Shop at Whole Foods? Help!

kuechletwins

A Whole Foods store recently opened near my workplace. I've never shopped there. I've heard great things. Tell me...what are your favorite items from there? Hoping to make a stop soon!

courtalot

Hi There! Whole Foods is great! You can find an awesome selection of protein powders and supplements, organic produce and meat. Most Whole Foods also have a hot bar section, which I often use to grab a quick and healthy dinner. When you go, take your time to browse through all the isles. Even if you don't buy anything, just make sure you're not in a rush or you may feel overwhelmed. Its one of my favorite places. I buy my bath soap, shampoo, fruits and veggies there, oh wine and cheese too. Enjoy!

kuechletwins

Great! Can't wait to try it!

Warmbloodwear

Bring lots of money! :laugh:

Chmabi

At some Whole Foods they have a small screen by the prepared foods that will tell you all the nutrition information for any prepared item! It's great, I just wish they'd put it online.

Spruillie03

Whole Foods is great for samples. On the flip side of that coin, they completely sucked me into some impulse buys with that little technique of theirs. lol

I have recently fallen in love with their Apricot Goat Cheese spread (if you don't like goat cheese - don't worry. You can't taste it). 70 calories for 2 tablespoons. I spread it on Daelia's "bread for cheese" Pumpkin Rye flavor.

Make sure you check out their bulk grains. Lots of options and so much cheaper than buying pre-packaged goods.

HAVE FUN!

Meaganandcheese

Organic produce
Great cheese selection
Local, organic, grass-fed (etc etc) meats
Guacamole!!

queen610va

Great place to shop. They also offer classes on food preparation. They give tours around the store that educate you on what's on the shelves. Also, sign up for their newsletter and they have instore coupons that you can print online. As someone mentioned, their hot/cold bars are awesome and you are allowed to sample. So if you're looking to try something new, this is the place to gol Didn't know if I would like quinoa or not, so I tried it at WF before I invested $$$ into a whole package. Great store!!!

bashiera

It's also called Whole Paycheck for a reason. Bring a lot of money and be prepared to pay more for food.

lukeout007

Marcona Almonds
Meringue Cookies (110 cals for 13 cookies!)

yubafarm

I also call it whole paycheck, however in reality if you are a careful shopper you can save money shopping at whole foods. Some things are actually cheaper but some more expensive.

Basically what I can't buy at Trader Joes or Farmers markets, I buy at whole foods.

I like:
-organic produce - the stuff that is not overpriced, anyway
-their salad bar and prepared food section for lunch. watch the weight of what you put in the salad as you pay by the pound. get lots of lettuce and choose heavy things carefully.
-bulk food section - nuts, grains, beans and more without all the packaging and with many things you can save money
-all fish is sustainable caught if that matters to you
-cheese selection is awesome although I'm not eating much these days
-the overall selection of healthy foods, hard to find items like chia seeds, amaranth grains

If you have some frustration in the parking lot, this may make you laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU

ItIsJessMe

Their house brand, 365, can actually be really economical. My kids adore their 365 cereal bars, which come in about 5 different flavors. $1.69 for a box of 8 (the price may have just gone up a bit, can't remember). They have big bottles of water for less than $1, and the bulk grains in bins can be reasonably priced.

They often have terrific deals on fruit too - they're the only store where I can find champagne mangoes, and often they're on sale 10 for $10.

Whole Foods' vegetables and fish are expensive but the quality is just incomparable. We eat a lot of fish and I buy it there almost exclusively. Vegetables though I hold off on, since there's an open air market near me where the vegetables are only a tiny fraction of the WF cost.

mistikal13

I love whole foods!!! Yes, they can be expensive but so worth it!

jennylynn84

I eat at their salad bar pretty much weekly, when my husband is out at his weekly language lessons and there's no reason to cook dinner. They have by far the best fixin's in my city.

Mostly for me they have been awesome for finding my hubby's nutrition smoothie mix that he uses for breakfast and for finding international ingredients for my bento box lunches. Nori, sushi rice, udon noodles, lots of items that I'd otherwise have a very difficult time finding.

Also, I LOVE their chicken noodle soup out by the salad bar and prepared foods when its cold and/or I'm sick.

twinmom01

Whole foods is hit and miss when it comes to pricing...it can definately be expensive for some things...but I find they have a much wider selection when it comes to things like fruits, veggies and meats

I have found some great things at decent prices in their bulk sections - dried Mangos, unsweetened coconut flakes, mejool dates - if you eat beans and grains lots of good options in bulk.

I buy a lot of thier spices in the bulk section - dont' let the price scare you off - I have bought things like Dill and ginger there - where the price is like $15/lb - a few scoops in a plastic bag usually costs me less then .20 cents...great way to get a bunch of spices to have on hand without paying $5-7 a jar where it will take forver to use it all and the spices will go bad...I buy my peppercorns and sea salt there too - price is usually high - $15-20/lb but what the amount I need for 2-3 months winds up costing me less than $2

Hands down favorite is the fact at mine I can have fresh ground almond butter (or peanut butter) - just bought some the other day...you grind it right there...and the price is comparable to buying a jar of name brand stuff only no additives...

I have bought meat there from time to time - you can catch some really good sales - I was at mine the other day and they were having a great sale on grassfed beef - cheaper then regular grain fed meat at the grocery store

Love their hot bar too....such good things....

dancingj2

The cost on most things keeps me from shopping there regularly.

I do like their meat and organic apples. Also being able to buy oatmeal, rice and other things bulk is great!