Health food stores not so healthy?

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  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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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.

    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.
  • ajhugz
    ajhugz Posts: 452 Member
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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.

    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.
  • blu_meanie_ca
    blu_meanie_ca Posts: 352 Member
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    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.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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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.

    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.
  • preslyann50
    preslyann50 Posts: 114 Member
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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.

    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.
  • preslyann50
    preslyann50 Posts: 114 Member
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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.

    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!

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