A Question of Oils
Lately in the store, I (the only girl behind the counter) have noticed some confusion over what type of oils to use, and the health benefits of said oils. A lot of people assume that you can use every type of oil in all situations – not so. In fact, some of the healthiest oils have their health benefits destroyed, and can even become rancid when used at high temperatures.
I decided it was time to create (with the help of some of my favorite nutrition blogs) a guide to the best of the Better Bulk oils. So here goes!
COCONUT OIL
Coconut oil has a bad rap, because of its saturated fat content. In actuality, coconut oil has been proven to RAISE good cholesterol levels without raising bad cholesterol levels. It also speeds up your metabolism and is anti-viral, which can only mean good things for your immune system.
Coconut oil is safe for cooking at ANY temperature, and can be used in baking, stir frying, and just about anywhere else you use oil. It’s not the best for cold things, as it solidifies at room temperature, but if you mix melted coconut oil with cocoa powder, you can make an awesome chocolate ice cream shell. As a result, it should be stored at room temperature, not refrigerated.
We stock two varieties of coconut oil: Maison Orphee, which tastes like coconut, and Omega Nutrition, which has a neutral flavor. I use both, myself, depending on what I’m cooking/baking.
GRAPESEED OIL
FLAXSEED AND HEMP SEED OILS
Flax and Hemp oils are similarly popular due to their high concentration of good Omega-3-6-9 essential fatty acids. Flax oil has also been known to help balance hormones.
These oils CANNOT be used in cooking, as they are destroyed by heat. They are sensitive to light, as well, which is why you will (hopefully) see them packaged in opaque containers. They should be kept refrigerated to make sure they maintain all their good properties. They are ideal for salad dressings, etc.
OLIVE OIL
Olive oil helps to balance fatty acids in the body, and is proven to lower cholesterol levels. It also can lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. It may also help reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Olive oil is a popular oil in many cultures, and is used in many forms of cooking. You have to be careful, though, which variety of olive oil you use in what type of cooking. Most forms of olive oil are safe at any temperature, but extra virgin olive oil is destroyed at higher temperatures, and should only be used in, you guessed it, salad dressings and the like.
We have a variety of olive oils at Better Bulk, but all of them are EVOO, so while they are the healthiest version of olive oil, I’ll likely steer you towards grapeseed or coconut oil if you’re using them for cooking.
For more information on oils, their health benefits, and even some recipes, check out these links:
Joy McCarthy of joyoushealth.ca on Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
Margaux J. Rathbun of authenticselfwellness.com talks All About Oil
On The Importance of Organic
We have a lot of products in our store: some organic, some not. For some, (myself included), cost often determines which one we buy. After all, we’ve lived with non-organic food for years . . . how much of a difference is there really?
The other day, I came across a video that explains the difference so simply that even a child could understand. In fact, the video was created by a child explaining her science project on the importance of organic. You can watch the video here
Basically, Elise set out to sprout some vines on a sweet potato. The potato she picked up at her local grocer didn’t sprout after a month in water. She asked at the produce department if they knew why. It turns out that many of our vegetables are sprayed with a chemical called “Bud Nip” or “chlorpropham”. (The list also includes lima beans, blueberries, carrots, cranberries, garlic, onions, spinach, soybeans and tomatoes). Bud Nip has been linked to tumor growth in animals, and cannot be washed off . . . it seeps through the entire vegetable.
Since watching this (adorable) video, I’ve been switching to organic as often as possible (without breaking the bank). Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find an organic sweet potato in the neighborhood, so I’ve asked the guys to look into adding them to our produce repertoire.
Come in and check out what produce we have in stock. All of our fresh fruits and vegetables are organic and, whenever possible, grown close to home.
As always, thanks for dropping by! ~K
IT’S A BOY!!!!
Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
A big congratulations to Bryan (one of the owners) and Julie on the birth of their son, Keele Vrba last Monday. We are happy to report that Keele outweighed Jay-Z and Beyonce’s baby by 2 lbs. Big sister Mila is thrilled, and is very helpful with her new brother. Welcome to the Better Bulk family, Keele!
Old News, But Still Good News
Every year, Now Magazine has a “Best of Toronto” contest. Torontonians vote on their favourite bars, restaurants, and yes, even bulk stores in their neighbourhood, and city-wide.
This year, we at Better Bulk were honoured to win “Best Bulk Food on the Danforth”
From nowtoronto.com
We would like to thank our very loyal clientele for their support, because YOU are what makes this store great. We have the best customers in the city, and we know it. So, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! We’ll do our best to stay worthy of our title all year round.
Better Bulk Recipes: Cabbage Caraway Walnut Soup
Whenever we get new products in, we like to know a little something about them and offer creative options for cooking said products. As a result, we’ve started “Better Bulk Recipes”, where we adapt recipes to include our new and existing products. We’ve been getting good feedback so far, so we decided to start posting our favorites here.
If you have a recipe featuring some of our products and would like to share it, please send it on by!
Here’s our Cabbage Caraway Walnut Soup, adapted from Ashy’s Vegetarian recipes, from cheriestihler.com
BETTER BULK
RECIPES:
CABBAGE CARAWAY WALNUT
SOUP
1/2 cabbage, shredded and chopped
6 whole walnuts (12 halves), finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/3 tsp caraway seeds
2 slices of bread, cubed (any variety, we recommend Udi’s Gluten Free)
1 bay leaf
2-3 cloves of organic garlic, crushed
8 tsp of soy sauce
2 litres water
2 tsp Coconut Oil
Sea Salt
Black pepper
Place oil, onion and caraway in a soup pot and fry until onion begins to brown. Add walnuts and stir. Stir in cabbage until coated with mixture. Cover and steam for 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add water, bread cubes, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour.
Optional garnish: crumbled Goat’s Milk Feta or Daiya Shredded Vegan Cheese
After a Long Blog Hiatus . . .
. . . we’re back!
Thanks for still reading! Sorry for all the unanswered comments. We’ll try to keep on top of those moving forwards.
Anyhow, a very happy 2012 to all our faithful readers/customers/stumblers-upon!
There are lots of great things in store, both new and old, so be sure to follow us on Twitter @better_bulk, and like us on our new Facebook business page HERE.
And keep reading . . . we’ll be posting new product info, sales, recipes and the answer to the question on everyone’s mind: WHEN WILL BRYAN HAVE HIS NEW BABY?
Getting Pasta Made of Sacred Grains
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| From Better Bulk Specials |
Better Bulk just recently ordered some spaghetti and other pastas from GoGoQuinoa by request of a customer. In fact, I’d never even heard of GoGoQuinoa until I had asked Eric and Bryan, “What’s new?” (seems to be the question I’m asking a lot when I walk in). After doing some research I found the following on their Web site:
GoGoQuinoa offers a wide range of Organic, Gluten free and Fair Tradeproducts made from the royal quinoa and amaranth grain that are manufactured in Bolivia. Our product line consists of Amaranth grain and flakes, royal Quinoa grain, Quinoa pasta, Quinoa flakes, Quinoa cereal and more. These gluten free foods offer a good and nutritional alternative to rice and wheat based products. (via GoGoQuinoa)
I like the fact that Eric and Bryan have chosen a company with morals — both organic and fair trade. Quinoa and amaranth (callaloo) can be grown locally in Ontario though I hear it can be difficult. Quinoa generally grows best in mountainous regions like the Andes.
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| From Better Bulk Specials |
Leave it to Eric and Bryan to seek out some of the unique or up and coming organic, gluten or wheat free products out there.
RESOURCES
Quinoa – Wikipedia
Quinoa.net
All About Quinoa
Amaranth – Wikipedia
The Bulk Games of March
Better Bulk has been busy bringing you the things you’ve asked for including the mysteriously named herb “fenugreek” and deals on addictive, rarely seen yam chips and sweetly pure cereal. So what was or is “in store”?
This Month’s Shopping List
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| From Better Bulk Specials |
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| From Better Bulk Specials |
Better Bulks latest and greatest new items are written on their chalkboard with crystal clarity. Don’t let the word “sushi” completely get you — they’ve got the ingredients to make the sushi (which will be a relief for my sister should she ever come back to make some). Eric also told me a wonderful story about why Better Bulk ordered the fenugreek.
Apparently the bakery across the street was baking bread with fenugreek. People were asking the baker where they could buy fenugreek (said to help control blood sugar with other health benefits) and the baker pointed them to the Bulk. Eric was greatly confused after 3 people in a row dropped in asking for fenugreek — he didn’t know where they were coming from.
Finally Eric decided to do some investigating, asked a few customers and figured out the people were coming from the bakery. He went on over and discovered the fenugreek bread (while sampling their mouth watering fresh baked goods). And what happened after? Better Bulk ordered the fenugreek of course.
So what else did you miss out on?
The Divinely Delicious Chips
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| From Better Bulk Specials |
The Glories sweet potato chips that Better Bulk had for sale 1-2 months ago were amazing! So many people tried them out (including me) and loved them. Alas, it was such a great deal that it sold out in less than a month.
They were bursting with flavour with just the right amount of salt. It was hard to put them down. Maybe you should ask Eric and Bryan to order some more so you can try!
But wait the story didn’t end there…
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| From Better Bulk Specials |
The Cereals Of Sweet Love
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| From Better Bulk Specials |
It was 2 great deals in a row when they put up their special offer on Nature’s Path organic cereals. I knew their North American program manager Dag Falck from my work with Canadian Organic Growers Toronto — I have to say they make some very fine cereal and toaster tarts.
Hopefully Eric and Bryan will get another batch sometime soon.
There’s always some timely and warm amusements in terms of what’s available at Better Bulk. Be sure to drop on in and say hello to Eric and Bryan as you check out the delectable foods in the store. That includes their bottles of wildly popular un-homogenized milk (the way your stomach used to enjoy it – and yes I tried some, you’ll love the yogurt like chunks).
How to Melt Ice the Eco-friendly Way
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| From Better Bulk Specials |
Its a well known fact that salt is really bad for you, the pavement, the roads, plants and the rest of the environment. So what other option is there to keep the roads ice free and people from slipping and breaking their bones? The company Earth Innovations created EcoTraction made from a green, all-natural volcanic mineral that kids, pets and animals could eat and be perfectly fine. It does everything salt would do except more — it can help plants, doesn’t corrode stuff, requires less to do the same job, doesn’t damage floors and can actually mop up poisons.
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| From Better Bulk Specials |
When I first walked into the store I couldn’t for the life of me recognize what it was. In fact, I thought it was kitty litter (laughs). It wasn’t until Eric’s partner pointed it out that I looked more closely. So silly of me 
RESOURCES
EcoTraction
Salt damage on plants
Salt Damage [1]
Trees Are Hurt by Salt
Road Salt Damage
Wild Healing Salves and Creams
Beeswax? Check. Essential oils? Double-check ….. Sigrid Geddes prepares to mix the ingredients she collects for her line of skin-care products. “I think it is a powerful tool, creating something with your hands,” she says.(Photo via RICK EGLINTON / TORONTO STAR)
Better Bulk stocks a small selection of hand blended creams, lotions, wildcrafted healing salves, oils, scrubs and spritzers made by Ontario native, Sigrid Geddes (who lives on the Danforth too). Sigrid is passionate about what she does and having gained a lot of self esteem making her own balms and creams she spends time creating workshops to “teach mentally ill women, underprivileged families and street youth how to make their own.” One of her biggest successes was a 100 mile healing salve where everything was made using stuff within 100 miles or less here in Ontario.
“My actual goal with this product line is to have all Ontario-based ingredients,” Geddes says. This means finding substitutes for such ingredients as olive oil harvested from a family farm in Greece.(via Toronto Star)
If you have the chance, check out Better Bulk’s selection to see what they have available. It can be your own pleasant adventure
RESOURCES
Sigrid Natural Skin Care
Haul of the wild a crafty mix
WildCrafting.com
Wildcrafting – Wikipedia
Wildcrafting Medicinal Plants
Wildcrafting.net
Wildcrafting for Beginners
