I’m sure many have noticed the changes happening in our store over the past month, particularly in our wholefood section.  From the feedback from our customers, it seems our changes have been a hit, particularly the installation of our new self serve bulk food bins.  Setting up our peanut butter machine and honey drum in the store has also given our customers the option of serving themselves.

With 25 new bulk foods now available, we are enabling our customers to reduce waste by bringing their own containers. Of course, we also have available paper bags if needed. Our store made peanut butter is also now available in glass jars.

With such a huge percentage of food being packaged in plastic these days, we believe it is important for our health and the environment to be as responsible as possible when it comes to our packaging at Go Vita.

Of course, by purchasing from our bulk bins you will get more for less.  It means you’re not paying for packaging or the labour it costs to pack those foods. It also means you can buy the quantity you need, not the prepackaged quantity. It’s a great way to try new foods when you have the option to buy a small amount.

We are also mindful of where possible stocking locally grown as well Australian grown products. This isn’t always as easy as you might imagine.  One example is pumpkin seeds also known as pepitas. Almost all pepitas sold in Australia are from China. We are lucky enough however to have access to pumpkin seeds from near Bright, Victoria. We were therefore keen to make available these Australian pumpkin seeds from our bulk food bins.

Unlike the common pumpkin seeds which grow with a hard fibrous casing, they are a special dark green pumpkin seed which grows without the hard casing. They are much easier to eat and in fact quite crunchy. They are also activated releasing more natural enzymes.

This seed from the humble pumpkin is packed full of nutrients.  It is great source of protein, plant based omega 3 and fibre. It is also high in vitamins and minerals, particularly magnesium and zinc.

Magnesium and zinc are both important minerals which can often be lacking in our children’s diet.  Adding pumpkin seeds can be helpful in improving magnesium and zinc levels. I like making up a trail mix of pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, flaked coconut, Australian sunflower kernels and almonds.  Sometimes roasting the pumpkin seeds in olive oil and maple syrup will also be appealing to children. They can also be ground into a meal and added to favourite baking recipes.

Because pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, they may be beneficial for prostate health as well as male fertility.  This mighty seed is also rich in the amino acid, l-tryptophan which has been found to be helpful for sleeping. Coincidentally magnesium is also beneficial for insomnia and is found in substantial amounts in pumpkin seeds.