Your Daily Thread

June 24, 2008 Written by Danielle Davis

The Nature Mart has been in Los Feliz since 1973 and continues to keep its grassroots feeling alive in all the best possible ways. It’s complete with narrow aisles, every vitamin imaginable, and, best of all, an incredibly well-stocked bulk bin.

For the uninitiated, the bulk bin houses bin after bin (recently upgraded) of whole grains, nuts, dried fruit, syrups, noodles, oils, sweeteners and beans, and jar upon jar of teas, spices and confections. It has everything you can imagine for a deliciously healthy pantry, plus freshly squeezed juice you can sip on the journey home to stock it.

The crown jewel, in my view, is the all-natural peanut butter. There’s a red, old-timey machine on the counter that churns out rich, creamy stuff that is out of this world.

Once the peanut butter high wears off, you can keep feeling good knowing that you’ve avoided all the packaging that products are usually draped in and saved a number of bucks while you were at it-and with food prices what they are, there’s no better time to starting bulking it. I typically walk out with hefty portions of oats, agave nectar, green tea, dates, baking soda, and buckwheat soba noodles, all for much less than I’d pay at a regular grocery store.

Best practice is to bring your own reusable glass containers (think apple sauce jars) or organic cotton sacks for a truly zero waste shopping experience. It takes some forethought, but makes a huge difference seeing as a third of all household trash comes from the stuff our stuff is wrapped in. Learn more here.

I hear there’s another bulk bin-type store coming to Sunset Junction, and both Erewhon and Whole Foods have ample bulk selections as well.

This summer, consider bulking up in order to pare down.

Nature Mart. 2080 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323) 660-0052. Visit www.naturemart.com and Bulk Bin MySpace.

Related Articles

• HAPPY EARTH DAY!
• Healthy Holiday Cookware