Here are some things to think about when trying to answer the cashier’s question of, "Would you like paper or plastic today?"

It takes 14 million trees to produce all the paper bags Americans use in one year. 12 million barrels of oil are used each year to fulfill our plastic bag demand. The production of paper bags produces 70 percent more air pollution than plastic bags, but plastic bags create four times the solid waste. The average family of four uses 1,500 plastic bags each year.

So next time the cashier asks whether you would like paper or plastic proudly answer, "Neither!" and hand them your reusable shopping bag.  You'll be keeping waste out of the landfills and saving natural resources making it a win-win situation.

To help you make the right decision all Fresh and Natural stores are now offering reusable bags for only 99 cents.

Hi Steve! Yes, we get this question a lot! Most good water purifiers take out most of the essential minerals, as does reverse osmosis. We do get a lot of the minerals in our food, if we are eating many fruits and vegetables organically. However, many people do just as you said, supplement with either a liquid minerals or capsules....there are 72 essential minerals we need to get into our bodies and a product called Cellfood is one of them.

Welcome to our first nutrition blog entry. The blog is designed to post questions about products and/or health concerns. Our blog is not intended to offer medical advise but to educate our customers about new products and new health concerns. Our on-staff nutritionist, Mark Norman, LCN, and HBC department mangers will be posting comments to answer questions and/or thoughts about what is going on in the industry. If you have a comment or a concern regarding the store, please refer the comments to the contact us located on the home page.