As you may already know, we have a very serious crisis going on with bees.

It is referred to as the colony collapse disorder (CCD) and is something that should be on everyone’s radar screen.

Why should we care about CCD?

Bees play an essential role in our food supply – they pollinate our plants. Without bees, it is estimated that we will have four years to live. Right now, the bee population is shrinking by 30% each year.

What’s causing CCD?

Many people believe that CCD is a result of all of the toxic chemicals that we spray on our crops and the huge amount of GMOs that we plant, which provide for no biodiversity.

In an effort to support the bees, Whole Foods has launched a great initiative to educate consumers about this problem and to help raise funds in order to reverse their disappearance.  For the months of June and July, Whole Foods is offering its shoppers the following: Read more »

I was at the Tribeca Whole Foods in New York City this morning to hear a presentation by John Mackey, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of the company.

The crux of what John Mackey discussed was healthy eating and how the overarching philosophy of Whole Foods is to improve people’s health by emphasizing a plant-based diet.

He also talked about some other very interesting initiatives, including opening stores in inner cities and a status update on the Wellness Clubs. Read more »

I have been doing A LOT of juicing lately, some apple/carrot but mostly it has been green juice.

When I make green juice, I always try to mix it up so I am not using the exact same green vegetables every single day.

I’ll either use celery or cucumber as my base and then put kale, collards, swiss chard or some other type of leafy green in there. I’ll also throw in sprouts, if available, but will rarely juice spinach because of its high oxalic acid content.

One green that I used today was organic dandelion. Read more »

When you go into the produce section of Whole Foods, you’ll notice signs that say “ANDI Score” with a number associated with that respective food.

Created by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, ANDI stands for “Aggregate Nutrient Density Index” and ranks a food’s nutrient density on a scale from 1 to 1000.

The ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities, and by dividing the nutrient level of a food by its caloric content (N/C). Read more »

At all Whole Foods stores until the end of the month, you will be asked a very important question when paying for your items.

And I am not referring to “Did you find everything you were looking for today?”

What I am referring to is “Would you like to make a donation to the Whole Planet Foundation?”

During my recent trip to Costa Rica, I was able to see first-hand the amazing work that the Whole Planet Foundation is doing to improve the lives of women entrepreneurs in that country.

And it isn’t just in Costa Rica where they are making a difference but in 50 other nations around the world. Read more »

Last week in Costa Rica, I visited with some women entrepreneurs who are receiving microloans from the Whole Planet Foundation, a non-profit organization of Whole Foods.

I have written about the Whole Planet Foundation before and the amazing job that it is doing around the world but meeting the loan recipients in-person gave me a much greater appreciation for the impact that this program is having.

Women entrepreneurs from impoverished communities receive loans, starting at a few hundred dollars, to start businesses – baking, sewing, buying animals, running a small store, etc. With a 98% success rate (only 2% of the loans default), this incremental revenue plays an essential role in improving the well-being and welfare of thousands of families. Read more »

When I was at EARTH University in Costa Rica, I got a chance to learn everything about sustainable banana production – from how they are grown in the fields to how they are shipped to the U.S.

In this video, I’ll take you onto the banana plantation of EARTH University and show you the issues that they have to deal with when growing bananas in such humid conditions.

What’s important to note is that it took EARTH University many, many years for its sustainable bananas to reach profitability and the school was told by consultants that the program wasn´t going to work. Read more »