A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend a Health Starts Here tour at Whole Foods and my interest was immediately piqued.
Since I no longer live near a Whole Foods, I figured I wouldn’t be able to attend and was quite bummed since Ryan and I used to love Whole Foods events when we lived in Orlando. (We attended a number of restaurant cooking demonstrations and had a great time at a Greek cooking class! I know I’ve mentioned Whole Foods events on the blog before, but I highly recommend them for fun, inexpensive date nights!)
When I responded to the invitation, I happened to mention my travels to Jacksonville for my sister’s bridal shower last weekend and we were able to set something up since there is a Whole Foods in the area. Woo!
The Health Starts Here tour is free to everyone and I met up with Heather Olsen, the Jacksonville Whole Foods healthy eating specialist, for my tour in the late afternoon. Heather gave me a ton of information about the Health Starts Here program, which I never knew existed at Whole Foods until our tour began!
Health Starts Here is a mindful approach to healthy eating that’s rooted in simple ways to build better meals. The program is essentially an in-store guide that you can use to choose the healthiest foods.
Fun fact I learned from Heather: The average American cycles through the same 10 fruits and vegetables!
The Health Starts Here program includes the following Four Pillars of Healthy Eating:
- Whole foods: Health Starts Here foods only use recognizable ingredients in their purest, unprocessed forms.
- Plant-strong: Plant-based foods are the foundation of Health Starts Here.
- Healthy fats: Health Starts here foods does not use any extracted oils or processed fats but included healthy fats from natural sources including nuts, seeds and avocados.
- Nutrient dense: Health Starts Here meals contain a rainbow of nutritious whole plant foods with high Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) scores.
As Heather escorted me around the store, she pointed out Health Starts Here logo stickers that can be found on a number of food items within the store that follow the four pillars of health.
If you’re visiting the Whole Foods salad bar, hot bar or prepared foods section and noticed the Health Starts Here logo, you can be sure that the food you are eating is a healthy choice. It’s a great way to take some of the guess work out of healthy eating!
The program also offers a grocery list for stocking your pantry the healthy way and tips and tricks for cooking fast and healthy meals using quick-cooking whole grains, canned no-salt-added beans and frozen vegetables and fruit.
I left very impressed with the Health Starts Here program and know I’ll be looking for the logo as I select foods from the hot bar and salad bar during my next trip to Whole Foods!
Whole Foods Giveaway
When I said I’d be writing about this tour on my blog, Whole Foods was kind enough to offer a giveaway to one reader for a $50 gift certificate to Whole Foods. Since I know you guys get just as excited about food as I do, I have a feeling this one may interest quite a few of you!
To enter this giveaway, simply comment below and tell me about one healthy food you’ve recently started incorporating into your diet or a favorite healthy food that has been a staple in your diet for quite a while.
I will randomly select a winner on Friday.
Good luck!
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I’ve been eating Chia seeds in overnight oats recently. Delicious!
I have been putting flax in my yogurt for years, but I have been wanting to try chia seeds recently.
I’ve recently incorporated ground flax into my egg white oatmeal for breakfast to increase to nutrient content!
Kale is my new go-to base for salads, stir fries and smoothies!
Since it’s been pretty cold I’ve made a ton of bone broth. It freezes well and a warm mug at the end if the day is so comforting!
I don’t love raw Kale – but I recently tried the baby kale mix and I think it’s great! it’s been a great alternative to my traditional spinach.
I just started roasting beets. Totally yummy! But beware, it turns your pee and poop pinkish and reddish.
I love adding chia seeds to foods, especially oatmeal. Such an easy way to add some extra nutrients!
Sweet potatoes! i’ve been using them in coconut curries and they’re great!
I know I am a little behind the eight ball here but I made quinoa for the first time this weekend (quinoa tabbouleh) and love it so much!
butternut squash and edamame.. the best
Being severely lactose intolerant, I cannot live without almond milk! I also can’t go a day without chickpeas or eddadme!
Sweet potatoes! My family hates them so they weren’t part of my diet growing up. I tried one on a whim a few months ago and now, I eat one a day!
I have recently started incorporating cooked spinach in my pasta (thanks to you pbfingers) and find it an easy way to sneak in some nutrients!
I started drinking protein shakes and they are better than bars since I can work out and not worry about digesting bars before doing my abs!
I’ve recently been eating tons of kale and butternut squash!! Both so delicious!!
I eat almonds and nut butter every single day!
Avocados!
Avocados! Mmmmm 🙂
well… it’s not new, but i’ve recently been doing A LOT more sweet potatoes. and those are pretty delish & healthy!
I’ve recently started incorporating bulgar in my diet!
I’ve recently been incorporating more healthy fats in my diet in the form of avocados and coconut oil!
I’ve been putting kale into everything I can . . . soups, massaged kale salads, smoothies, cooked veggies, etc. and of course roasting it for kale chips. It’s a lot more versatile that many of us realize and packed with nutrition!
I’ve been making a lot of your green smoothies, which are excellent. I’ve also been using nutritional yeast for years now, which is an excellent source of B12 vitamins…There’s a great Whole Foods recipe for Garlicky Kale (which uses nutritional yeast)…it’s amazing!
I am in LOVE with Whole Foods and could easily spend an entire month’s paycheck in there during one visit. Ouch! One food item that I’ve started incorporating into my diet again (and actually craving) is cottage cheese! I’ve been eating Nancy’s cottage cheese, which I found on sale at Whole Foods last weekend. It’s thick, creamy, and FULL of protein and can easily be made into a sweet dish with vanilla almond butter, or savory as I’m having now (shredded chicken, brown rice, salsa, and cottage cheese – SO AMAZING)!
I’ve always been a huge fan of spaghetti squash as a healthy pasta swap!
Almonds have been a go to snack for years!
I have stopped using any artificial sweeteners! This was hard for me- I used to have at least 3 splenda/day!
I’ve been loving Brussel sprouts recently!
I love Whole Foods and their amazing selection. Recently, I’ve been trying to incorporate kale into my diet. Whether it’s a green juice or a salad, kale is an amazing nutrient booster.
Spinach – I’ve been adding it to my salads and my smoothies.
I started putting chia seeds in my oatmeal. Definitely doing it more often!
Coconut oil, chia seeds and Kale!! Would love to win!
Avocado is a staple for me, and I have been trying to work in more fish to my diet.
i have been adding chia seeds to my morning smoothie.
I’ve used coconut oil for the past couple of years, but just started blending it into my coffee with ghee and vanilla to make what is called “bullet-proof coffee”. It is amazing!
I have recently started using avocados in my omelets, my sandwiches, and my pasta! Yum!
I love to put spinach in everything I make. So yummy!
I’ve recently incorporated green smoothies
I’m really loving salads, and I never used to like them at all!
broccoli is always a favorite!
I’ve been incorporating more healthy fats into my diet! I love Whole Foods’ trail mix selection because it offers a TON of healthy alternatives to many store bought brands. Especially love the DIY trail mix bar 🙂
Organ meat!
I love making quinoa bowls with black beans, corn, mushrooms, red bell peppers and avocados! Never gets old!
I’ve started eating salmon with snap peas with a salad.
I have started having smoothies for breakfast every morning.
Gelatin-excellent source of protein and collagen, great for skin and joints!
Kale is my new obsession!
Chia Seeds!
How fun! I just discovered dried Marionberries and am addicted!
How do I pick only one?! I’ve been incorporating more avocados lately 🙂