (or cheaply) in Australia. I’ve been having all sorts of ‘WTF is…?!’ moments! (‘Nutritional yeast’, anyone? I bought some anyway. Watch this space.)
+ The DIY salad bar. Oh my gosh. It’s $7.99/lb, and there’s a massive spread of pre-made salads, salad ingredients, meats, hard boiled eggs, roast veggies, cheeses, any dressing you want, hot foods and soups. Just grab a box and fill it.
+ You can eat your DIY salad in the seating area upstairs, where there is also free wifi so you can blog as well!
So if you’re ever in the USA and the chilli cheese fries and Dunkin’ Donuts just ain’t doing it for you, go find yourself a Whole Foods and be mesmerised by the massive selection of health goodies. And drag your sugar-loving travel buddy there too…they also have a DIY cookie bar, organic gelato and a burger station. Just sayin’!
Have you ever been to a Whole Foods? Do you reckon we should campaign to get it in Australia?! Who’s with me?
