Co-op Advantage Specials

Check out the monthly Co-op Advantage Flyer, available in our entry way rack and at customer service. The Co-op Advantage program offers great sale prices on several items every month at all participating co-ops. These savings are offered to everyone who shops at the co-op. Just look for the red Co-op Advantage logo on sale signs or click here for this month’s Co-op Advantage specials flyer (PDF format.)

Valley Natural Foods General Sales

In addition to the Co-op Advantage program, Valley Natural Foods selects several additional items to put on sale each month. These sale items are available to everyone who shops at the co-op. Look for the Valley Natural Foods logo on general sale signs and enjoy great savings on favorite products.

Member-Owner Sales

 Valley Natural Foods member-owners enjoy additional savings when they take advantage of monthly Member Specials. Promoted items are identified by Member Special sale signs, and the discount is automatically taken at the register for co-op members only. A printed list of monthly member specials is available at customer service or online:  This month’s Member Specials (PDF format.)

Spring Sale Items

 Be on the lookout for signs indicating Spring Sale Items. You can often find good deals on selected fresh items from the deli, meat and produce departments on a weekly basis.

Discount Bins (red tagged items)

 Look for our clearance bins. Items are marked down with red tags indicating the final price. Great bargains can be found on seasonal, discontinued and overstocked items.

Take Advantage of Our Coupons!

Check out our weekly online coupons, available through our website. Click here to view and print this week’s coupons. Ask about an in-store coupon if you are shopping at our seafood service counter.

Blue Sky Guide

 Purchase a copy of the Blue Sky Guide, loaded with money-saving coupons that can be used here at Valley Natural Foods and other retailers.

by Eileen Johnson, RN

Inflammation Matters (part 7)

It seems no matter what health topic I write about, there is always a stress connection. Stress is a part of our daily lives and sometimes can produce very positive outcomes and needed change in our lives. But, stressors that produce negative emotional and physical responses will promote, and in some cases, produce inflammatory problems in the body. There are many physical stressors that can trigger inflammation, but for now I would like to talk about the emotional ones.

Dr. Janice Kiecolt-glaser, Ph.D., explains that chronic emotional stress increases pro-inflammatory chemicals in the body. These chemicals normally support healing in the body, for instance, when you have a cut on your finger. When stress calls upon these chemicals day after day, they actually create inflammation all over the body EXCEPT in those areas of the body that require healing. She gave two examples during a recent lecture at the National Institute of Health in May of 2008. Longtime care-giving spouses of Alzheimer’s patients displayed lowered immune function and impaired wound healing in comparison with the general population. It is interesting to note that this population also had a much poorer response to a flu shot than the general population of people, and this gap was widened for those people over the age of 70. She also found that a group of dental students actually healed faster from a puncture wound to the finger during a school break than during the school term.

The cortisol connection is very clear and continues to be studied. Optimally, the adrenal glands produce the bulk of their daily cortisol in the early morning. Cortisol is a hormone that wakes us up, stimulates the brain and in moderation works in an anti-inflammatory way. The adrenal gland should secrete smaller amounts as the day goes on and then start secreting the opposing hormone, DHEA, toward the evening and while we sleep. DHEA stimulates the bulk of the body’s healing and repair work. Chronic stress keeps the body in a “fight or flight” mode, unnaturally keeping cortisol levels high, hampering needed repair work and inducing a chronically inflamed state. This can then lead to a spiral effect of inflammation, muscle loss, depressed immune system and blood sugar dysregulation. It also supplies some of the ingredients for obesity.

We are living in such stressful times – What can we do to decrease the negative effects of this stress?

·        Deep belly breathing for 5 minutes, 2-3 times each day can bring temporary stress relief and help you to think through problems more clearly.

·        Taking time to connect with friends or family members can help to put life events in better perspective.

·        Volunteering to help others in need can take away the focus on our own life challenges and understand another person’s perspective.

·        Learn stress relieving practices such as yoga, tai chi, qi gong. These can be used to help build a more positive attitude to start your day or to help you relax before going to bed.

·        Give yourself plenty of time to get a good night’s sleep, including relax time before going to sleep and some time in the morning to awaken peacefully.

Exercise in the morning that you enjoy can raise endorphin levels, improving your mood all day long.

Eileen Johnson, RN on staff at Valley Natural Foods can be reached directly at ejohnson@valleynaturalfoods.com. She offers free 20-minute consultations. Ask her about the FirstLine Therapy program. Check her availability or schedule a visit by calling customer service at 952-891-1212, #221.

Preparation, uses, and tips

Wash peppers just before using; remove the stem, seeds, and interior membranes, and add to salads, soups, or stir-frys. Peppers can be sautéed, steamed, or baked. Roast peppers by holding them over an open flame, or broiling them about 1/2-inch from the broiler flame and rotating every minute or so until they blacken evenly. Put charred peppers in a plastic bag for about 10 minutes, then pull off the blackened peels and rinse the peppers under cold water. Pat dry, remove seeds and stems, and slice peppers. Use roasted pepper slices in salads, or purée in soups.

Buying and storing tips

Peppers can be found in the produce section of health food stores and supermarkets. Choose firm, heavy peppers with deeply colored, shiny skin, and avoid any that are shriveled, soft, or limp. Store peppers in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Varieties

Sweet peppers range in color from green to yellow, orange, red, purple, and black. Red bell peppers are fully ripened green bell peppers, with a milder, sweeter flavor. Other peppers include the red, heart-shaped pimiento; the pale green, slender and curved bull’s horn; the long, tapered Cubanelle, which ranges in color from yellow to red; and the sweet banana pepper, which is yellow and banana-shaped.

Nutrition Highlights

Peppers (sweet, green, raw), 1 cup (chopped) (149g)
Calories: 30
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: 7g
Total Fat: 0g
Fiber: 3g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin C (119.80mg)
*Good source of: Vitamin A (551.30IU), and Vitamin B6 (0.33mg)

*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.

Copyright © 2009 Aisle7 All rights reserved. www.Aisle7.net

The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires February 2010.

by Eileen Johnson, RN

Inflammation Matters (part 6)

Exercise is one of those habits that requires a good deal of human driven force to overcome the inertia that holds us back from establishing a daily routine. All I need is that burning cold breath of fresh winter air as I leave my house to make me think twice about getting out for my daily walk! Once completed, my exercise routine leaves me feeling refreshed and clear headed for the day. It also bestows these benefits:

· Better body composition, which includes better muscle mass and fat loss. Remember that fat mass in the body is inflammatory, whereas muscle is anti-inflammatory.

· Stress relief, especially if a positive attitude is maintained while exercising. Stress hormones such as cortisol are very inflammatory.

· Weight control. Studies have shown that even a 5-10 pound weight loss can lower blood pressure, make body cells more sensitive to insulin and lower the output of inflammatory chemicals.

· Decreases blood sugar levels. Controlling inflammation has a lot to do with keeping blood sugar at a level place all day long.

· Appetite control – A study published recently showed aerobic and resistance exercise both reduce appetite, aerobic being the better of the two. (Senior author, David J. Stensel of Loughborough University in the United Kingdom)

· Better sleep will assist the body in producing the nighttime hormone called DHEA that is so vital to proper healing of body cells. Injured tissues can be a significant source of inflammation.

These three different types of exercise give you the optimum balance of inflammatory fighting capability. Remember to include them all when planning a weekly exercise routine:

· Aerobic

· Stretching

· Resistance training

Make it enjoyable and within your reach. Start slowly and build up to optimum levels. (Even it that means beginning with 10 minutes a day.) The YMCA and many fitness clubs can help you plan out a safe and effective program if you are unsure.

Eileen Johnson, RN on staff at Valley Natural Foods can be reached directly at ejohnson@valleynaturalfoods.com. She offers free 20-minute consultations. Ask her about the FirstLine Therapy program. Check her availability or schedule a visit by calling customer service at 952-891-1212, #221.

Nutrition Highlights

Garlic (raw), 3 cloves
Calories: 13
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: 3g
Total Fat: 0g
Fiber: 0g

Copyright © 2009 Aisle7 All rights reserved. www.Aisle7.net

The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires February 2010.

Here’s a “smart” shopping tip for many of us who have had to tighten our budgets, yet don’t want to compromise our decisions on purchasing natural and organic groceries:

Purchase What you Can in Bulk

You will save a lot of dollars when you make bulk purchases because the price per pound generally costs less than the same item sold in a pre-packaged variety. For example, buying 1 lb. of bulk organic oatmeal instead of a 1 lb. packaged variety, will amount to a savings of about $1.70.

Don’t need a full pound? No problem. You can save on your total shopping bill if you buy just the amount you want. Bulk shopping makes this easy for you when all you need is perhaps, half a pound.  A handy food scale is located between the bulk bins for shoppers to use. Or, use one of our measuring cups instead of a scoop if you would like an exact measurement of an ingredient or product.

To further increase savings, look for sale signs. Each month, various items go on sale throughout the store, including a few items in the bulk department. This would be the time to stock-up on your favorite bulk item.

Shopping in bulk is good for the environment too, as there is less packaging waste, especially if you bring in your own container. Just remember to pre-weigh the container before you fill it. Cashiers will deduct your container weight from their scale so that all you pay for is the weight of the actual item.

Ask our friendly staff to assist you in the bulk department if you have any questions, especially if you are new to bulk shopping. They will make it easy for you and you may even learn something new or interesting about our wide selection of  items.

by Eileen Johnson, RN

Inflammation Matters (part 5)

We hear so much these days about eating oatmeal to lower cholesterol and to support heart health. But why is that? What kind of fiber? How much fiber?

In Paleolithic times, “hunter-gatherers” ate a great deal of fiber from complex carbohydrate sources. Their diet included a great deal of seeds, roots, fruits, nuts, buds, leaves and shoots. They ate approximately 100 grams of fiber each day, whereas today the typical American eats about 8-12 grams.

Why does fiber make such a difference in our inflammatory picture? Higher fiber content in our diets makes it more difficult, and a much slower process to digest these carbohydrates. Remember from the article on sugar and inflammation that the faster the blood sugar rises with what we eat, the more likely you are to raise insulin levels quickly, throw the body into type 2 diabetes, and to raise cholesterol numbers. These are all inflammatory connected situations. Fiber also helps to remove fat from the colon wall, toxins and heavy metals, which all improve your general health picture.

There is confusion over what type of fiber is heart healthy. In reality, both soluble, (pectins and gums) and insoluble (whole grains, fruits and vegetables) help decrease inflammation by slowing down carbohydrate absorption, making us feel more full and thereby avoiding excess calories and sugar cravings, and by regulating cholesterol levels.

Generally, trying to include 25-35 grams of fiber each day will go a long way in helping to control inflammation. Try to include some of the following fiber sources each day: 

Pectin from apples, carrots, beets, the cabbage family help lower cholesterol, lessens the risk of heart disease, and slows down absorption of food.

Cellulose from cabbage, carrots, lima beans, peas, whole grains, Brazil nuts, whole grains and green beans will slow down absorption of food, and boost weight loss plans.

Hemicellulose from apples, beets, whole grains, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, mustard greens and pears are all excellent for weight loss. Remember that weight loss, if it results in lower body fat, automatically lowers the levels of inflammatory cytokines, or chemicals, released by fat stores.

Lignin from flax seeds helps to lower cholesterol and binds to hormones, helping the body to eliminate them and keep them from becoming inflammatory in the body.

Gums and mucilages from oatmeal, oat bran, sesame seeds and dried beans regulate bloods sugar and lower cholesterol numbers.

Eileen Johnson, RN on staff at Valley Natural Foods can be reached directly at ejohnson@valleynaturalfoods.com. She offers free 20-minute consultations. Ask her about the FirstLine Therapy program. Check her availability or schedule a visit by calling customer service at 952-891-1212, #221. 

by Eileen Johnson, RN

Inflammation Matters (Part 4)

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology recently published a review of studies which showed that Vitamin D deficiency raises the level of parathyroid hormone that in turn dampens our cells’ response to insulin. This is associated with hypertension, cardiovascular risk and inflammation. It also puts us right in the path of type II diabetes, a serious inflammatory disease with many associated health concerns.

Dr. Jeffrey Bland, CEO of the Functional Medicine Institute states that Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to such disorders as breast, lung prostate and colon cancers, type 1 diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and MS. He recommends seeing a practitioner who will monitor blood levels of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and supplementing according to that result. It is also seen as a safe practice to take 1000 mg daily without monitoring blood level.

Where else do we get Vitamin D from our diet? Fish is the greatest source for Vitamin D, the highest obtained from sardines, mackerel, herring, tuna and salmon. You can also get a good amount from halibut and cod liver oil. Morel, shitake and chanterelle mushrooms supply a moderate amount of Vitamin D. Milk is a source of Vitamin D, but many of our alternative milks are also fortified with Vitamin D.

Sunshine, when it is available in Minnesota, can supply a good amount of Vitamin D. It is estimated that 20 minutes with the face and arms exposed, will create about 200 IUs of Vitamin D. Unfortunately, the angle of the sun and the length of winter makes this difficult! Who is ready for sunshine and warm weather?! 

Eileen Johnson, RN on staff at Valley Natural Foods can be reached directly at ejohnson@valleynaturalfoods.com. She offers free 20-minute consultations. Ask her about the FirstLine Therapy program. Check her availability or schedule a visit by calling customer service at 952-891-1212, #221. 

Most people are aware that Eucalyptus Oil can work as a decongestant. But not many people know that when it makes contact with oxygen, it produces ozone in which bacteria cannot survive. It is also possibly a powerful anti-viral making it good to use in air sprays, or in diffusers to help protect from colds and flu.  Eucalyptus can be stimulating so you shouldn’t use before bedtime, but it’s great to use in the car to help you stay alert.   NOT FOR USE ON CHILDREN UNDER AGE 12.

Essential Oils can be found in the Valley Natural Foods’ Wellness department.

To save $.75 on a bottle of Eucaluptus Globulus Essential Oil, visit our online coupon page at http://www.valleynaturalfoods.com/coupons.cgi