The Great Sugar Imitator

It's almost like a riddle - what tastes as sweet as sugar but isn't sugar?

Xylitol has been around since the 60s, although no one has seen much of a reason to move away from the less expensive sugar. Xylitol boasts all sorts of health benefits; everything from preventing cavaties, ear infections and ulcers, it is easy to digest and is great for people with diabetes or hypoglycemia since it doesn't require insulin to metabolize. It is said to even add bone density.

What else could you ask for in a sweetener? I know, a lower price. Although, does health come at a cost? That is for each person to decide. In the meantime, xylitol lives and breathes down at Cali's Natural Foods, so do some experimenting for yourself and see which you would rather have. We would love to have your feedback!

Have You Lost Your Mind?

If you have, you have a treat in store for you!

Food that is 'good for you' no longer has to be the dreaded and disgusting tasting stuff Grandma used to feed us. Today's powerhouses of health pack fun and excitement in amazingly beneficial ways.

Today's example is coconut oil. It has MCT, or medium chain triglycerides that feed the brain and body in ways that prevent/reverse heart disease, and surprisingly, Alzheimer's.

In a case study by Dr. Mary Newport called 'What if There Was a Cure for Alzheimer's Disease and No One Knew?' we are introduced to her husband, age 58, who suffers from dementia. She goes through the study medications, although she is heavy on the amazing benefits they found just adding 4 tablespoons of coconut oil to their daily diet. Unable to draw a picture of a clock on the first day of his study, three weeks later and 84 tablespoons of coconut oil later, his image of the clock had improved greatly, as had his ability to concentrate and focus.

Coconut oil cleans toxins out of the body and kills most STD bacteria, inactivates measles, e-coli, salmonella, H1N1, and yeast infections. Candida, clamidia and eczema find coconut oil a hostile environment to grow in.

Coconut oil also has medium chain fatty acids, the ninja warriors in the battle against lipid-coated viruses such as herpes, cytomeglovirus, influenza, helicobacter pylori (the cause of ulcers), giardia, and of course, HIV. (Yes, you read that correctly, there is something you can do for HIV!)

Coconut oil literally sneaks up behind these nefarious characters and taps them on the shoulder, then proceeds to break them limb from limb. And the best part is that since this is a naturall process, the virus is unable to build resistance to this process. Coconut could actually mean the end of drug-resistant superviruses.

And did I mention that coconut oil is yummy? Use is for cooking, it has a much higher tolerance for heat. Add it to anything that requires oil, margarine or just add it in for the fun of it! Cooking is much more fun with coconut oil. And it is available at Cali's Natural Foods. Go in and get the ingredients to make their Breakfast/Bedtime Snack Bar cookie recipe and get 10% off the ingredients!

You're gonna love getting healthy!

From Guilt to Good For You!

Gone are the days of sneaking off to huge bowls of ice cream...gone are sneaking off in the middle of the night to huge bowls of ice cream...gone are the huge bowls of ice cream!

We've heard of more than one heir to ice cream dynasties giving it all up because of health and humanitarian reasons, but we've got to have ice cream!

In comes a product that lives up to it's name: Coconut Bliss. And, yes, it is! Bliss, that is! This ice cream has taken us past a guilty pleasure and debatable health concerns to extreme taste satisfaction and total health benefit!

The two flavors I've tried are chocolate and vanilla. I must say I prefer the chocolate over the vanilla - although that is just a flavor preference. The vanilla is still so vividly rich that it is hard to say I like the chocolate better. And with only four (that's really 4!) ingredients, all of which are good for you, what better way to eat breakfast? Or lunch, or dinner or midnight snack!

Here is the ingredients list: coconut milk, guar gum, agave syrup, vanilla extract and vanilla beans. The chocolate differs only by adding chocolate. Both are organic. And both are available at Cali's Natural Foods!

And a good way to tell if the food you are eating is nutritious: if you can eat a smaller portion of it and feel satisfied. If you were eating huge bowls of regular ice cream and now you can eat a normal portion of this Coconut Bliss Ice Cream, then you are getting more nutrition out of your dollar, and getting the premium stuff!

Goodbye guilt!

Coconut Milk Kefir

Soft, mellow, unassuming. Those are the words that come to mind as I eat coconut milk kefir.

Kefir is one of those superfoods - loaded with tons of nutrition. It has beneficial bacteria to promote healthy digestion and as a wonderful bonus that most people would welcome, if they knew, is that kefir also has beneficial yeasts which take control and rid the body of destructive pathogenic yeasts. (Raise your hand if you have candida!)

Kefir is very similar to yogurt in texture and consistency. Coconut milk kefir is the mild-mannered cousin in the pro-biotic family.

And for those people who don't do dairy, coconut milk kefir is a very welcome addition to the diet. The live cultures in kefir differ from yogurt in that yogurt's cultures are transient in their ability and kefir's are more permanent.

And since we all want to end the problems of the 'A List' (asthma, allergies, autism, auto-immune diseases) kefir fits wonderfully into the mix. The more you can do for those little symbiotes in your body, the better you feel! And the variety helps you from getting tired of any one thing.

I, for one, am glad that I have access to coconut milk kefir at Cali's Natural Foods. Very few places would take the time or the effort to provide me with the alternatives I need since I don't do dairy. Finally, a place where there are options to the standard American diet. Please support Cali's if you feel the same way! I say we keep a place like this around!

Relief from autism, allergies, asthma?

Is it possible that a little jar of Heirloom Tomato Compote is the answer to the world's health conditions?

The label says that this compote is naturally cultured, full of beneficial micro-organisms. Those beneficial micro-organisms hardly ever get the press they deserve. So let me make an attempt to correct that. It would start like this:

Yes, Jadzia, there is a trill inside of you. More exactly, there are a few trillion trills inside of you. And they have to be there for humans to live. The symbiotic relationship means that those little micro-organisms need us as much as we need them.

And keeping a strong, healthy colony of trills is important for relieving such pesky problems as asthma, allergies and yes, research has hinted that autism may benefit by a diet high in pro-biotics, the scientific name for the trills.

The thing is, this colony keeps the immune system company. They talk to each other. They listen and respond to each other. So when the immune system gets OCD about something minor, the collective pro-biotic community gently slaps it upside the head and tells it to stop over-reacting. And the above mentioned maladies are just of few of the conditions helped by active cultures in our food. Chronic inflammation (without cause), IBS, and over 80 auto-immune diseases have been known to improve when the diet is augmented with pro-biotic rich food.

So can a little jar of Heirloom Tomato Compote be the answer to the world's health conditions? Not by itself, certainly, although it is an amazing way to add to the variety of pro-biotic intake. It is great on sandwiches or as a garnish on foods, although it is so good that I eat it straight out of the bottle.

Do yourself and your trills a favor. Stop by Cali's Natural Foods and get a jar or two. Long live the trills!

Thumbs up for Cali's Basil Walnut Pesto!

I was one of the first people to nab a tub of Cali's Basil Walnut Pesto. Made famous from the Tuesday night all-you-can-eat pizza night at Sage's Cafe, I figured that I would enjoy it as much as I do whenever I indulge in the pizza at Sage's.

I was wrong. I didn't enjoy it as much as I melted, oozed and decided that I would rename the kitchen from whence it sprang: it is now dubbed 'Heaven.'

So what is it that makes this pesto so amazing? Is it the ingredients? The way it is made? Hard to tell. I imagine that something this delicious has to be made by someone who loves to cook - - as opposed to someone like me, who doesn't like to as much. The mix of ingredients blend so well together that it brings pesto to a level of fine art. Fine art that you can use to paint all over pasta, pizza, or that amazing 7 grain bread from Vosen's, also available at Cali's.

I am now hooked. Cali's Basil Walnut Pesto is now a staple in my kitchen.

Hemp seeds the protein debate...

One of the reasons I love having nuts and seeds around the house is that you never have to worry about having 'milk' for recipes. Throw a handful of nuts or seeds into a high speed blender with some water and you have 'milk.'

Hemp seeds are wonderful for that purpose. They blend up smooth and creamy, and very little need for straining. Add a touch of agave or a few dates and you've got a very pleasant tasting drink.

The best thing about hemp seeds is that they are considered to be one of the few food sources that have all the nutritional requirements for human life. And many people have fears of not getting enough protein.

Without getting into too much detail, which is available with a little study, the human body doesn't really use protein. All protein that comes into the body is broken down into amino acids, and the body then takes the amino acids and builds the kind of protein that it needs at that time. The body can wear itself out breaking down proteins; so much easier on the body to eat foods high in amino acids.

Like hemp seeds! Flax seeds are a second best option, then I'm told by southerners that certain kinds of tomatoes mixed with okra are another choice. Okra is not one of my favorites, although it is good to know where to get amino acids!

Use hemp seeds plain as a snack, as a milk drink, as garnish on deserts and smoothies. They are used as easily in areas you would use walnuts or other nuts or seeds. They are just a bit smaller!

Do something good for yourself today. Enjoy some hemp seeds!

The location of Cali's Natural Foods used to be a part of a distillery. Not your usual run-of-the-mill location for a food store. Although, Cali's is not a normal food store. The location is part of the allure that Cali's gives in overall experience.

If you are planning a first time trip to Cali's, here are some visual clues to help you find the location. The address is 389 West on 1700 South, Suite C. Which is in the side of the building, not on the street-front locale.

This picture is taken from the parking lot of Costco, the one on 3rd West and about 1800 South.

The camera here is pointed north, and the building that you see is where Cali's is located. Just a plain, white building.

There is a driveway from Costco which goes out onto 1700 South. Here is a picture of what you see from that angle.


Cali's is in the building on the right hand side of this picture. The entrance is on the opposite side from this little street/driveway, so the very next driveway to the east/righthandside is where you would turn to go into Cali's parking lot.

If you are going west on 1700 South, here is the view of what you would see.




These are just some visual clues for you as you undertake the treasure hunt. And it is a fun trip to Cali's. Lots of fresh, organic produce, bulk organic grains, seeds, nuts, oils, vinegars and sweeteners, herbs and spices. It's like going to Disneyland, you can't see everything in the store in just one trip. So come back again, soon!

Proud of their Produce!

One of the first things you notice as you enter Cali's Natural Foods is the produce refrigerators. My initial reaction was that they are going for a more eclectic approach, more basic, down to earth. I didn't think much about it.

Until I overheard talk about it. Turns out that there is actually a very good reason for all those vibrant looking fruits and veggies to be displayed the way they are.

First, they are kept in a refrigerator. That helps to keep the temperature constant, at a lower level than what is normally acceptable for humans. Other grocery stores keep their veggies in an open-air cooler, which might have a temperature that is cooler down at the bottom, although up at the top, they also have to keep humans in the store to buy things, which means a little warmer climate.

Next, the veggies that need water to stay fresh are kept in water. This keeps the veggies alive... and well, better tasting! If it is all about the quality of the produce you buy, live veggies are the way to go.

According to Chard, the produce manager, they keep growing, too. He says that when he turns the cilantro he notices the new growth since the last time he talked to it. Chard used to work in a 'normal' grocery store, and claims that when produce came in one day, they were already tossing it out the next. At Cali's, produce stays alive and beautiful much longer.

This basic, down-to-earth approach is a brainchild of owner, Ian Brandt. He has been working for years on discovering the inner personalities of each fruit and veggie in order to preserve their vitality and life. It is his goal at Cali's to have the freshest organic produce available, and is always looking for ways to improve on what he knows. Because of his efforts, we all benefit by having at our fingertips the freshest, organic produce to put on our own tables. Thanks Ian!