For some men and women, natural libido is not as strong as it could be. Fortunately, nature has provided help! Beyond medicinal plants that support a healthy libido, there are other natural options. Nutritionist Malia Curran, MS, MPH shares the secrets about nutrients, additional supplements and body care elements that may help.

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******Updated 2/16/09********

Please refer to our latest blog post for updates on the PCA recall.

******* Updated 2/10/09 5pm CST *******

Products added to recall list:

Erin Baker’s Home-style Granola – Peanut Butter flavor
SunSpire Organic Dark Chocolate Crunchy Peanut Clusters Read the rest of this entry »

Join us for this week’s encore presentation of the Secret Ingredient as Todd Coleman, Food Editor for Saveur magazine, shares his secret for making authentic Indian-style Chicken Curry at home. Discover how frying whole spices in ghee (called “tarka” or “tadka”) releases and intensifies their flavor and find out how prepared curry powders differ from one another and why Muchi Curry stands out from the rest. Get ready to toss your take-out menu, because one taste of Todd’s Chicken Curry and we’re pretty sure you won’t need it anymore!

Get the Recipe: Indian-style Chicken Curry with Muchi Curry Powder

Thanks to all of our customers who take the time to share their thoughts with us. From time to time, we’ll share some of your feedback on our Whole Story blog. This one comes from J.S., a customer in Massachusetts.

To Whom It May Concern,

My favorite chore of the week is shopping at Whole Foods in Hingham, Massachusetts. I am dedicated to quality food for myself and my family and enjoy my shopping experience there (the employees are awesome, especially Cheryll in the Deli!) and also the quality of the foods that I serve to my family.

My average food bill per week has consistently been $350.00 with the majority being spent at Whole Foods and the remainder at Shaw’s and Good Health Stores.

However, due to the changing economy I have had to scale back our spending to about $220 on average per week. I was told I would not be abe to shop at Whole Foods. That is why I am writing. I have found the opposite to be true.

Due to the 365 line and other prices that reflect the economy to meet customers where they are at, I have found that I have not had to compromise and shop elsewhere. Actually, I spend about 90% of my bill at Whole Foods now and pick up just a few additional items elsewhere that I cannot find in your store.

I want to say thank you. I am grateful that I am still able to enjoy my favorite “chore” of the week and although I have had to cut back in the quantity I purchase, I have not had to compromise on quality.

Sincerely,

A happy customer

Thanks, J.S., for taking the initiative to find out that you can reduce your food bill without compromising on quality food for your family.  We bet your family appreciates it too!

What are you going to do for Valentine’s Day to make sure you get all the love that’s coming to you? I don’t know about you but I am not going to sit around waiting for a table at some fancy restaurant. And with Valentine’s falling on a Saturday this year, you know those waits are going to be outrageous. Who needs it?!

Here’s what I’m going to do: I’m making a nice dinner at home instead. Whole Foods Market did a survey and it looks like I’ll have lots of company in my plans. Over 80% of the people said they would prefer to have a nice dinner at home with their partner instead of going out to eat. You can read more about why and how here.

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Lots of green stuff caught my eye this week. I loved this article: Utilities Turn Their Customers Green, With Envy. Here’s an excerpt:

So, in a move that has proved surprisingly effective, the district decided to tap into a time-honored American passion: keeping up with the neighbors.

Last April, it began sending out statements to 35,000 randomly selected customers, rating them on their energy use compared with that of neighbors in 100 homes of similar size that used the same heating fuel. The customers were also compared with the 20 neighbors who were especially efficient in saving energy.

Customers who scored high earned two smiley faces on their statements. “Good” conservation got a single smiley face. Customers like Mr. Dyer, whose energy use put him in the “below average” category, got frowns, but the utility stopped using them after a few customers got upset.

What a great idea! Take our natural competitive drive and turn it into a force for helping our environment. Does this have legs? How else could we set up green competition? Read the rest of this entry »

Whole Planet Foundation empowers impoverished individuals in our global communities through microcredit. The inspiring stories of these microcredit clients are told by Foundation Team Members through words and photos. When Hallie Easley on the Whole Planet Foundation team came up with the idea of telling some of these stories through recipes, I was excited by the possibility of exploring different foodways while highlighting the work of the Foundation.

We’ve been working together on this project for a few months now. In 2008 Hallie and Ha Lam, national projects photographer, traveled to different countries where the Foundation has microlending projects. During their travels, they met dozens of microcredit clients in different regions and gathered stories and photos. I spoke with Hallie and Ha to find out more about some of the food they sampled during their travels. From those conversations, we decided to feature these recipes: Read the rest of this entry »

Community Relations Team Leader Shonelle Bellon from our Santa Cruz store shares her thoughts on Whole Trade Guarantee™ Month.

February is Whole Trade Guarantee Month! (Enter to win Whole Trade flowers for a year!) During the season of romance, we are also celebrating fair wages, environmental sustainability and philanthropy throughout the world. When you’re shopping for Valentine’s Day gifts, I recommend browsing our Whole Trade Guarantee™ beautiful roses and decadent chocolates (Divine Chocolate, Equal Exchange and Theo Chocolate, just to name a few brands).

Beyond romantic treats, I shop for Whole Trade teas, coffees, body care and grocery products throughout the store. Here are a few of my very favorite items: Read the rest of this entry »

Navel Orchard – Central Valley, California

During the cold, grey days of January it’s hard to imagine that anything can come out of the ground or off of a tree. Here on the Northern California coast the berry farms are quiet, the apple trees are bare, even most of the row crop winter vegetable production has migrated to the warmer deserts of the south. Here at the national produce buying office things have settled into something of a winter routine – the summer fruit-fueled buzz is replaced by a low hum as trucks slow down on the icy roads and we all wait for the world to thaw. The only exception is Julie’s desk – as January ends our national citrus buyer finishes round one of the winter citrus season and, rolling up her sleeves, busily moves on to round two. Read the rest of this entry »

Libido is part of a healthy human life and just like any other wellness topic, it deserves attention. Chris Kilham, known in the industry as the Medicine Hunter, is an expert on medicinal plants used historically around the world to support healthy libido in men and women. Join us to hear about his top picks for medicinal plants with centuries of use.

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