TO BE Organic is never a question in Monaco

As you may have heard Monaco, we have a new organic store in town! Yuppie!

The shop on rue St Charles was taken over by new owners last year, who decided to expand with a new store in the shopping arcade behind L´Estoril.

Now if you didn’t know of the existence of this shopping arcade, pas de problème. I’ve been living in the area for the past 8 years and I’d never set foot in the shopping arcade until recently when I went and checked out TO BE – the organic (bio) store.

Set right behind Avenue 31, the closest car park is Larvotto or take the 5 or 6 bus and get off at Larvotto. Go through the arcade to the back of the building and turn left and you will find TO BE at the bottom right hand side.

What’s new inside
A great selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, most of which is local. The owner was proud to say that they get a lot of their produce from “La Brigue” which is around 40 km inland from Monaco.

The advantage of eating local is that the food will not have to travel far between the earth and your plate, meaning that it will retain most of its nutrients and have a low carbon footprint.

Eating local also means eating seasonal foods, a great way to support your health.

I never really paid much attention to this fact until I studied Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest whole-body healing systems. According to Ayurveda, “Nature provides the ideal harvest for each season to keep us strong, healthy, energised and focused”.

I used to eat the same type of food all year around like salads, berries and leafy greens and wonder why the heck I would always get so cold in winter.

With Ayurveda, the type of food you eat is recommended in summer for its cooling effects and vice versa. So last year I decided to give into eating seasonal produce over winter instead and guess what? I never got cold!

You’ll notice that as the weather gets colder, we naturally crave winter vegetable soups, nuts, grains and high fat foods such as meat and fish. Our bodies need this type of fuel in winter and it’s wise to give into what it craves and to buy what’s in season. “La nature est bien faite” as we say in French!

Beyond the fruit and veg
Beyond the seasonal fruits and vegetables, TO BE also has a great selection of seeds, nuts and whole grains. I believe it’s the only place in Monaco, much to my delight, where I’ve managed to find hemp seeds. Hemp seeds are vegan and a natural source of protein that can be added to smoothies and salads for example.

As they are unprocessed, digestion is much easier than most protein powders, like whey, for example.

In other aisles
Finally, you’ll find a good selection of teas, Manuka honeys and other winter warming stuff at TO BE, as well as a small selection of organic meat, chicken and fish.

The shop, open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 7 pm, is family-owned so depending on when you go, expect to either be served by mom, dad, their gorgeous daughter or one of the employees.

I’ve been told that some of Monaco’s top athletes have already picked up a few groceries here so if it’s good enough for them, I think it’s good enough for the rest of us, too.

Article first published September 19, 2017.Maddy is the Founder of Nutrition For Naughty People, aimed at helping individuals find a better balance between the things that keep them healthy and the things that make them happy! Any questions?
mk@nutritionfornaughtypeople.com. (Feature image: @viktoriakhatib)

READ ALSO

Cut the crap Monaco!