I’ve been traveling this week - nothing too spectacular- just a flight to upstate NY for a family reunion, followed by a road trip back down to NJ to spend a week with the family and on Sunday - the NYC Century.  During a particularly long layover on my way to NY, as I circled the terminal for the tenth time, I realized just how few options exist in airport dining for anyone seeking healthy, natural or organic - let alone anyone with a dietary restriction.  Same goes for a road trip and its commonly frequented fast food joints and gas stations.  So how do you stay healthy on the move?  Here are some blogs that answered that question.

What Foods Can You Carry on a Plane?

Tomorrow we’re leaving to go to Switzerland for a conference, and it’s going to be a long trip from San Francisco to Geneva - 14 hours! Airplane food is not known for being particularly tasty, and we’d like to pack our own meal. But with security regulations, we wondered: what can we carry on the plane?

Rules of the Road Trip

If you’re planning your own end-of-summer getaway, I’ve gleaned some ideas from my own experience on how you can vacation without gaining 20 pounds, not to mention throwing your eco-conscious intentions to the wind.

What are your Favorite Airplane Snacks? (for kids)

It’s no secret that airline food isn’t particularly kid friendly, and lately most flights don’t include any food at all, leaving parents to bring along their own snacks and meals for their hungry kids. [...] There is an art-form to packing snacks to bring along on an plane ride. They need need to last un-refrigerated for hours, cannot contain liquid, and preferably they take no space at all, are filling, and not sugar laden.

So, what are your favorite travel snacks and how do you stay healthy while on the road or in the air?

**Update: Friday, September 5th**

We are well on our way to recovery! A huge public thank you to everyone who has helped us get to this point so we can help meet the needs of our communities. There’s more to be done and we are up for the challenge!

• Our Baton Rouge store is up and running – moving off generator and onto city power. This store will be open from 10am to 6pm daily until the city curfew is lifted.

• Our Arabella Station store (New Orleans) opened for a while on Thursday. We do have city power back there as well.  Hours are not defined at this time (team members are making their way back to town). We expect to be running normal operating hours in the next few days.

• Our Metairie store (New Orleans) also has their power back so they will open at 10AM Friday. Reduced hours for now but should be running normal operating hours in the next few days.

• Our store in Little Rock was also affected by now Tropical Depression Gustav. Lost power Wednesday but got it back last night. Team Members scrambled to save product and reset the store, which will open at 8am Friday.

Thanks, everyone!
**Update: Thursday, September 4th**

Hello Louisiana! Want to give you all an update as you plan to make your way back to your homes. We got the following scoop from our leadership team in the Southwest Region.

Last week with Hurricane Gustav headed for the Gulf, our emergency preparedness teams were in the New Orleans preparing for the storm. Just before our Team Members and their families evacuated from the city, we managed to empty our New Orleans stores of most perishables. These foods are extremely susceptible to spoilage during power outages and can cause serious health hazards during cleanup, so we have a leg up on getting opened by moving that stuff out. We also moved store-sized generators from elsewhere in the region to the New Orleans area so that we could be up and running as soon as possible and practical.

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Okay, I can be wrong. A couple of months ago someone asked me, “Do you really think you are going to gain new customers with all of this value and Whole Deal stuff? Who is going to think that Whole Foods is a dollar store?” Of course no one is going to confuse us with a dollar store and, believe me, that’s never been the goal. It’s about helping people who understand the importance of natural and organic foods learn how to keep quality as part of their shopping picture. And truth be told…no, I didn’t we would gain new customers.

But I was wrong. Gladly so! Check out these Whole Deal™ tips from NEW Whole Foods Market shoppers. Read more tips from customers – new and old – on The Whole Deal™.

From Sarah N:

Now that I have my own apartment I just started shopping at Whole Foods and I love it. In order to save money (I am on a college student’s budget) I stock up on the 365 brand products. From sauces to bath products this brand is inexpensive while still giving me the “feel good” feeling of eating organic foods.

I also take advantage of the free food samples in the store. This way I know for sure if I want to buy that particular product.

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 Grameen Guatemala [3:08m]: Play Now | Download (214)

In June of 2006 I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Guatemala with Whole Planet Foundation Team Member, Steve Wanta. The goal of the trip was to record the personal stories of several Grameen Guatemala borrowers in the Lake Atitlán region. The video footage we shot was used to create Cristina’s Story- the video above. This video illustrates the profound change that microcredit operations can create for the people who participate in them.

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Most people already know a good melon when they taste it—so being able to pick out a great tasting melon is an important skill to have! Choosing a ripe melon takes practice, experience and a little information.

Aroma—one of the most important indicators of a ripe melon is smell! Hold the stem side of the melon close to your nose—if there is no smell, it’s not ready! However, if you can pick up a slight sugary aroma, chances are it is ready to eat. But there’s always an exception: Honey Dews often do not give out an aroma.

Pressure—another indication of a ripe melon is that it gives under slight pressure. Try testing the stem side of the melon—this is the first area to begin to give under pressure as the fruit matures.

Texture—some of the smooth melons (such as the Honey Dew) will have a tacky or sticky skin texture when they become ripe! Run your fingers over the surface and if you feel this tackiness, chances are it’s good to go. Honey Dew melons will also have a very light and creamy exterior color when fully ripe.

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As proprietors of the oldest working crab house in the world, the Brooks brothers at J.M. Clayton Company are experts in the handling of local Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. Their great-grandfather, Captain Johnnie, started the facility in 1890. These days, fresh crabs continue to arrive on their docks year round, where the bushels are cooked in huge steamers in preparation for the tedious task of hand-picking the fresh crab meat for packaging.

Note: Our Farm to Market slide shows currently feature farmers and producers from our South and MidAtlantic Regions. We hope to expand to others in the future.

EFAs (essential fatty acids) are crucial for healthy growing brains and mental function. Here is straight and simple info to help you understand EFAs and how to find the ones that support children’s focus and brain function.

Douglas MacKay is a licensed naturopathic doctor who serves as Nordic Naturals Research Advisor. He is Founder of MacKay Naturopathic Center in Dover, NH.

 Brain Nutrients [5:31m]: Play Now | Download (164)

Justin Miloro here. As part of my work on our Global Whole Body Team, I have the privilege of overseeing our national music program. You’ve probably seen the CDs we offer in our stores. What you may not have seen is our recently launched Artist Discovery Series. As our national music program grew, we thought it would be fun and exciting to use our stores as launching pads for new artists that are not very well known. We partnered with Inspire Entertainment, who are at the forefront of non-traditional music initiatives, and our Artist Discover Series was born.

As with all of our programs, we tried to think of ways to make it the absolute best for our customers? How about a full length CD for only $4.99? How about a CD that is in eco- friendly packaging? Done! Every three months we will launch a new artist and sell their CD at a wonderful price.

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 Classic Summertime Potato Salad: Play Now | Download (581)
 Classic Summertime Potato Salad: Play Now | Download (40)

Join Mark Law as he takes advantage of the last days of summer and packs an eco-friendly picnic using Recycline’s Preserve Kitchen Ware. Exclusive to Whole Foods Market, Preserve Kitchen is made from 100% recycled materials and makes the perfect container for Mark’s recipe for Classic Summertime Potato Salad.

Get the Recipe: Classic Summertime Potato Salad.