Join Hippocrates Health Educator, Pat Delair as she discusses eating strategies for children and explains why certain supplements are essential. Pat will also share tips and recipes for fussy eaters and overstretched moms! Learn how to keep your child’s body, brain, and emotional well-being balanced.

Please register at Customer Service or by calling 910.799.2667

by CoopStrongerTogether

An animated infographic demonstrating just a few of the social, economic, and environmental impacts that food co-ops have on their local communities. How does your grocery store check out?

“What’s to Love About Food Co-ops?”

By Dr. Kim Turner, ND, CBS, CNHP

Going gluten-free has become a trend in the diet of many health conscious individuals. While the choice to go gluten-free may not be for everyone, many individuals find it necessary to improve their health. A gluten-free diet can be  the missing piece to a puzzle of chronic diseases that have otherwise been irreversible.

Research shows that the consumption of some grains, specifically the increased consumption of genetically altered modern wheat has created the rising problem of obesity in this country. Consumption of this modern wheat causes inflammation in the body which can create any number of diseases including celiac disease, neurological disorders, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, curious rashes, and even schizophrenia. The good news is that when we eliminate the wheat and other gluten grains from our diet, our innate healing wisdom can begin to heal our bodies.

After years of education, research, personal and clinical practice I found that a gluten- free diet was the missing link to my lifelong experience of chronic obesity. Coupled with a comprehensive program of herbs and nutritional supplements, stress reduction, detoxification and energy medicine, I have achieved significant results, having released over 40 pounds in the past six months. My muscles and joints don’t ache like they did before, my energy level has increased significantly, and nothing in my closet fits anymore!

Shopping at Tidal Creek made my transition to a gluten-free diet so simple. With so many choices of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, and gluten-free alternatives, I find it easy to get what I need at the Co-op. Some of my favorites include the Udi’s Gluten-Free Breads and the Blue Diamond, Rice Crackers. When you can find gluten-free alternatives, you won’t feel deprived. Any time I have to eat out, I can always count on the Tidal Creek Kitchen’s salad and food bar for a healthy choice.

For more information contact me at 910-228-8675 or drkim@drkimturner.com.

Visit Dr. Kim Turner’s website at  www.drkimturner.com

In our meat department we have turkeys and hams available. We have organic and natural poultry in various sizes that are available to order frozen any time during the holiday season. We also have meat-free options including Tofurky Vegetarian Feasts, as well as just the roast and meat-free gravy. Look for all of our holiday options in the freezer section.

In our refrigerated section, enjoy some regionally crafted eggnog! Sparkman’s Cream Valley dairy is located in Georgia. They grow all of the feed for their cows and it is free of genetically modified ingredients. We have also added the Alderfer brand eggs to our owner savings list. Join the Co-op and save on staples like eggs!

The holidays also mark the beginning of citrus season. Classic favorites like navel oranges, grapefruit, and tangerines are all available and delicious. Look for daily samples and specials from our variety of citrus offerings.

You may have noticed some changes in our frozen section. I am pleased to let you know that we now carry an assortment of frozen, bulk fruits and veggies! They are located in the freezer right below our per-packaged frozen fruit. We hope you enjoy our new offerings.

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year from the Fresh and Frozen Team!

Intentions are simple truths that connect us to our deepest desires and values. They flow from the heart, creating vision and that makes them sustainable. It’s a guiding practice that comes from within, a way of being in the present moment rather than a plan for doing that is focused on the future.

Tidal Creek is committed to the practice of social kindness; it’s part of our core Co-op values. As you connect with family, friends, strangers, and yourselves throughout the holiday season, try setting the simple intention to practice social kindness. The privilege of serving others is a gift that the holidays offer each of us. And a New Year’s resolution that involves social kindness, will keep giving back all year long.

We’re stronger together and our intentions and actions matter, so we invite you to join us in growing the Global Kindness Revolution. Check out the list below for 10 great suggestions on simple ways you can start. If you’re looking for additional inspiration or want to add to our list, please visit our Facebook page (Tidal Creek Co-op) and share your suggestions/intentions on our Event post “Join the Social Kindness Revolution.” Leave us a comment with your socially kind holiday gift suggestions and New Year’s resolutions. We would LOVE to hear them!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from our Tidal Creek family to yours!

Simple Ways to Practice Social Kindness

1. Shop Local!
Remember, your dollar is your vote -make it count! Next time you are shopping, think about the organization behind the brand on the shelf – the business you are supporting with your purchase. When you shop local you support the businesses that are working hard to nurture and grow your community. Using your money and your buying power, to help local farms and organizations thrive, is an amazing way to make a difference. Visit the article on page 8 of this newsletter for a great list of reasons why it helps to buy local. Looking for a fun way to get involved? Join or organize a cash mob –a group of people who want to make a positive impact on local businesses by shopping there with an organized group on a particular day. Check out the Wilmington Cash Mob on Facebook for upcoming locations.

2. Get involved in your community by making a Volunteering Resolution!
Experience first hand how good it feels to help another -volunteer to help support the wellness of your community. For volunteering opportunities in your community check out volunteermatch.com or ask at the Co-op about ways to get involved with Tidal Creek and our partnering organizations. Also, if you are part of a team doing great work to nourish the health of our community, please share any volunteer opportunities with our Customer Service Desk. Tidal Creek is happy to help spread the word!

3.  Make this birthday a pay-it-forward birthday
This birthday, rather than collecting more stuff, why not choose your favorite cause and ask your friends or family to donate their gift-giving budget to a charity?

4. Seek out gifts that are Socially Kind
There are lots of gifts you can give that support charities or good causes.  Be socially kind in your gift giving and choose the gift that gives twice!

5. Dedicate a run, ride, or inspired adventure to a charity
Dedicate your New Year’s fitness resolution to a cause. It’s easy: simply ask your friends and family to sponsor you per mile and set up your own fundraising Facebook Event page. People will be excited to support your efforts as well as your charity of choice.

6. Organize your co-workers, friends, or family to do some do-gooding
All it takes is one motivated individual (YOU) to organize the others. Seek out local community groups who your group can help with specific tasks such as building a garden, tree planting, cooking for the homeless, or donating your professional skills.

7. Live sustainably
A sustainable lifestyle grows from three main practices: (1) value and love one another (2) respect and nurture the environment and (3) build systems designed with what nature has to offer us. Brainstorm with your family and friends about ways to live sustainably -make it fun! Try planting your own kitchen garden or starting your own compost heap. Help meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

8. Boycott plastic bags
Boycott plastic bags for one whole month – or maybe try a whole year!  If we all made a small commitment to use 20 less plastic bags in 2013, imagine the collective difference we could make.

9. Do a spring cleaning and help a support a cause
Charities are always looking for things like building materials, clothes, food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and more. Clear out the garage, clean out under the stairs, and donate the excess to a worthy charity.

10. Befriend a neighbor
A simple smile, a wave hello, or a friendly greeting is enough to change someone’s day for the better. You get what you give –so why not give an extra smile and pass along some social kindness!

The Wellness Department has what you need for the gift giving season. So many locally crafted items including lotions, body scrubs, aromatherapy room sprays, candles, and more. Think outside of the box and get an African Market basket in which to give your gifts. These colorful baskets come in an array of colors and sizes. “Weaving hope, healthcare, and education,” is their motto. We also have a large variety of colorful Sunbeam candles created with solar power and made with pure essential oils. They smell amazing!

Your helpful Wellness staff has made the gift buying a little easier on you this year. We have brought attention to certain items we believe will make great gifts and stocking stuffers. Look for the red stockings pinned up next to these products.

After you indulge in the season and are looking for a detoxifying cleanse to prepare you for a new year, come to your Co-op where you can find colon, liver, kidney, and whole body cleansing kits. Whatever you need, we will help you find. And remember to support your community this holiday season and buy locally for your friends and family.

Happy Holidays!

As we enter a new year at the Co-op, we find ourselves recovering from the holidays and welcoming the positive changes that 2013 will bring. If your New Year plans include a healthier diet, Tidal Creek Co-op is the place to be!
 
Our gluten-free offerings have expanded, as well as our sugar-free selection -including chocolate! New products are arriving daily including coconut-chia granola, black bean pasta, organic truffle oil, cherry-coconut juice, elderberry preserves, chocolate halva, purple sticky rice, black currant juice and more.
 
And…don’t forget to try our Field Day line of products: natural, organic, non-GMO, and always affordable! Save on your daily essentials from toilet paper to pasta sauce and an ever growing number of products in-between. Cereal bars, canned beans, olive oil and cooking stocks are just a few examples. Field Day items are high quality at an attractive price and are not available in corporate stores!
 
Searching for something you can’t find or we don’t normally keep in stock? Simply ask any Tidal Creek associate and we can help you special order it through one of our natural grocery suppliers. You can also buy on-sale items at case discounts of 10% for owners to add to the everyday day savings available at your Co-op.
 
The season of bulk nuts has arrived, including organic pecans, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamia, hazelnuts, and more.  Our Bulk Department lets you choose the variety and the amount you need. Organic, raw, roasted, salted, or mixed, we’ve got your baking, snacking, or gift ideas covered. Bring your own container or use one of ours and start saving today!
 
Our Bulk Herb Department also sees a lot of activity this time of year. Whether your needs are medicinal or culinary, the savings are profound when buying herbs in bulk! Compare a traditional commercial non-organic package of bay leaves at $487/pound to our bulk organic bay leaves at just $31/pound. If you use dried basil, a regular brand name container will cost you about $67/pound, while our organic bulk variety will cost you a mere $19/pound. And on top of that you decide how much or how little you need. Just need a pinch of paprika? No problem! A teaspoon of turmeric? It’s easy and affordable!
 
Our Annual Wine Sale continues through the New Year while supplies last. Enjoy savings of up to 50% on select wines as well as a few additional bubblies added for the welcoming of 2013! If you want to try before you buy, stop by the Co-op on Saturdays at 4pm for our weekly wine tasting featuring fellow employee and Co-op owner Mindy Campos. If beer is your choice of elixir, our selection continues to rotate and evolve and special orders are always available -even kegs! Just ask!
 
As you step into this new year, keep us in mind for not only your resolutions but also for your essential shopping needs. Although we may be small in comparison to some of our local grocery centers, Tidal Creek is truly your one-stop, friendly, local shopping space! Happy 2013!

The term “genetically modified organism,” or GMO, refers to a living organism whose genes have been altered by inserting a gene from an unrelated species.  The combinations created are ones that would never occur naturally. In food crops, the technology has generally been used to incorporate genes that enhance resistance to insecticides, herbicides or pesticides, enhance drought tolerance, encourage higher yields, or promote the ability to plant more in a smaller area. Some combinations include adding bacteria or virus genes into a vegetable to make the vegetable resistant to disease or the application of pesticides and herbicides.

Since their introduction, there have been many arguments justifying the incorporation of GMOs into the food supply.  However, there is strong evidence that GMO foods have an increased risk of causing allergic reactions in consumers, and uncontrollable cross-pollination depletes crop diversity which has resulted in resistant “super-weeds” and “super-pests.” It’s clear that the primary benefits of GMO seeds are to the seed and pesticide companies, not to growers or consumers. And many risks are as of yet unknown.

Tidal Creek Cooperative has always been opposed to the use of GMOs and we continue to be actively involved in advocating for the elimination of GMOs from our food supply.

The best way to avoid these foods is to choose organic foods. The USDA Organic Rule states that “The use of genetically engineered organisms and their products are prohibited in any form or at any stage in organic production, processing or handling.”   For non-organic foods look for “Non-GMO Project Verified” labeling.  While choosing certified organic products insures there are no GMO ingredients present, the cost of organic feed can be prohibitive to small and local farmers who would like to avoid GMOs in their products. Tidal Creek supports local farmers in the transition process from GMO to GMO-free farming options.

Today it is impossible to have a totally GMO free store without first having regulations in place to require that GMO’s be labeled.  Tidal Creek will continue to advocate for labeling and at the same time support organic and non-GMO labeling. We also will continue to examine our inventory and where possible replace questionable products with clean products.

Unfortunately, this can result in some of your favorite, everyday items being removed from our inventory. If this is the case and you’d like to continue purchasing these items, they can always be special ordered, but as always our strict commitment to quality natural products determines what we choose to offer our owners and customers.

As the American public becomes more informed on the reality of GMO farming, we anticipate a national evolution of awareness, resulting in proper labeling of all consumables. For information on the fight to label and reduce GMOs visit: www.justlabelit.org.

2012 was also a year of partnerships. In conjunction with Piedmont Biofuels, our location is now home to the only B100 Biodiesel station in southeastern North Carolina; housed next to the Co-op, in a building built almost entirely from recycled and reused materials. Through partnering with Progress Energy, we also installed the areas only public electric vehicle charging stations. In addition, we have partnered with a local food truck owner to take Tidal Creek on the road a few times a month to area events and business. The list of partnerships goes on and on.

The coming year will undoubtedly bring more challenges, as yet another competitor opens, and it will also bring opportunities as the natural, organic, and GMO-free movement continues to grow. We need support and feedback from you, our owners, now more than ever. More than anything, it is Tidal Creek’s sense of community that you have told us you value, and that makes coming here so much more than just grocery shopping. So come see us for your holiday needs and tell us what we can do for you. After all, it’s YOUR Co-op!