Health food stores not so healthy?
preslyann50
Posts: 114 Member
Today I went into the Fresh Market. I don't know if they are every where but we have them in NC. At fist I noticed they had organic fruits and veggies but very small selection. The rest were not organic but they did have country of origin on the label. Then I headed over to the butcher section. The meat/chicken/pork either had no antibiotics or no added hormones. Not both. I asked butcher didn't know if they had both or not. Then all of their "prepared" things had gluten in them. Which is ok, but I've been at regular grocery stores that at least offered a no gluten product that week. I then went over to the dry groceries and Kashi was all over the place. Kashi is known for having GMO's in their products. Also They had regular coke (with HFC, I thought maybe it was made with real sugar) and Coke Zero. I was surprised all of these products were in what people around here consider to be a "health food store" when really I feel like Kroger has a better selection of food when it comes to being in the purest form possible you can get at a chain store.
I was thinking about trying Whole Foods but are they about the same thing? Whole foods would be a 20 minute drive for me versus Kroger is right by my sons preschool that I am by 5 times a week.
I was thinking about trying Whole Foods but are they about the same thing? Whole foods would be a 20 minute drive for me versus Kroger is right by my sons preschool that I am by 5 times a week.
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Replies
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Whole Foods is awesome! It really is my happy place
Definitely not the same as you're describing (at least, not the one I drive an hour to get to in Raleigh). I think at the very least it would be worth your time to check it out at least once. And they have a whole mess of gluten free and veggie/vegan options. 0 -
Do you mean Mariano's Fresh Market? They are much different than Whole Foods. Don't judge Whole Foods with the same standards... they are great! But expensive. They are often called Whole Paycheck.0
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Whole Foods is totally different. It really is whole food and they are very particular about what they put in their stores.
I totally relate! GNC is the BIGGEST sham! Read the ingredients in their shakes. There's nothing healthy about them! And a "health" store where you can buy pills to beat a drug test?? They did that in the 90s, not sure about now, but they've always been a joke!0 -
If you are trying to eat organic and/or gluten free, both stores have options; however, you'll still need to sort through items to make healthy choices for you. I feel like you still have to have your guard up at both stores as well as Trader Joe's & Harris Teeter. It has been my experience that Kroger has a great health food section with much more reasonable prices.0
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In my experience...Whole Foods and local farmers markets are the way to go. Whole Foods is expensive but you can find deals. For instance they had whole organic chickens on sale for 1.99 a pound last friday and i loaded up my freezer with them. They are also great about telling you the sources and type of meat (grass fed, organic, etc)0
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I went to Fresh Market once and was also very disappointed. Whole Foods is much better.0
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what's a GMO?0
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Today I went into the Fresh Market. I don't know if they are every where but we have them in NC. At fist I noticed they had organic fruits and veggies but very small selection. The rest were not organic but they did have country of origin on the label. Then I headed over to the butcher section. The meat/chicken/pork either had no antibiotics or no added hormones. Not both. I asked butcher didn't know if they had both or not. Then all of their "prepared" things had gluten in them. Which is ok, but I've been at regular grocery stores that at least offered a no gluten product that week. I then went over to the dry groceries and Kashi was all over the place. Kashi is known for having GMO's in their products. Also They had regular coke (with HFC, I thought maybe it was made with real sugar) and Coke Zero. I was surprised all of these products were in what people around here consider to be a "health food store" when really I feel like Kroger has a better selection of food when it comes to being in the purest form possible you can get at a chain store.
I was thinking about trying Whole Foods but are they about the same thing? Whole foods would be a 20 minute drive for me versus Kroger is right by my sons preschool that I am by 5 times a week.
Whole Foods gets a lot of their organic foodstuffs from China. You'd be better off eating conventionally raised stuff from N. America. The Chinese irrigate their crops from HEAVILY polluted surface water---full of heavy metals, PCBs and other industrial pollution. They have recently admitted that they have "cancer cities" that are so polluted that no one wants to live there. To top it off, they fake organic certifications anyway. Their business people have the reputation of being the most corrupt in Asia. If they won't stop at poisoning their own babies (remember the melamine-spiked infant formula from a couple of years ago?) what would make us think that they won't poison us? I wouldn't buy any food sourced from China.0 -
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.what's a GMO?0 -
what's a GMO?
Genetically Modified Organism. Many Europeans are demanding that their governments outlaw them until their safety is proved. Many health authorities believe that widespread use of GMOs is a health disaster in the making.0 -
Whole Foods gets a lot of their organic foodstuffs from China. You'd be better off eating conventionally raised stuff from N. America. The Chinese irrigate their crops from HEAVILY polluted surface water---full of heavy metals, PCBs and other industrial pollution. They have recently admitted that they have "cancer cities" that are so polluted that no one wants to live there. To top it off, they fake organic certifications anyway. Their business people have the reputation of being the most corrupt in Asia. If they won't stop at poisoning their own babies (remember the melamine-spiked infant formula from a couple of years ago?) what would make us think that they won't poison us? I wouldn't buy any food sourced from China.
From the WF website http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/dispelling-rumors-organics-china
"Let’s put a rest to some rumors!
I answer customer questions here at Whole Foods Market. Lately we’ve been hearing from a lot of customers who’ve seen a news story about our frozen vegetables coming from China. It’s actually an inaccurate four year-old news story that has resurfaced and is making its way around the internet again. I‘m posting here in the hopes of setting the record straight.
The story, which first aired on ABC affiliate WJLA in 2008, paints the picture that organics from China are not possible.
This is simply not true.
Any product labeled as organic, whether it is grown in the US or any other country in the world, must meet US organic standards. At the time the story aired we debunked its inaccuracies point-by-point right here on our blog. Since then, we’ve also made some changes to our product lineup worth mentioning. In 2010 we stopped sourcing any 365 Everyday Value® frozen fruits and veggies from China, with the exception of frozen edamame (organic and non-organic).
To be clear, we did not make this change because of quality concerns, we were simply able to find other sources for these products at better prices."0 -
I don't really consider Fresh Market a health food store - but I do consider Kashi as a health food company!0
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Whole Foods gets a lot of their organic foodstuffs from China. You'd be better off eating conventionally raised stuff from N. America. The Chinese irrigate their crops from HEAVILY polluted surface water---full of heavy metals, PCBs and other industrial pollution. They have recently admitted that they have "cancer cities" that are so polluted that no one wants to live there. To top it off, they fake organic certifications anyway. Their business people have the reputation of being the most corrupt in Asia. If they won't stop at poisoning their own babies (remember the melamine-spiked infant formula from a couple of years ago?) what would make us think that they won't poison us? I wouldn't buy any food sourced from China.
From the WF website http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/dispelling-rumors-organics-china
"Let’s put a rest to some rumors!
I answer customer questions here at Whole Foods Market. Lately we’ve been hearing from a lot of customers who’ve seen a news story about our frozen vegetables coming from China. It’s actually an inaccurate four year-old news story that has resurfaced and is making its way around the internet again. I‘m posting here in the hopes of setting the record straight.
The story, which first aired on ABC affiliate WJLA in 2008, paints the picture that organics from China are not possible.
This is simply not true.
Any product labeled as organic, whether it is grown in the US or any other country in the world, must meet US organic standards. At the time the story aired we debunked its inaccuracies point-by-point right here on our blog. Since then, we’ve also made some changes to our product lineup worth mentioning. In 2010 we stopped sourcing any 365 Everyday Value® frozen fruits and veggies from China, with the exception of frozen edamame (organic and non-organic).
To be clear, we did not make this change because of quality concerns, we were simply able to find other sources for these products at better prices."
I can appreciate that this is a public relations nightmare for Whole Foods. But notice that they just spoke to the issue of whether it was organic or not. The organic designation only means that it is 1) raised without herbicides, pesticides or artificial fertilizers 2) GMO free. A product can meet these criteria and STILL be unsafe because of the water that they are irrigated with. There is no testing done for heavy metal contamination, for example. And even if they test the initial shipment, there is no guarantee that the Chinese will not slip them a heavily contaminated crop afterward. I would NEVER knowingly accept food from China. Even wealthy Chinese people will eat nothing grown in China.0 -
I live in NC too and shop at Fresh Market, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Fresh Market is really more of an upscale gourmet grocery. They do have some organic produce and a few packaged items, but it's really not the place to go for organics.0
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I don't really consider Fresh Market a health food store - but I do consider Kashi as a health food company!
I hope you don't anymore after it was revealed that Kashi uses GMO crops in their cereals. Food purity and safety is a major issue. We have been here before. That is why the FDA was created in the first place--but it is too easy for the Chinese to corrupt their way into the markets that they desire. For them, bribing politicians is second nature. There are many wonderful Chinese folk--this is not Chinese bashing. But we need to be wary of a nation whose government treats its own citizens so abominably.0 -
It is at the end of the except:
I can appreciate that this is a public relations nightmare for Whole Foods. But notice that they just spoke to the issue of whether it was organic or not. The organic designation only means that it is 1) raised without herbicides, pesticides or artificial fertilizers 2) GMO free. A product can meet these criteria and STILL be unsafe because of the water that they are irrigated with. There is no testing done for heavy metal contamination, for example. And even if they test the initial shipment, there is no guarantee that the Chinese will not slip them a heavily contaminated crop afterward. I would NEVER knowingly accept food from China. Even wealthy Chinese people will eat nothing grown in China.
"Since then, we’ve also made some changes to our product lineup worth mentioning. In 2010 we stopped sourcing any 365 Everyday Value® frozen fruits and veggies from China, with the exception of frozen edamame (organic and non-organic)."
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Because the term "healthy" is a matter of opinion?0
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I have the good fortune (maybe), to live RIGHT by a WF. I mean, it's literally a two minute walk from my place. Suffice it to say, you have the capability of buying just as much junk there as anywhere else and possibly more than other places because everything has the "health halo effect" enshrouding it. I've left that store with everything bad before: ice cream, chocolate, wine, cheese, chips, etc. If WF were a magic store, I guess I wouldn't be on this site. I will say, that they have very good labeling of meats and seafoods. I'm still particular about looking at the veggie/fruit origins because I don't like eating things out of season from the other hemisphere. They also have products to accommodate every diet restriction, but it definitely lives up to its reputation as "Whole Paycheck." However, they have a lot of great weekly and monthly specials. Michael Pollan says to spend more, eat less. Which is something I'm trying to practice more in my life.0
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It is at the end of the except:
I can appreciate that this is a public relations nightmare for Whole Foods. But notice that they just spoke to the issue of whether it was organic or not. The organic designation only means that it is 1) raised without herbicides, pesticides or artificial fertilizers 2) GMO free. A product can meet these criteria and STILL be unsafe because of the water that they are irrigated with. There is no testing done for heavy metal contamination, for example. And even if they test the initial shipment, there is no guarantee that the Chinese will not slip them a heavily contaminated crop afterward. I would NEVER knowingly accept food from China. Even wealthy Chinese people will eat nothing grown in China.
"Since then, we’ve also made some changes to our product lineup worth mentioning. In 2010 we stopped sourcing any 365 Everyday Value® frozen fruits and veggies from China, with the exception of frozen edamame (organic and non-organic)."
.
One wonders what went on behind the scenes. One online food retailer said that he had his initial sample shipment from China tested and it was fine--no contamination. So he went ahead and ordered a large shipment, which WAS contaminated and when he went over to China and pounded on desks, they were completely implacable and "suggested" that he was mistaken and refused to give him his money back for the contaminated shipment.0 -
Today I went into the Fresh Market. I don't know if they are every where but we have them in NC. At fist I noticed they had organic fruits and veggies but very small selection. The rest were not organic but they did have country of origin on the label. Then I headed over to the butcher section. The meat/chicken/pork either had no antibiotics or no added hormones. Not both. I asked butcher didn't know if they had both or not. Then all of their "prepared" things had gluten in them. Which is ok, but I've been at regular grocery stores that at least offered a no gluten product that week. I then went over to the dry groceries and Kashi was all over the place. Kashi is known for having GMO's in their products. Also They had regular coke (with HFC, I thought maybe it was made with real sugar) and Coke Zero. I was surprised all of these products were in what people around here consider to be a "health food store" when really I feel like Kroger has a better selection of food when it comes to being in the purest form possible you can get at a chain store.
I was thinking about trying Whole Foods but are they about the same thing? Whole foods would be a 20 minute drive for me versus Kroger is right by my sons preschool that I am by 5 times a week.
In Chicago fresh market and health food stores are two different things. Fresh Markets are just places that carry fresh produce but not necessarily organic or "healthy" Health food stores here that I go to don't sell produce. At best I've seen a juice bar. Kashi has 11 foods with no GMO's, I just read it on their site http://www.kashi.com/nongmo. I bought their granola bars for the first time today prior to reading about the GMO's. Looking at the ingredients it was the best choice compared to the other bars they had gmo or no gmo. Hell unless you eat 100% organic there's gmo's in damn near everything. Not that its a good thing, i'm jus sayin.0 -
Today I went into the Fresh Market. I don't know if they are every where but we have them in NC. At fist I noticed they had organic fruits and veggies but very small selection. The rest were not organic but they did have country of origin on the label. Then I headed over to the butcher section. The meat/chicken/pork either had no antibiotics or no added hormones. Not both. I asked butcher didn't know if they had both or not. Then all of their "prepared" things had gluten in them. Which is ok, but I've been at regular grocery stores that at least offered a no gluten product that week. I then went over to the dry groceries and Kashi was all over the place. Kashi is known for having GMO's in their products. Also They had regular coke (with HFC, I thought maybe it was made with real sugar) and Coke Zero. I was surprised all of these products were in what people around here consider to be a "health food store" when really I feel like Kroger has a better selection of food when it comes to being in the purest form possible you can get at a chain store.
I was thinking about trying Whole Foods but are they about the same thing? Whole foods would be a 20 minute drive for me versus Kroger is right by my sons preschool that I am by 5 times a week.
In Chicago fresh market and health food stores are two different things. Fresh Markets are just places that carry fresh produce but not necessarily organic or "healthy" Health food stores here that I go to don't sell produce. At best I've seen a juice bar. Kashi has 11 foods with no GMO's, I just read it on their site http://www.kashi.com/nongmo. I bought their granola bars for the first time today prior to reading about the GMO's. Looking at the ingredients it was the best choice compared to the other bars they had gmo or no gmo. Hell unless you eat 100% organic there's gmo's in damn near everything. Not that its a good thing, i'm jus sayin.
Yup. I think that there's going to be a LOT more people planting fruit trees and vegetable gardens in their back yards come this spring. The local farmer's markets will likely also be doing a good business this year too. So far, the worst source for GMOs are grains. I don't eat much grain, and when I do, I only buy organic grain sourced from N. America.0 -
Today I went into the Fresh Market. I don't know if they are every where but we have them in NC. At fist I noticed they had organic fruits and veggies but very small selection. The rest were not organic but they did have country of origin on the label. Then I headed over to the butcher section. The meat/chicken/pork either had no antibiotics or no added hormones. Not both. I asked butcher didn't know if they had both or not. Then all of their "prepared" things had gluten in them. Which is ok, but I've been at regular grocery stores that at least offered a no gluten product that week. I then went over to the dry groceries and Kashi was all over the place. Kashi is known for having GMO's in their products. Also They had regular coke (with HFC, I thought maybe it was made with real sugar) and Coke Zero. I was surprised all of these products were in what people around here consider to be a "health food store" when really I feel like Kroger has a better selection of food when it comes to being in the purest form possible you can get at a chain store.
I was thinking about trying Whole Foods but are they about the same thing? Whole foods would be a 20 minute drive for me versus Kroger is right by my sons preschool that I am by 5 times a week.
In Chicago fresh market and health food stores are two different things. Fresh Markets are just places that carry fresh produce but not necessarily organic or "healthy" Health food stores here that I go to don't sell produce. At best I've seen a juice bar. Kashi has 11 foods with no GMO's, I just read it on their site http://www.kashi.com/nongmo. I bought their granola bars for the first time today prior to reading about the GMO's. Looking at the ingredients it was the best choice compared to the other bars they had gmo or no gmo. Hell unless you eat 100% organic there's gmo's in damn near everything. Not that its a good thing, i'm jus sayin.
Yup. I think that there's going to be a LOT more people planting fruit trees and vegetable gardens in their back yards come this spring. The local farmer's markets will likely also be doing a good business this year too.
I can't wait for the farmers market in May, i can eat and buy food. Its like a field trip to happy land. I'm gonna take my nephew this year, he'll be 3 and loves apples. We can eat all the apples all day.0 -
I don't have Whole Foods where I live, but, we do have Planet Organic. While they do have a range or organic fruits and veggies (and some gasp-out-loud expensive meat), much of what they carry is organic only if you squint. While the organic mac n' cheese is made with organic flour, the "cheese" powder is still made with sodium phosphate, artificial flavors, and colors.
I can get a better selection of 5 ingredient or less whole foods from my local grocery store. While not everything is organic, it's still closer to a food source than mac n' cheese, and priced so I can actually pay for it instead of stuffing items down my children's pants.0 -
Today I went into the Fresh Market. I don't know if they are every where but we have them in NC. At fist I noticed they had organic fruits and veggies but very small selection. The rest were not organic but they did have country of origin on the label. Then I headed over to the butcher section. The meat/chicken/pork either had no antibiotics or no added hormones. Not both. I asked butcher didn't know if they had both or not. Then all of their "prepared" things had gluten in them. Which is ok, but I've been at regular grocery stores that at least offered a no gluten product that week. I then went over to the dry groceries and Kashi was all over the place. Kashi is known for having GMO's in their products. Also They had regular coke (with HFC, I thought maybe it was made with real sugar) and Coke Zero. I was surprised all of these products were in what people around here consider to be a "health food store" when really I feel like Kroger has a better selection of food when it comes to being in the purest form possible you can get at a chain store.
I was thinking about trying Whole Foods but are they about the same thing? Whole foods would be a 20 minute drive for me versus Kroger is right by my sons preschool that I am by 5 times a week.
In Chicago fresh market and health food stores are two different things. Fresh Markets are just places that carry fresh produce but not necessarily organic or "healthy" Health food stores here that I go to don't sell produce. At best I've seen a juice bar. Kashi has 11 foods with no GMO's, I just read it on their site http://www.kashi.com/nongmo. I bought their granola bars for the first time today prior to reading about the GMO's. Looking at the ingredients it was the best choice compared to the other bars they had gmo or no gmo. Hell unless you eat 100% organic there's gmo's in damn near everything. Not that its a good thing, i'm jus sayin.
Yup. I think that there's going to be a LOT more people planting fruit trees and vegetable gardens in their back yards come this spring. The local farmer's markets will likely also be doing a good business this year too.
I can't wait for the farmers market in May, i can eat and buy food. Its like a field trip to happy land. I'm gonna take my nephew this year, he'll be 3 and loves apples. We can eat all the apples all day.
I already know LOTS of people who have bought big freezers and canning equipment to preserve what they buy from the local farmers' markets. It helps the small farms and it supports the local economy.0 -
I have the good fortune (maybe), to live RIGHT by a WF. I mean, it's literally a two minute walk from my place. Suffice it to say, you have the capability of buying just as much junk there as anywhere else and possibly more than other places because everything has the "health halo effect" enshrouding it. I've left that store with everything bad before: ice cream, chocolate, wine, cheese, chips, etc. If WF were a magic store, I guess I wouldn't be on this site. I will say, that they have very good labeling of meats and seafoods. I'm still particular about looking at the veggie/fruit origins because I don't like eating things out of season from the other hemisphere. They also have products to accommodate every diet restriction, but it definitely lives up to its reputation as "Whole Paycheck." However, they have a lot of great weekly and monthly specials. Michael Pollan says to spend more, eat less. Which is something I'm trying to practice more in my life.
Yes you can buy junk and get fat at Whole Foods but I'm trying to eat food that doesn't have an *kitten* load of chemicals or something added to it. That is my point. If I want to buy my kids snacks and if they are going to have sugar in them, I want it to be sugar, not some chemical that resembles sugar. And if it's a fruit snack I want it to be fruit in the snack, not some gel that has 4 dyes in it to make it look like the color of the fruit. I'm not expecting to start buying food in another store and magically lose weight because of it. I plan on losing weight by modifying what I eat and exercising.0 -
Whole Foods is awesome! It really is my happy place Definitely not the same as you're describing (at least, not the one I drive an hour to get to in Raleigh). I think at the very least it would be worth your time to check it out at least once. And they have a whole mess of gluten free and veggie/vegan options.
Luckily I think my friend is going to Warlock's tonight for a piercing and Whole Foods is right around the corner in Raleigh. I'll have to get her to go early so we can check it out. Thanks!0
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