Green Shoots. Healthy Eats.
I hope you are experiencing a much-needed increase in temperatures and you are finding the stretch in the evenings revitalising and invigorating. If you are already a committed gardener, you might be delighting in the first shoots of new growth. If you haven’t turned a sod or filled a container for some time and you are considering doing so, I highly recommend that you do. It’s never too late to start. You can pick up a bag of organic compost from your local independent garden centre. You may already have the contents of a compost bin in your garden waiting to be put to some use. There...
Read MoreHealth Stores Ireland – New facing, same ethos
Collective and innovators – two very pertinent terms when it comes to defining what makes the key differences between independent health food shops and big branded retailers. There are few sectors where the majority of people involved at all levels carry out their business with a commonality of purpose and a closeness with its customer base. Long before hipster cafés and tribal homeware stores became fashionable, health stores were engaging in a unique relationship between producer, distributer, retailer and customer. Long before “experience” based shopping was trendy and cool,...
Read MoreAutumn Poem and more
There are wonderful poems about autumn moods and colours, but Jack Prelutsky’s lines from a classroom have a slant many youngsters will share: The leaves are yellow, red and brown, A shower sprinkles softly down The air is fragrant, crisp and cool, And once again, I’m stuck in school. So it’s back to lunchboxes, homework and timetables, and autumn can be a bittersweet time as the freedom of warmer days becomes a memory. But in many ways the change of season is a better time to take stock than the New Year, and a good opportunity to plan for new approaches and fresh schedules. A...
Read MoreOrganic Summer
The year gallops ahead, and as members of the Irish Association of Health Stores we measure out our time in seasonal window displays and products. For example, right now we are looking at remedies for the dreaded hayfever season, stocking up on safe and effective insect repellents, deodorants and sunscreens, loading Irish-made kombucha in the chiller cabinet, and displaying multi-coloured organic summer vegetables in many member shops. Is it really worth paying the extra for organic produce? We would say for sure! Whether the food is dried or fresh, a certified organic label ensures that the...
Read MoreFermented Foods
There can’t be many people left in the country who haven’t by now heard something about fermented foods on TV, on social media or in the press. Fermented foods are the very epitome of Hippocrates’ famous advice “let food be they medicine and medicine be thy food”, and every member of the Irish Association of Health Stores will offer you a variety of these foods. Apart from the old familiar probiotic yogurts, check in our chillers and freezers as well as ambient shelves for the products available, many of which are produced in Ireland. Why is fermentation such a buzz word? In...
Read MoreMaking 2017 the Year of Healthy Habits
Say yes to good healthy food and ethical living. How are you getting on with your New Years promises to yourself? I didn’t want to mention the “R” word, because we all know that these “R’s” inevitably end up unfulfilled and often leave us with a feeling of regret and disappointment. Let’s not go there this year. My best advice for 2017 is to embrace food – wholefood – locally produced preferably. Don’t be afraid. Fats are good for you, in correct format and measure. Calories are life saving measures of energy, not toxic substances. Sugars are entwined in many...
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