Last weekend was my birthday, but a few day before it felt like the universe gave me a birthday gift I had been hoping for since I discovered I was lactose intolerant – a healthy grocery store in my town!
On September 23rd, my town, Summerville, opened doors to the new (and insanely beautiful) EarthFare store. What makes this store so special? EarthFare is strict about what it includes in its products and the ingredients it allows in store. It also labels everything super clearly, so if you have allergies or dietary restrictions, you know where to find what you need. I also found the prices to be very comparable to regular grocery stores near me, just with more options.
The night before the opening, I had the pleasure of joining several other health nuts and businesses in town at the Pre-Opening VIP party. I got to taste food, sample groceries, and check out the store before the madness began on opening day (There were parking lots shuttles folks, shuttles! And police directing traffic. It was insane. I went 3 times that day!). 
Here are a few of the fun things I found at the store:
My first stop was the HUGE bulk section. bulk sections contain bag-it-yourself grains, nuts, beans, flours, spices, and even candy and granola, so you can get as much or as little as you need. This is a fantastic place to save money on things like nuts, which can get quite pricey. Its also a good place to find a large variety of flour, especially if you have gluten sensitivities or are looking for organic options to try. 
They also had tons of local products, such as honey, coffee, and pickles. PS The coffee is from my favorite coffee shop, where I sometimes teach yoga. 
Everything was labeled and super easy to find, whichi isn;t always the case in some health food stores. I was super excited for the gluten free cookies sign 🙂
Around the store, you’d also find labels of what was in your food – or what wasn’t. This cheese sign pretty much sums it up.
I got to chat with a farmer about milk, and found a non-homogenized milk that is ok for lactose intolerant people, like me, to drink. I tried a sip, and while I’m not a huge fan of the taste of milk, it was good and didn’t hurt my stomach. It really is amazing to have options after not having much for years. 
There was also some fun stuff, like scoop your own ravioli, inexpensive prosecco, and tons of kombucha.
And probably my favorite part – the freshly pressed juice bar. As a big fan of juicing at home, I am always excited to find somewhere that I can order a juice and have it made fresh. I usually don’t like the pre-bottled kind, even when cold-pressed, so I was ecstatic to have a juice bar in town. Kale Lemonade was my first purchase from the store on opening day. 
Now that you got to check it out, I’d love for you to shop there too! At the VIP party, EarthFare was gracious enough to give me a $25 giftcard to giveaway to my readers – you! That means you can grab some healthy food for cheap and check out all it has to offer.
To enter, simple use the form below. *Note: If you don’t live near an EarthFare, and never plan to go to one, please save the entries for those who can shop there. Thank you!
Enjoy the giveaway!
PS Free groceries from EarthFare are perfect for the 21 Day Modern Detox, starting October 5th. Enter the giveaway, then head over and reserve your spot in the October session of the Modern Detox.
*This post is not sponsored by EarthFare. All opinions are my own.
houseofhealthy@yahoo.com
October 1, 2015 at 10:13 amHi guys! Just testing the comments for a moment 🙂