Georgia

We spent 4 days in Georgia. Decatur to be exact, and HAD to include the most AMAZING market we have ever been to!!
DeKelb World Market!
This had to be the largest "farmers market" we have ever been to! It is indoors and has produce from all over the world. Rows and rows of every type of veggie or fruit you could ever imagine! I was even able to find a durian!! I have never had a durian before... and after smelling one I may never be "allowed" to have one again! LOL...
The market has MUCH in the way of organic fruits and veggies and the prices are amazing!! We found them to be MUCH less expensive than any other stores we had been to and they were in most cases the same or only a little more expensive than the conventional fruits and veggies. They also sold fresh squeezed, unpasturized juices (orange, grapefruit, orange zinger, carrot, and green juices) as well as having a large salad bar for those looking for something raw to eat. We were quite pleased with the salad bar as it offered a plethura of shredded veggies and additions, and the price was just $5.99 a lb!
With that market within a miles bikeride we had no need to venture into any other stores, but we were advised there was a restraunt that served one raw food meal a day in downtown Atlanta... unfortunately we are not aware of the name of it, as we did not discover this hidden jem until after we left the area. But you can be sure we will be going there next year!

Missouri Raw and Organic foods

When we first embarked on our raw foods venture we were living in Missouri for the fall.
We were able to locate a few key places to obtain good quality organic produce as well as our bulk needs (nuts, seeds, grains and spices)
Jeans Healthfood store in Ava was home to a HUGE bulk section and many necessities, as well as Mama Jeans in Springfield, which is just like Jeans but on a MUCH larger scale!!
For farm fresh organic produce there is a small organic farmer in Theodosia named Jack... who owns Ozark Exoticas and he sells the FINEST baby spinach, basil, parsley and herbs one can find!! His goods are found at Mama Jeans in Springfield... try out his salad by the inch!!
We found the grocery stores to be somewhat lacking in their organic produce offerings during our stay in Theodosia... Thank GOD for Jack!!
Just over the border in Arkansas (Mountain Homme) we were able to find a nice Natural food store as well....

Of course there was Super Wally World, which did have a good supply of organic apples, carrots, oranges, tomatoes and salads....

Background Info

I will begin this blog with a little bit about "us".
We are TRiNiTy and WillIAM.... we consider ourselves to be "free spirits" of sorts.... as we travel the country, stopping here and there for anywhere from one night to 5 months a year.... our favorite places, where we stay the longest are.... Old Orchard Beach Maine in the summer and Key West Florida in the winter... can you blame us??

My husband and I are raw foodists... relatively new to the raw food world, and are always looking for stores that sell good quality organic produce, stores with good organic bulk food sections... which have raw nuts and seeds and grains.... all important info when traveling!!
My main thought was " what a great way to keep track for ourselves so we could go back through our travel notes and find the stores and restraunts that assist us in maintaining our raw food lifestyle!!"

Last year as we traveled the country we searched out natural food stores and restraunts and if hindsight were 50/50 I would have begun a travel journal that included those important tidbits.... instead of the disaprity in prices of gasoline and cigaretts~!!! LOL

This blog will cover raw food restraunts, grocery stores, health food stores or Natural grocers where one can find good quality organic produce, as well as organic foods, as not everyone is a raw foodist.... but many people are leaning towards organic foods....
We first began our 100% raw lifestyle in November of 2006... we maintained 100% raw till Easter Sunday... the temptations proved to be too great!!
We spent about a month eating SAD style food (vegetarian at least) But we were pretty sure that we wanted to continue to "allow" some of our cooked favorites in our lives...
we ended up striking a balance with 5 days a week raw and one day a week cooked.... the 7th day was a fasting day which we observe after our day of cooked... a detox day, if you will....

Prior to the addition of this cooked day we were observing a weekly fast of one day, a monthly fast of three days and a quarterly fast of 7-10 days... I am still on a mission of achieving a 40 day yearly fast... I have made it 28 days so far!! That was after our month long SAD stint!! And BOY did my body need that!!

Our current trend is to eat organic, vegetarian cooked foods followed by a one day fast.... on our three day fasts we allow ourselves to partake in some of the societal "drugs" including sugars and fried foods.... again still vegetarian.... our quarterly fast, we have decided could include animal proteins... as long as they are grass fed and organic... we are going to be attending the Common Ground Fair next week... that is the weekend of our quarterly fast... we MAY eat meat ther... we still haven't decided... I really have no desire to eat meat... ("healthy" meat anyways.... my "bad cells" still crave greasy cheeseburgers and reubens... as well as lobster (hey we are in Maine!!) and fried seafood!!)
We have had a difficult time completely eliminating all these things... and like still having the "option" to eat them... when the time comes we may opt NOT to... but there is something in that "forbidden foods" stigma that makes you want it all the more... so nothing is "forbidden" we just choose not to eat many things...
I have not decided how much longer I, personally, will continue to eat cooked foods.... I KNOW I felt better when I was not consuming them... I KNOW my body looked MUCH beeter when I was 100% raw.... and I really LIKE when my body looks good!! But it is SO addicting!! Not to mention EVERYWHERE!!
We do well maintaining 100% 6 days a week....(one of those being a water only day) but that was not always the case!!
In the beginning... that allowance of cooked foods proved too much to bear!! I had a monthly cheat which allowed white refined sugar... and that set off a sugar crazed eating frenzy that lasted weeks!!!! I was a closet sugar eater... sneaking candy bars and M&M's every chance I had!! Talk about lost control!! I was like a heroine junkie searching for her next fix!!
Just talking about it is making me want to go find the M&M's that are sitting in my friends freezer (I have to keep them there or I would have gotten into them by now!!)
Right now I need to "give in" to those things my body (EGO) feels deprived of... but definately in moderation!!
After our quarterly cheat this comming weekend, I will be doing a MAJOR detox... a 21 day water fast... and I think from that day on I will maintain 100% raw again... not sure what WillIAM will choose to do... but I KNOW that is what my body needs!!

I read a lot of blogs out on the web written by people having difficulty staying raw on the road.... funny we find it easier on the road then when we are "home" (in Maine, where we spend the majority of our months consecutively)!!

Therefor, I will begin my blog with Maine spots to get quality organic produce and raw foods!!