– by Stacey Terry
I don’t think we’re in Winnipeg anymore, Toto.
Yeah, “The Strip” seems pretty lively, and yeah, Ceasars Palace looks impressive, and I do have to admit that there’s something wonderful about seeing the almost iconic lights of The Flamingo, but nothing… NOTHING… has widened this prairie gal’s eyes like a trip to Whole Foods Market.
In case you haven’t guessed it, I’m actually on vacation. Well… it’s a working slash personal development slash relaxation trip! I’m in Las Vegas (my first time here… previously I’d only ever made a trip as far south as South Dakota) with my good friend (ex-boyfriend heheh…), Glen, to attend a conscious growth workshop (CGW) hosted by Steve Pavlina. I’m quite a fan of Steve’s work, and I’ve even had the opportunity to interview him for The Raw Divas, so now the opportunity to meet with him in person at his conference here in Vegas was an offer I couldn’t pass up. Meet with people interested in bettering their lives, many of whom are vegans and raw food fans? I’ll drink green smoothies to that!
But I’m meandering here… I want to get back on track because I’m really excited about talking about Whole Foods!!! I have never, never been so excited about a grocery store. Now I suppose if you are lucky to live in a city with a Whole 
Foods market, this is all old hat for you… blah dee dah. But if you’re like me, and you have limited choices for accessing fresh, organic produce… then join me on a heavenly vicarious tour of the wonder that is Whole Foods.
Yesterday was our first full day here in Vegas… and yes, where did we go when my friend Glen was done his conference and I was done work? Where was our first pick for a Vegas adventure? Yup.
Glen knows me well enough to know a trip to Whole Foods Market would mean more to me than the flashy stores and blinking lights.
Totally.
I walked in and the first section to my right was dedicated all to raw food. Dehyrdrated flax crackers of all kinds. Snacks with spirulina, cacao, and goji berries. And even a cooler with raw food to go: collard green “pizza wraps” and dehyrdrated pizza bites. Raw desserts… I just stood in amazement.
But I really had to pick my jaw up off the floor when the next section was the produce wall. That’s right… WALL. Swiss chard, rainbow chard, curly kale, purple kale, dino kale, dandelion greens, endive, lettuces of innumerable variety… herbs! The works! In fact, I think for the first time I saw what watercress is supposed to look like. By the time watercress ever reaches Winnipeg, the shrivelled and withered greens that appear on our shelves are rarely something I consider buying. But the lucscious, healthy plant on this wall was beautiful!
I tell you… if you’re a green smoothie fan like myself… it’s overwhelming. The potential for variety is soooo great. Typically, I have to drive to several different stores if I want to even attempt at getting that kind of variety… and the organic stores in Winnipeg are pretty far from where I live, so it’s not always convenient or economical to go out of my way. Thus, I tend to stick to the spinach, lettuces, and the odd chard or kale that comes my way at my local supermarket. But this… THIS… well… the whole idea of rotating greens takes on quite the delightful and delicious angle.
I’m kicking myself now for not having my camera with me… but it just didn’t occur to me to take a camera into a grocery store. But you really have to see the variety to appreciate it. Or, you have to live in a place like Winnipeg where that kind of variety just isn’t available (at least, not in one place!) to appreciate it. And I consider myself quite lucky to live where I do in a major urban center… if I was still living where I grew up, in Western Manitoba near a little place with a population of about 100 people give or take, I’d probably count myself lucky to have fresh iceberg lettuce!
My entire tour of the store was wide-eyed. Naturally raised meats (if you’re still into that kinda thing… which I was not so long ago); organic wines; organic snacks; a do-it-yourself peanut butter maker; organic juices; natural supplements, cleaning products, beauty products and clothes; and on…
and on…
and on…
and, of course… the fresh, prepared food!
The ultimate salad bar.
It’s not many places that I can go and just see a bar of prepared food that I can eat without worry or concern. There was even a vegan buffet.
But, as if the deal wasn’t already cinched, I was head over heels when I noticed the juice bar and saw that yes, green smoothies were on the menu!
Enough said.
Glen and I shared an interesting conversation over our fresh salads and vegan morsels. It’s hard to make lifestyle changes… really hard. You can’t underestimate how much impact your local environment has on how well or successfully you make and implement changes. Having access to fresh and healthy food options is a real piece of the puzzle. If it’s work for you to seek out kale and coconut water and mangoes, let’s face it… it’s not something you’re likely to sustain. Life is busy. It can be pretty expensive to access healthy food in a center where there’s little demand.
Having seen what I’m missing, I’m now more convinced that part of my long-term lifestyle strategy will involve moving to a center where I can access food like this easily. Heheh… it probably won’t be Vegas. In fact, there are only two Canadian provinces that have Whole Foods Markets: British Columbia (Vancouver) or Ontario (Oakville and Toronto). So… that would be a major relocation for me.
But the food I eat every day is such a huge part of my life experience that it makes sense to me to be in a place where making the best choices would be easier.
There is another option though.
Whole Foods must exist in places where there is sufficient demand for the products. So… I have to admit. I do enjoy being a prairie girl. Winnipeg has many charms, including proximity to family and the music (old time fiddle and the Red River/Metis style) that I love. So, the other way (and I think the more satisfying way) to my goal is to educate more people on the benefits, the necessity, the joys, the bliss that is eating better.
Heheh… Currently, Winnipeg has a reputation for being the Slurpee capital of the world. Oh how I’d love to change that to Green Smoothie capital!
Hopefully Steve Pavlina and the other CGW attendees can help me hatch a healthy plot this weekend to make this happen!
If you want to throw your thoughts into this mastermind pet project and help me figure out a way to make Whole Foods come to Winnipeg, then happily leave your comments! 🙂
Until then, Viva Whole Foods!
Whole Foods – Our Core Values (as printed on our dinner napkins):
We sell the highest quality foods available. We satisfy and delight our customers. We care about Team Member happiness and excellence. We create wealth through profits and growth. We care about communication and our environment.
www.wholefoodsmarket.com
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Whole Foods Photo credits courtesy of the following websites:
http://redwhiteandfood.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/whole-foods-tx.jpg
http://www.happykatie.com/dailies/2009/05/frugal-friday-my-whole-foods-obsession.html
http://www.cornichon.org/2007/04/we-are-what-we-grow.html
http://hahaha.hamakuasprings.com/2006/06/richard_ha_writ.html