First, I want to welcome the many new lovely people who have joined my community! This week at the Non Toxic Living Panel at Hatch, I met and connected with many of you and am thrilled to have you here!

The event was such a success- the room was packed with people seated up the stairs! Carolyn, Chloe, Sarah and I focused on inspiring attendees into action. And that’s exactly what we did.  

Our lovely moderator, Sarah, wrapped up the panel with the question: “What is your biggest fail in pursuing a non-toxic life?”. Carolyn, Chloe and I loved this question because WE ALL “FAIL.” It’s literally impossible to avoid all the toxins in our environment, to avoid all the plastic, to avoid all waste.
 
This brings me back to why I started this newsletter and Abby’s Food Court. I'm determined to:

1. Remind you (and myself) that just because we can’t be perfect, doesn’t mean we can’t do better,

2. Inspire you into action, and 

3. Give you the TOOLS to do better, to upgrade your life for you and for the environment.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into SHOPPING NAKED: Produce edition.
 
This week’s tip: Let loose with your produce to SHOP NAKED. 
 
Last week I informed you of the startling statistic that we use 1 TRILLION plastic bags each year. These include the plastic produce bags that you use for all produce, even those with a tough outer skin, like avocados. Our favorite fruit (yes, avocado’s actually a fruit!) evolved to have that skin to survive in the environment and to protect itself from microbes (including bacteria, fungi, viruses). And, that fruit is already well traveled. In the U.S., food travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to table.

With all this in mind, I confidently promise you that your produce can make it from your supermarket to your home without being wrapped in plastic!
 
Now’s the time to kick the habit of using plastic produce bags and LET LOOSE.

You have two options when you SHOP NAKED for produce:

1. Use cloth produce bags. WowE Lifestyle ones are great – they include the tare weight*, which you need when checking out. I use produce bags for smaller loose vegetables like Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, greens, string beans, snap peas, etc.

   1. *Check out this post which explains the tare weight!

   2. Use code ABBYSFOODCOURT5 for 5% off your WowE Lifestylepurchase!

2. Throw everything into your cart loose. This is what I do for all other produce- bunches of kale, celery, broccoli, lettuce, apples, oranges, bananas, peppers, etc. Make sure to give them a good wash when you get home and you’re good to go!

Are you ready to let loose this week?

Many of you have messaged me and posted photos when you SHOP NAKED. Keep ‘em coming! Take a photo of you letting loose with your produce and tag me @abbysfoodcourt and use #abbysfoodcourt and #snacknaked on Instagram for a chance to be featured on my account! And, don’t be afraid to share your fails too. As we strive to be better and do better, there are always bumps! This is a process.
 
Health & Happiness,