Whole Foods Field Trip

Our recipe group recently took a guided tour of Whole Foods. This  is what we learned...

• Whole Foods has a new slogan health starts here. It consists of four pillars
• Whole Food - Eat whole unprocessed foods. A 'whole food' is any food in its most essential, pure, delicious and basic form. Choose whole, fresh, natural, organic, local, seasonal, unrefined and unprocessed foods. Eliminate artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, sweeteners and hydrogenated fats from you diet.
• Plant Strong- Eat a colorful variety of plants. Begin to reconfigure your plate so that the majority of your meal is made from plant-based foods
• Healthy Fats-Eat healthy fats: nuts, seeds, avocados
• Nutrient Dense - Eat foods rich in micronutrients when compared to total caloric content.
• ANDI Score is Agrigate Nutrient Density Index. An ANDI score shows the nutrient density of a food on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities.
• Kale scores 1000;  Soda/Soft drinks scores 1
• Whole Foods includes the ANDI score on each of the produce signs
• Some of the healthier greens may taste bitter in the beginning. Bitter taste buds on the back of the tongue can make people gag, a natural defense mechanism to help prevent poisoning. However, as you eat more greens you will become more familiar with their flavor.  Your taste buds will regenerate in about 3 weeks.
• Organic vs. Conventional
• Whole Foods Market helps consumers quickly determine what they are buying
• Purple Signs - Conventional Produce
• Orange Signs - Organic Produce
• Yellow Signs - Store Specials
• Local produce can be both conventional and organic
• Conventional Produce/Foods
• Conventional growers use an assortment of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, genetically engineered organisms and growth enhancers to stimulate their soil and crops. Their focus is on short term yield rather than long term sustainability. 
• Organic Foods
•  Organic products for the most part are those grown without pesticides, antibiotics, irradiation and so on. Organic is usually more expensive because it takes much more effort to create sustainability. With few exceptions, organic growers cannot force ripen produce, so when consumers see those items at the store or market, they know the product is at its culinary peak. A good example is oranges.- Whole Foods Website
• Local Foods
• Local is a flexible term, the basic theory is simple: local foods are produced as close to home as possible. Buying Local helps to support the economy around us (usually within 100 miles) and small family farms.
• Fair Trade/Whole Trade
• Fair Trade requires that a part of our purchase price be passed through to a fund controlled directly by the workers on the farm. The workers vote on how to invest the money to benefit their communities. Fair Trade/Whole Trade also certifies that farmers are receiving a fair price for their crops. Fair Trade also make sure that rain forests are not being destroyed in the growing and harvesting of these foods. Many Fair Trade items are tropical items; bananas, pineapple, mangos, rice, quinoa, coffee, chocolate and sugar are a few examples.
• Check out the website http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/ for lists of pesticides on the food you eat.
• Tips for eating healthy and cost conscious
• EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides: Includes the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15
• Watch for local sales on organic and domestic conventional items.
• If eating conventional stay away from imported produce. Eat produce grown conventionally in the USA. Whole Foods Market includes the origin of each item on the individual signs.
• Organic produce should last longer. Organic farming creates plants and yield that are stronger.
• Shop at your local farmer's market
• Bulk Section
• Mainly consists of beans, grains and nuts.
• 2 Important facts when eating whole foods...Fiber and Protein
• Whole Foods also offers a variety of prepared foods that follow the Healthy Eating Guidelines
• Prepared salad dressings are oil free.
• Many of the soups are low-sodium.
• Most of the breads are baked in house from scratch. They also have loaves that use sprouted grains and follow the healthy eating guidelines.
• The salad bars at the Dedham Whole Foods are amazing.

Please feel free to forward any additional notes/ information to me that I might not have heard or recorded.

We did not cover meats or dairy because of lack of time. I will be scheduling another tour specifically focused on meats, dairy and other "grocery" items. Please let me know if you are interested in joining me.

Reading material suggested: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

Cinnamon Gumdrops

brought by Kristen Marshall

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup water

1 package (1-3/4 oz) fruit pectin (or you can try substituting unflavored gelatin for a less fruity sweet taste)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp cinnamon oil (but I think you need at least 1/2 tsp)

red food coloring

Prepare ban by coving it with aluminum foil and spraying it with nonstick cooking spray or prepare shape molds with cooking spray and set aside. Combine the sugar and the corn syrup in a large heavy-botomed saucepan over medium heat.. Stir constantly until mixture is vigorously boiling, about 8-10 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the candy reaches 280 degrees (soft crack stage). While you are waiting for he the candy to reach the proper temperature, mix the water, pectin and baking soda in medium saucepan. Place over high heat and cook to boiling point. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Once sugar/corn syrup mixture is at the soft crack stage, place the pectin mixture back on high heat. Stream the sugar mixture into the pectin mixture slowly, while stirring. Continue to cook the candy, while stirring constantly, for an additional minute. REmove form the heat, and stir in food coloring and flavoring. Pour into prepared pan and let set until firm. Cut with sharp knife or cookie cutters, and roll pieces in granulated sugar.

Cinnamon Taffy

brought by Kristen Marshall

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup water

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 TBS butter or margarine

1/4 tsp cinnamon extract or few drops of oil (i used oil and found that /14 tsp of the oil was still not strong enough for my liking and oil is much stronger than extract)

Few drops red food coloring (optional - but I find it helps things psychologically taste more the way they should! :) )

Butter a baking pan, or prepare a cookie sheet with a siltpat and set aside. Butter the sides of a heavy 2 quart sauce pan. In the sauce pan combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat to boiling stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar. This should take about 10 minutes. Avoid splashing mixture on sides of pan. Carefully slip candy thermometer to side of pan. cook mixture over medium heat, without stirring, till thermometer register 265 (but I find that temp too high and I like my taffy softer so you may want to choose a lower degree closer to a firm ball stage). Reaching hard ball stage should take about 40 minutes. Remove sauce pan from heat; remove thermometer from sauce pan. Stir in 2 TBS butter. Stir in flavoring and food coloring. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cool till taffy mixture can be handled easily. Butter both hands, then twist and pull candy till it turns creamy color and is stiffer and more difficult to pull. divide into fourths and twist and pull each piece into a long strand about 1/2 inch think.  With buttered scissors, snip each strand of taffy into bite-size pieces. Wrap each piece in wax paper or plastic wrap.

Black Bean Salsa

Ok-- I bet you are thinking uck....black beans! Seriously this salsa is delicious and you won't even know you are downing those healthy little beans. Try it and you might be stocking you food storage with more black beans :)

Black Bean Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
2 large avacados, diced
2 to 3 tomatoes, diced
1 green or red bell pepper
1 bunch cilantro, cut up
1 bunch green onions, cut up
1 package Good Seasons Italian Salad dressing mix (make as directed on package)
fresh lime juice (optional)

Mix altogether and serve with chips

Tips: I like to mix everything up the night before except for the avacados. I like to do this so the flavors can mariate together. I add the avacados right before serving.

I made this for young womens and I didn't have avacados or cilantro and it still tasted yummy.

*** Meal Idea: If you want to make this into a meal I like to grill some chicken and put it on a bed of salad and use this salsa as the dressing.

Courtesy of Heather Koelliker's awesome Aunt Sandra