Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

I have worked at Trader Joe’s (an inexpensive gourmet food store) since November. In that time, I have been introduced to many fruits and vegetables that I have never seen before. One of the most recent ones is Baby Kiwi. I had never heard of these little gems until a week ago. Since then I have been buying them and enjoying them with gusto.

Photo By: S. Duquet

These tasty little kiwis are bursting with juicy flavor and wonderfully fun to pop into your mouth. They are like a buxom grape. The entire thing is edible. Here is some news you can use about Baby Kiwi that I found on Melissas.com.

Baby Kiwis, cousins of the Kiwi Fruit, are luscious berries with smooth skin, delicate seeds and are similar in size to the grape. They are high in nutritional value and make excellent snacks.  They are seasonal during Feb/Mar and again Sep-Nov.

6oz serving has 0 cholesterol, 1 gram of fat, 0 sodium, 8g fiber, 2 g protein, 13 g sugar, 30 g carbohydrates.  They are action-packed full of vitamin C with 120% of your RDA, 10% of calcium, 6% of vitamin A and 4% of iron.

According to the Brix scale, a system that measures sweetness, baby kiwis are four times sweeter than regular kiwis.

Photo By: S. Duquet

I used to pass by things like Baby Kiwi, Blood Oranges and Golden Beets in the store thinking that they were too expensive. Why would I pay $4.oo for a miniscule box of miniature kiwi when I can get a bag of apples for the same price? I now realize what a limited way of thinking that was. I was unwilling to pay a little extra for food that felt decadent and tasted sensational but wouldn’t bat an eye to pay $5 for a double scoop waffle cone. For some reason, I believed that spending money on interesting or sexy produce was frivolous or wasteful. Well not any more. I saw the benefits of changing this belief not only in my own home but at the store as well. At Trader Joe’s I had the opportunity to sample the Baby Kiwis for our customers. I heard over and over that the novelty of this adorable fruit would be enough to excite their little ones at home into eating them. Every woman I spoke to thought that alone was a good enough reason buy some crazy Baby Kiwi and I can not agree more.

How can spending money on fruits and vegetables ever be wasteful or frivolous? Good food is only expensive if you bring it home and let it go to waste.  When I brought the Babys home to Sandy for the first time you would have thought I had just scored the darkest most decadent chocolate bar infused with vegan caramel and toasted pecans. We were crazy with joy and kiwi consumption. If buying a $4 box of fruit can bring that much joy to eating fruit…I say go for it. Obesity in our families is a pandemic…spending too much on fruit or pre-cut veggies is not.  We deserve to be excited by our food choices and we deserve optimal health. The next time you are at the store allow yourself to try something new and see where it goes. You may just find your new , can’t-live-without-it thing in the produce section and how great would that be.

Have a delicious day.

Brix Scale information from www.specialtyproduce.com

Tags: Baby Kiwi, Boutique Fruit, compassionate eating, dairy free, Engine 2 Diet, going veg, plant based diet, plant strong, trader joes, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan challenge, vegan experience, vegan transition, vegan wannabe