Al Naturale

By far the best way to avoid all of the germy bugs flying around during the cold and flu season is to stay healthy. An ounce of prevention, right? Well, eating healthfully is definitely at the top of any "get healthy" list.

While in the US, I was careful to feed my family a lot of organic, healthy foods. Here though, since most of my grocery shopping is done at the Commissary, I have fewer organic and all-natural options. The Commissary's organic, natural, and allergen-free food lines are definitely leaps and bounds beyond what they were just a few years ago though. And, just to get on my soapbox for a sec, we can all vote with our pocketbooks by buying the products that they do have in order to keep them rolling in. Supply and demand!

But...I have really missed the health food stores that I had grown used to having in the good ole US of A. Packed with brands that I loved and trusted, I felt confident that I was putting good things into my babies' tummies.

We do have a good option not too far from the gate here. NaturaSi in Pordenone is on SS-13, in the EuroSpar strip before you get to the McD. It is a small health food store, but it is packed with all kinds of organic, natural, hormone-free, and allergy-specific items.

And the owner is so helpful and knowledgeable! I spoke with him for a while. He speaks perfect English, having lived in the Midwest for a few years. He said that while he was there he loved shopping at places like Whole Foods {Who doesn't?!}. When he came back home, he wanted to bring a little of that back with him. After some research, he was discouraged from going as big as Whole Foods because he didn't believe that it would work in the area. So he set up home with NaturaSi {which is a chain in Italy} in Pordenone.

He takes a lot of pride in his shop and it really shows! He's not just sitting behind his desk. Anytime I go in, he's answering customers' questions, stocking items, and working hard to make it a great place.

  
In addition to shelves of great products, the store offers monthly speakers who are experts in areas of health and natural living. Unfortunately, the speakers are almost exclusively Italian, so he's been actively seeking English-speaking health professionals to encourage a wider variety of customers. If you know someone, please do a little matchmaking and get them to NaturaSi!

And as a nice bonus....if you are stationed at Aviano, you will receive a 5% discount on all purchases!! Yippee! I was not aware of the discount, but the cashier heard my children speaking English and asked, "Are you from the base?". "Yes," I say. And there's my discount. Didn't even ask for an ID. Love that!

 If you have allergy concerns or just prefer to purchase items that are a little easier on the earth and your body, stop by and check this little gem out. You can get anything from fresh, organic produce {new shipments on Sat}, hormone and antibiotic-free meats, organic wines, and even healthy "junk food".

A good selection of natural body products and cleaners too.

Most of the larger supermarkets also carry organic products. Look for Vive Verde products at Coop stores or the word "biologico" on the products that you are purchasing.