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 recently started making green smoothies in the morning! Next time I’m at Whole Foods, I’m going to pick up some chia seeds to add into the mix for some protein!
I recently started eating raw kale salads, kale chips and putting kale in vegetable soup.
I just recently started eating flax! I put it in oatmeal!
I’m totally into almond milk right now, though last week I made farro for the first time!
I love Whole Foods! I could spend hours in there. Green juice and smoothies are definitely a staple in my diet – can’t live without ’em!
I have been eating a lot of oranges lately for a healthy snack in-between meals. They are in-season right now and make for a super juicy treat! 🙂
Just started eating BEETS!
Stopped into Whole Foods in Baltimore yesterday and picked up some more Vega products. Whole Foods is such an addiction 🙂
I love chia seeds! I use them to make jam and thicken oatmeal. Definitely one of my healthy staples 😀
I’ve been on such an oatmeal kick lately….such a great way to start the day!
I love beets! I have been eating them for quite some time now.
Kale! I’ve started eating it with everything. My favorite recipe has been Kale and mushrooms sautéed with fresh garlic and a little bit of evoo. I’ve made Kale chips too and they’re great! Another thing I’ve actually gotten into is oatmeal, which I honestly used to hate. My breakfast was virtually nonexistent until I tried oatmeal with cranberries, pepitas, and small chocolate shavings. It satisfies my sweet tooth and actually gets me filled in the morning.
I LOVE sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts! Especially the ones from Whole Foods:)
I love putting chia seeds in a lot of things, especially for breakfast. And for dinner I try to sneak spinach in whenever I can.
Who doesn’t love Whole Foods?! YUM! My favorite new addition is chia seeds to my oatmeal- it’s a great way to get extra fiber and keep you feeling full longer. 🙂
Before going back to school, I raided the pantry and am now on a huge quinoa kick!
I’ve started drinking apple cider vinegar with warm water to help with digestion!
I go through a lot of spinach and I’m obsessed with brussel sprouts. But now that you mention it I probably do cycle through the same 10 fruits and veggies a lot! I need to work on that.
Sweet potatoes are my absolute favorite healthy food! I’ve been trying to get as creative with them as possible. The possibilities are endless!
Lately I’ve been a huge fan of eating oat bran for breakfast with chia seeds. Although neither foods are really “new” they are new to my regular breakfast rotation and pack a huge punch of fiber first thing in the morning.
Scrambled eggs and toast was a favorite meal as a kid. As a college student, I still eat eggs almost everyday, but I’ve upgraded to omelets (great way to incorporate vegetables)!
I saw you there! I thought it was you, but wasn’t 100% sure. I didn’t want to be a creeper and stare to make sure haha. I was at the hot bar and also got a green juice, which has been a staple lately. Sweet greens…yum!
Aw you should’ve said hi!!!
Whole foods is literally the greatest. A new one opened up next to me in Austin, it is awesome! Quinoa has been my recent go to for protein and fiber.
I’ve recently started eating more eggs! Such a simple/obvious “super food”, but they’re cheap, tasty and under-rated from a nutrition standpoint. Gotta love the incredible, edible egg ; ) Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
I just recently discovered parsnips! So simple and easy to roast – they are amazing!! Definitely my new “french fry”
Whole Foods is my toy store! Coconut oil has recently become my favorite cooking fat. I even started making my own almond butter with it and it’s delicious!
Two of my favorite health foods are sweet potatoes and chia seeds! I sprinkle chia seeds on everything from my oatmeal to a froyo treat 🙂
I’ve been using a lot of avocados lately! I’ve never bought straight-up avocados before, just guacamole, but I got a great deal on a bunch of them and now eat them in smoothies, oatmeal, etc. Definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made. (:
I’ve starting using kale- in soups, salads and smoothies! Loving it!
I recently started trying out spices and herbs. I have always used cinnamon, but now I’m trying out tumeric and fresh basil! For all the antioxidant love 🙂
I love broccoli and it’s so easy to work into any meal!
I’ve tried to add more greens to my diet, particularlt spinach because it’s easily ‘hidden’ into anything.
Healthy food I never go without? Dark chocolate! 😉
I’ve been trying to eat more beans, especially on days where I am not having meat.
Fresh spinach – yum!
Sweet potatoes and kale! I toss cubed potatoes and onions in coconut oil, add spices, and roast them in the oven. I then layer on top some kale sauteed with garlic, and I top the whole thing off with a fried cage-free egg and avocado! Its my staple breakfast lately and keeps me full for hours!
I absolutely greek yogurt! There are so many ways to incorporate it into your diet. I use it in yogurt and granola parfaits, smoothies, pancakes, baking, and cooking! I would love to win this giveaway! Whole Foods is my jam!
coconut oil! it’s a nice replacement to use in baking and sauteing
I recently starting incorporating green smoothies with flax or chia seeds into my diet….YUM!!!! Whole foods would be a great place to discover more new healthy foods!!
I love quinoa and have recently been trying out your green smoothie/juices!
I’ve recently started using kale with a lot of my meals. Kale chips, salads, in burritos or on turkey sandwiches! 🙂
I’ve only recently started eating avocado but Popeye taught me to love spinach really early on!
Smoothies!
I have been loving Chia Seeds and the boost of nutrients they provide my breakfast with! 🙂
I made a casserole with spaghetti squash this week. It was amazing. Whole Foods is the reason I love kale. I could eat their garlic kale salad everyday.
I have been eating a ton of spagetti squash and spinach lately!
I’ve been trying to up my veggie intake, so I’ve been making eggs with sauteed kale in the morning, and I love it! I’ve also tried rainbow chard, and it’s just as delicious.
I have been incorporating lots of spaghetti squash lately! And I have been using greek yogurt for an afternoon snack for forever!
I have been really really loving throwing ground FLAX seed into my daily meals for my fiance and I!! Added nutrients in a snap!!
I recently started eating cacao nibs — sooo good!
I’ve gotten into goat cheese lately, which makes other healthy foods taste even better, too!