Whole Paycheck. Mmm.... paycheck.

Published Aug 8, 2003

Since I’ve been on this crazy diet I’ve had to buy almost all of my food at Whole Foods; the stuff at Ralph’s is all filled with additives and other crap. So, to some extent, I’m actually happy for the change — it’s good to know I’m not eating as much dextrose and guar gum and maltosymbulase, as well as the stuff that makes me sick.

Now, the reputation of Whole Foods is that it’s incredibly expensive — thus the nickname “Whole Paycheck.” But I’ve found a whole bunch of great and not-so-expensive items there that I’m totally addicted to.

The first, of course, is the vegetables. For both the organic and conventionally-grown items, they’re about the same price as at Ralph’s and much more attractive and tastier. The good price is nice, but paying just a little extra for the taste is well worth-it. And fresher produce lasts longer in the fridge. Just make sure to wash even the organic produce, there’s no insecticide on it but there’s usually plenty of the ladybugs that the farmers use to control pests.

The store brand, 365, is also quite affordable. The pasta sauce is just $1.99, is tasty, relatively low-fat and has no extra crap in it. The syrup and jam is all-natural and is as cheap as everything except for the very nastiest all-artificial Ralph’s brand stuff. The bread is great, nothing fancy in it but tasty and good and as little as $1.99 for a loaf. The meat is great — the Ralph’s has a meat section that’s, frankly, scary — the butchers knowledegeable, and the prices great, often as low as $1.99/lb for a whole chicken.

Oh, and then there’s my Wonderful Girlfriend’s favorite thing — the pizza crust. See, I found this 9" pizza crust that’s only 1/2 gram of fat for 1/3 the crust. It’s made from rice flour, is thin and tasty (just don’t undercook it, it gets gummy). I love to put a little olive oil on the crust (from Nature’s Harmony), top it with some of that 365 pasta sauce, some fresh vegetables, some Yves brand no-fat vegan pepperoni, and one of a variety of goat’s milk cheese that they sell. Mmmm, she was addicted the first time she had a bite of this pizza, and you’ll be too!

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