Our daily lives can be so hectic that we barely have time for the essentials like shopping for food. Did you know that you can have organic food products delivered right to your front door? There are companies here in Central Ohio able to make meal planning and shopping stress free.
Naturally Fresh Foods gives you a choice of many restaurant quality meats. You can order beef, seafood, poultry, pork, veal, and lamb. The company website explains how their service works: “. . .after your brief meeting with our consultant our company goes to work for you. Cutting and packaging your order to your specifications, using the most effective vacuum sealing and flash freezing process to prepare your order for home delivery at your convenience.” In addition to the meats, you can order pizza, vegetables, breads, and juices. Naturally Fresh Foods is a full service delivery enterprise. They can supply you with flatware and cutlery, cookware, and even a freezer to store your meals. Prices are quoted during the consultation. Visit the website for more information.
Wellness Forum Foods delivers precooked vegan meals. All you have to do is heat and serve. Wellness Forum Foods features lunch and dinner options. The menus include a variety of fresh baked breads, pastas, salads, and desserts. Try their Quinoa Jambalaya. It’s flavorful and simply delicious. It’s prepared with a spiced stew of tomatoes, green bell peppers, celery, garlic, and thyme. The dish is served with organic brown rice and a mixed greens salad. The menu items range from $5.95 to $9.25 per serving. Wellness Forum Foods only delivers to Central Ohio residents. You can either call in your order or send an email. Check out their website for the complete menu.
Perhaps you prefer to do your own shopping. No problem. Whole Foods Market and Raisin Rack are standout organic grocery stores. Both are clean with nice big aisles and large variety of organically certified products and produce. Whole Foods Market has everything you could ever want and more. Does your recipe call for organic duck or goose eggs? They have it. The market has a large selection of seafood, nuts, breads, and sweets. I liked the friendliness and attentiveness of the staff. Nutrition and lifestyle classes are available. The store also provides several comfortable areas for having lunch or a little snack. You can order from the sushi bar, pizza station, juice bar, or the regular restaurant. All the food looks and smells heaven sent. In addition to the foodstuffs, Whole Foods Market has green products for your home, pet, and garden.
The Raisin Rack is a locally owned organic grocer. In addition to its deli and juice bar, it has “an excellent variety of bulk grains, nuts, seeds, herbs as well as organically grown fruits and vegetables and a complete selection of vitamins, minerals, herbals and other nutrients from all major national brands. It also offers an extensive selection of gluten-free products.” The manager and his staff are knowledgeable and helpful. There is also free literature well placed throughout the store to educate the uninitiated about organically grown food and green products. The Raisin Rack offers online shopping.
Another alternative for organic foodstuffs in Columbus is the area’s co-ops. The Bexley Natural Market is a quaint little market on the east side of Columbus. It has natural teas, spices, oils, and locally grown fruits and vegetables. The market has a good reference area of books for the novice and expert alike. Likewise, the Clintonville Community Market is a cozy little market with a good mix of products. It has an impressive variety of natural teas. Check out this market’s free Spring ’09 coupon book.
Make sure to look for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s seal on products claiming to be organic. In The Organic Food Shopper’s Guide, Jeff Cox explains that foods certified organic “must not use preservatives, be genetically engineered, treated with antibiotics, or irradiated. He further states that “animals must be treated humanely”. Products labeled natural are not the same as organic because they don’t have to adhere to the same regulations.
There’s a great debate about whether organically grown foods are more beneficial than conventionally grown foods. On one side the organic food industry claims their product is healthier, tastes better, and uplifts the local community. While the other side claims that the health benefit is exaggerated and the cost to the consumer is exorbitant. In a recent article, the Mayo Clinic explains the factors affecting organic food prices. Most organic food costs more than conventional food products. Higher prices are due to more expensive farming practices, tighter government regulations and lower crop yields.” It further states, “No conclusive evidence shows that organic food is more nutritious than is conventionally grown food. And the USDA – even though it certifies organic food – doesn’t claim that these products are safer or more nutritious.” However, the Mayo Clinic does concede the fact that organic farming practices are better for the environment and they limit our exposure to harmful pesticides.
Sources:
Jesse Ziff Cool, Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients, Chronicle Books, 2008.
Jeff Cox, The Organic Food Shopper’s Guide, John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
