The Real Foodie

When I read in dismay about the increasing use of pesticides, GMOs and other chemicals, how bees are becoming extinct and nature’s perfect food—breastmilk—is contaminated with toxins such as BPA and fire retardants, I feel hopeless and think we are heading towards total destruction of our planet. Sometimes however, I see a light at the end of the tunnel and believe the tide is turning, that we are finally winning the war against processed, chemical ridden food and GMOs which are poisoning our children.

I keep reading in the news about McDonalds sales continuing to drop. Perhaps the day I have been waiting for, when we will see an end to the infamous McDonalds we all grew up with and places like fast-growing burger chain Bareburger replacing it, is nearer than we think.

On a recent trip to New York I came across the new supermarket, A Matter of Health, on First Avenue between 72nd and 73rd streets. I was impressed with how many products they had in stock and how much variety there was. They sold many products that are hard to find, that I usually have to order online or go to various different stores to buy. It impressed me that a neighbourhood like the Upper East Side which has been slow to pick up on the growing real food movement, with few healthy restaurants and markets, is catching up with the more foodie-forward areas of the city such as Williamsburg and Downtown.

Also on the Upper East Side, on Lexington Avenue between 73rd and 74th streets is Organic Avenue, opened three years ago, where I get my breakfast each morning when I stay there. Organic Avenue was the first juice bar of its kind; Juice Press in New York and Jugo Fresh in Miami were soon to follow.

On my way back to Miami at La Guardia airport, I stopped by the market Cibo Express, which I was also impressed to find were selling some healthy food products such as Vigilant Eats superfood cereals and Maple Hill Creamery 100% grass-fed organic yogurts. A few years ago you could never find a healthy snack other than a banana in any airport.

In Miami the long awaited Wholefoods Downtown opened in Brickell last week, with yet another branch of Jugo Fresh located inside, as soon as you walk in. With so many new health food markets opening on a grand scale, such as Wholefoods (the first national grocery chain to set a deadline for full GMO transparency) and A Matter of Health, we may be seeing the end of the average conventional supermarket.