A NOTE FROM OUR VEGGIE NERD: A CASE FOR FRESH
Never in my life have I seen this level of panic buying. I completely understand the anxiety of this scary situation, but I find this behavior a little bizarre and it’s been happening for a solid week and a half with no end in sight. The other day I went to my local Whole Foods to get a salad for lunch. The place was completely packed with people, but it was eerily quiet. Nobody talking, just grabbing things. The energy was infectious and before I knew it I had stocked up on gummy bears, bacon, and chocolate milk. I tend to get caught up in the energy of crowds, it’s a fascinating phenomenon.
But the straight bizzaro world part was the produce aisle. I think carrots were the only thing picked over (save some for the rabbits, y’all). On a basic level, one of the best things we can do for ourselves in a situation like this is eat healthy! In fact, I can’t imagine a better time to think of yourselves on a wellness retreat, making healthier choices for a few weeks. Even if all you’ve been thinking about was eating more veggies (everyone should), there’s no better time! Fewer temptations at restaurants, fewer work snacks. I think people don’t realize that even in a national lockdown you can still go to the grocery store!
It’s also a great time to try a grocery delivery service if you haven’t yet. The most disappointing thing is that our wonderful retailers that are working overtime to keep shelves stocked are having to deprioritize fresh food because that’s not what people are buying. People are buying year’s worth of toilet paper when we all should be building our immune systems! It’s nuts.
Let’s break this trend and stock up on nutritious fresh foods! Buy fresh veggies and make broth or soup our pasta, yes I’m biased, or anything fresh. Your bodies will thank you when we emerge from this. And, as a reminder, fresh produce is not a good carrier of viruses and our food system is already designed to eliminate pathogens – https://bit.ly/2WeQIFg
Your Veggie Nerd,
Mason Arnold
