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 have been adding chia seeds to lots of meals, it adds a nice crunch. Of course I love whole foods machines to make your own almond butter. Their all natural chunky peanut butter is the best! I use them both to make your granola recipe. It is awesome! What a generous giveaway! Thank you.
I love whole foods! I am vegetarian, but recently discovered a meat substitute at whole foods called ‘beyond meat’ and it is delicious!!!
I love WFs with all my soul! I’ve always loved their ‘Health Starts Here’ especially at the salad bar, where I commonly ‘make’ my quick and easy meals. One healthy thing I’ve been eating for years and years is ground flax seed on and in everything! I even love the taste of it, so I don’t mind if it doesn’t blend perfectly 🙂
I’ve recently started using coconut oil when I cook!
My healthy food go-to snack is apples and peanut butter with cinnamon. I also add organic kale or spinach to everything!
I have been eating the egg white and oatmeal protein pancakes. They are so good! 🙂
I have been adding chia seeds into my diet. I love all of the benefits from eating just a tbsp. of chia seeds each day!
I’ve been all about kale lately. Salads, soups, chips, etc.!
I’ve been trying out different greek yogurts to get lots more protein during lunch
I recently started adding flax seeds to my smoothies in the morning, and actually smoothies are pretty new to me too!
Bulgar in place of brown rice
I recently discovered how much I love Bok Choy! I know it’s fairly common, but I had never cooked with it before and I am loving it. Yum!
I’ve been trying to add more legumes to my diet, making soups, adding to salads or just a side dish at dinner.
I started spreading cilantro/jalapeno hummus on whole grain toast for lunch instead of meat and cheese sandwiches.
I love Whole Foods. I recently discovered how good kale is and how versatile it is.
Chia seeds and kale!
chia seeds to my oatmeal.
I have been loving chia seeds for years! I sprinkle it on salads, blend it in smoothies, and stir it in my oatmeal. I’ve even been called Chi-Chi-Chi-Nia!
I just tried golden beets at the Whole Foods salad bar last time I was there, and now I can’t get enough of them!
I have recently started to add chia seeds into my diet.
I have been adding chia seeds into my daily routine and absolutely love it! I love all of the benefits from eating just a tbsp. a day! Absolutely love Whole Foods!
I love Whole Foods! I was always hesitant to put vegetables like spinach in my smoothies, and it is true – you can’t taste it at all!
Throughout the winter I’ve incorporated spaghetti squash into various recipes. Delicious!
I’ve started using pumpkin in my morning oatmeal – so good! Thanks for hosting the giveaway! 🙂
I love nonfat Greek yogurt!
I have recently switched our typical salad mix to a spinach and kale mix to get more nutrients.
I recently swapped spaghetti squash for pasta noodles and love it!! Love Whole Foods too. Would love to win.
A healthy food I’ve started incorporating into my life is avocado. I grew up in the DC area, and my family never really bought them. Now I live in Los Angeles, and have learned to love them!
I’ve recently been incorporating lots of chia seeds into my yogurts, smoothies, and oatmeal!
Whole Foods is a favorite in our house! I’ve recently begun adding flax and chia seeds into my daily diet- love it!!
I have started incorporating kale into my diet.
I recently incorporated more quinoa into my meals. I’m a vegetarian, so it’s an awesome addition to my diet and I can finally pronounce it 🙂
I recently starting using spinach in everything. Smoothies, eggs, pasta. It has been a great addition.
I love whole foods. I think I go 4 times a week!!! I have been eating a ton of oven roasted Brussel sprouts. They are high in fiber and are very filling. I make a batch every week. I love them hot or cold and a drizzle of balsamic reduction makes them even better!!!
I have recently been starting to eat kale…I have been afraid of it for so long but took the plunge and actually kinda like it!!
I’ve recently started adding chia seeds and hemp hearts to my Greek yogurt bowls!
I’ve recently switched from eating a bar for breakfast to having a spinach, strawberry, and banana smoothie. Much better way to start the way!
I love avocados!
I just recently started using coconut oil.
Kale is back in my life in the form of kale chips, after months of not being able to stomach green smoothies! I also tried it lightly steamed lately, and liked that too. I wonder if collard greens or chard would make good chips? Gotta keep trying to diversify those greens!
The healthy item ALWAYS in my apartment is avocado! Since I live in Miami, avocados are good (and cheap) all year and are the perfect do-it-all item. I use them in dressing, on sandwiches, and (of course) in guac! Whoohoo, Whole Foods!
We just got a whole foods where I live and I’m hoping to work with them through promoting events with blogging as well!! So excited to see your post today! I’ve recently incorporated mushrooms into my diet. I don’t really like mushrooms, but I recently became a vegetarian and I’m slowly warming up to them, I’ve put them in tacos and on pizza. I remind myself that they are very healthy for me!
I tried asparagus for the first time last year and it’s delicious! I thought it would taste like brussel spouts but it tastes more like fresh green beans!
Love whole foods! I recently started buying their organic almond milk and vega one plant based protein powder. I make smoothies with them.
I’m obsessed with buying the tubs of organic spinach. I can use it for a regular salad, add it sandwiches, or sautee it with garlic and add it to dishes! I can’t get enough of it 🙂
wow, this is awesome! i’ve recently moved back to an area with whole foods, yay! some healthy staples i always have on hand are sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, carrots and some kind of greens. i guess i fall in to the category of those who keep the same 10 fruits and veg around!
I have recently been incorporating kale into my smoothies for extra vitamins. A staple that has been in my diet for a while is coconut oil!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
I’ve been eating more kale and flaxseed lately
I recently have started to add egg whites into my morning bowl of oatmeal. It adds a lot of extra protein, and keeps me fuller for longer!
It’s not an ingredient but we got a Vitamix in our house last weekend so our consumption of veggie-filled smoothies has been on the uptick this week! This giftcard would be great to try lots of new smoothie ingredients!