Sept 7 - Photo a Day - Natural

Kardish at Merivale and Meadowlands in Ottawa, ON

Today's word is Natural, you say? Too easy! (...I type, as I munch down the most fabulous bulk bag of BEET chips--yep, you heard it here... slice you some beets, spray them with oil, sprinkle on a little salt and throw them in your dehydrator or in your oven at the lowest possible temperature and leave them alone for a few hours [or just buy them at Kardish!].) Ohhh man... these taste a little like slightly sweet, oily potato chips, but actually have the redeeming quality of being healthy! They are just as addictive, though.)

After attending my very favourite yoga class today (Tara's Friday YinYang at Rama Lotus), I had the great pleasure of introducing my friend, Dana, to the best healthy food store in Ottawa: Kardish. I'm a regular at my neighbourhood branch -- 20 minutes west -- and it was a treat to learn that this one was a mere four minute walk from Dana's house! She's hooked! :)

Every single time I walk into a place like this, I flash back to my San Francisco years when I first worked in Goodson's Health Food Store just a few blocks from UC campus, and then grew, produced and delivered wheat grass juice to a dozen stores in Berkeley and Oakland. 'Twas a great way to put myself through massage school. That time also instilled in me a huge respect for alternative medicine, as well as the simple wisdom of keeping life as healthy and close to nature as possible. I am so grateful that stores like this, farmers' markets, and organic foods are becoming part of more people's everyday lives.

Need a snack? If you haven't yet, give this a try: skip the Doritos and Diet Coke, and pop into your local health food store. Grab a bag of organic sesame sticks and a bottle of Alo Awaken and call me when you've touched back down. I'm excited to hear what you think!