I thought for a first blog post it might be good to make a list of local and internet sources of healthy foods that I've found here on the Space Coast. At first I was disappointed that we don't have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's in the area (Orlando has a couple WF, no TJ in FL at all), but after looking around I found out that we actually have quite a few options around here. I made a list below, broken down into local and internet sources as well as a few links at the bottom if you want to search around yourself.
Local:
1)
Fresh Box Organics Space Girl Organics [
https://www.spacegirlorganics.com/] - This is currently my favorite organic produce service. The produce is consistently fresh and in good condition, sourced locally when possible, and is the largest delivery of any of the produce services I've tried. When they say they deliver a box of fresh produce to your door, they mean a big box! Highly recommended, and much cheaper than Publix and even Whole Foods from what I've found. They also service most of Brevard county and parts of Orlando as well!
2)
Appleseed Health Foods [
http://www.appleseedhealth.com/] - This is a health food Co-op in the Rockledge area that has a good variety of organic natural foods, as well as fresh produce from the area and raw milk and yogurt from the local Christmas Farms. I love raw milk (and it's health benefits) and this is the only place in the area that sells raw dairy products (you can also buy directly from Christmas Farms).
3)
Lily's Organic Produce [
http://www.lilysorganicproduce.com/] - This is a weekly fresh organic produce service with a huge selection of extra items from meats, dairy and extra produce items to oils, nuts and many other products. You send in your order by Monday Noon and then pick up your fresh produce and other items on Tuesday. I've found it to be much cheaper than the organic section in Publix and other health food stores.
4)
Happy Healthy Human [
http://www.happyhealthyhuman.com/] - A raw vegan cafe (I know, I know... but they have good produce) and juice bar in Indian Harbour Beach. They also do produce boxes on Tuesday's and they have good fresh organic produce. I also like that they throw in spices and herbs as well as the fresh produce.
5)
Paradise Health and Nutrition [
http://www.paradisehealthdirect.com] - My favorite local health food store. It's a little pricey, but they have a pretty good selection and they are really helpful if you are looking for information on a new product and will order anything you need.
6)
Sunseed Food Co-op [
http://sunseedfoodcoop.com/] - I like this health food store, I just wish it was closer instead of on A1A out by Cape Canaveral. For those of you a little closer, it's a great Co-op with a wide selection of produce, organic foods, supplements, coffee/teas, etc... It's actually probably the best stocked health food store I've found in the area, so I try to make it out there from time to time. There's also a nice gluten free bakery and coffee shop near by called The Bald Strawberry, be sure to check that out too!
Internet:
1)
Slanker's Grass-fed Meats [
http://www.texasgrassfedbeef.com/index.htm] - I haven't found an affordable source of good grass-fed meats in this area yet so I've been using Slanker's for my meats for now. They have reasonable prices on everything from beef, bison, chicken and turkey to seafood, cooking oils and dairy products. If you order in bulk, the shipping costs aren't too bad and it's still much cheaper than anything local.
2)
Tropical Traditions [
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/] - A good source of organic coconut oil, coconut flour and many other products.
3)
Nutsonline [
http://www.nutsonline.com/] - The cheapest source of raw organic nuts that I have found. Check out the raw organic macadamia nuts, they're awesome!!!
Links:
1)
Rawfoodrawfoods [
http://www.rawfoodrawfoods.com/index.html] - A good resource for healthy restaurants and other services in Brevard county
2)
Eat Wild [
http://www.eatwild.com/index.html] - This is where I started on my grass-fed meat search, and I found a few local farmers that sold grass fed beef, but it was mostly by the 1/4 or 1/2 (200 lbs) cow and I'm not ready to buy that much meat yet, haha. The prices on cuts of meat (at least the steaks) were about $5 more per pound, so I ended up going with Slanker's for now.
3)
Brevard Farmer's Markets [
http://www.brevardfarmersmarkets.com/] - This website is good for finding local farmer's markets. I've checked out a few of the local ones but I've found that most of the produce isn't organic. So, although it's fresher than the local Publix produce, it's just as bad as far as pesticides and other chemicals... You're welcome to check it out though, and let me know if you find organic produce.
I think that's enough for now, and a pretty good first post. For those just starting the Primal journey I hope this helps (I'll do a post on good books soon) and for those already Primal maybe there's a new place you haven't heard of yet. I look forward to meeting others with similar views on health and nutrition in the area.
- Joshua
