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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Plain greek yogurt is going to be my Valentine on Friday. Don’t know what I’d do without it <3 we go every where together!
I love broccoli!
I know it’s nothing crazy, but I’ve been adding broccoli florets to my salads lately and loving it! I found if I cut them into smaller florets, I’ll enjoy them much more. 🙂
Ive been eating Kale and quinoa!!! Id love to win!
I’ve always loved spinach but I’ve made a point to start buying it every week (organic) and putting it in my eggs, my smoothie and take a salad for lunch, I try to get as much in each day as I can! I also sneak it in my husbands food 🙂
I just started to like Brussel sprouts and now love them! I roast them in the oven until they are crispy and eat them as a snack
Pumpkin has been a staple to my oatmeal breakfasts even after fall season ended!
I only drink almond milk now and not dairy milk
I’ve cut out milk and replaced it with almond milk, I’ve also recently started drinking green smoothies.
I absolutely LOVE kale. I can make it into a salad, a sandwich, and/or a dessert! It packs a ton of nutrients, and it’s low cal too! Haha 🙂
Avocado! Indulgent but healthy
I just tried chia seeds for the first time…yum!
I do not have one specific healthy food. I just try to focus on unprocessed foods and I’m constantly reading food labels. I’m a huge pain to go shopping with because I take forever!
LOVE whole foods. I hope we can find an inexpensive cooking class to attend sometime soon! I don’t eat meat but have been trying to incorporate different types of fish to boost my protein intake. I’ve definitely seen positive results thus far.
Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
Swiss chard has been making it into my meals lately. Love it!
I LOVE cooking with eggs in the morning after training! A bowl of berries and whole grain toast with them and I am good until lunch!
I have started eating more kale and actually like it! I also have started buying mulberries based on your recommendation and LOVE them!! Thanks for the great ideas!
Coconut aminos in place of soy sauce is the latest .. but we always try to purchase grass-fed beef, wild pole-caught fish, organic greens, etc. Whole Foods makes it easy, has a great selection!!
I have started incorporating zucchini into my veggie rotation!
I love avocados! Always have ever since I was little. My mom ate them straight as a snack with salt and pepper and got me hooked on them 🙂 weird snack for a 4 year old but oh well!
I love kale! We put it in everything from smoothies, salads, soups, pastas and pizza.
I’ve been really hitting it hard with spinach lately, its such an easy addition to pasta and smoothies. I’ve always loved fruit so just bulking up on that during snack time!
xo
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I finally bought chia seeds!
My fiance and I now make banana bread protein pancakes every weekend! I’ve gotten my best friend, cousin, and dad hooked on them too.
I have a couple of favorite healty foods – I love avocado for healthy fats. I use it in place of mayo when making tuna or egg salad. I also LOVE brussels sprouts – roasted with a little olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. YUM!
I absolutely love shaved brussel sprouts. Because they’re so finely chopped, they make a great replacement for my usual lettuce in salads (no cooking required!). I also love to stir fry them with sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and curry for a five minute sorta-indian dish.
I love incorporating beets into my meals!
We have started using Tofu as a meat substitute. At least once a week we have been using Tofu to replace meat in recipes, and a lot have turned out very tasty!
I recently started cooking with quinoa, and have also recently tried leeks and parsnips for the first time.
I just recently started to try juicing and have really been enjoying beets, which is something i never would have eaten before!
I’ve been making green smoothies with my nutriblast!
I love carrots and tomato-basil hummus from Trader Joe’s. It’s a great snack pretty much any time of the day, and is perfect fuel for afternoon runs!
Spinach! In smoothies, omlettes, and salads. Love it!
I’ve been attempting more smoothies with veggies!
I’m pretty boring when it comes to eating, and don’t mind eating the same things day in and day out but my fave diet staple is roasted Brussels Sprouts with sea salt, black pepper and fresh rosemary!
My favorite healthy food is Kale. I love it!
I didn’t know they did that. So neat! I love Whole Foods!! My fingers are crossed for this giveaway!
I just got a huge box of kiwis and I’m eating one every day. I read they are great for digestive health, and at 20 weeks pregnant I’ll take all the help I can get!
I’ve been loving plantains as a different healthy starchy carb source! Love WF!!
I’ve started eating veggies everyday!
Avocados on Ezekiel bread… Yummy!
Spinach! I used to only eat romaine lettuce salads but have been adding spinach to them, or putting pasta on a bed of spinach so I eat less pasta and get in my veggies.
Green smoothies. I have been making them every morning recently, thanks to your blog and I can’t get enough of them!
Quinoa is such a staple in our house. Mixed with roasted veggies and a bit of pesto….yummm.
We recently switched from spinach to kale!
I love to roast up a big pan or two of vegetables like red pepper, brussel sprouts and sweet potato. I love how they get soft and caramelized in the oven. I usually incorporate them into my lunch for the week.
i’ve recently become obsessed with sweet potatoes and tahini – it’s an amazing combination!
Quinoa is my new favorite! And….yea….I am traveling this weekend and there is a Whole Foods I plan to visit!
I have started eating/drinking beet roots. I recently went to my doctor and my red blood cell count was abnormally low. She put me on iron supplements but they make me sick so beets are the next best option. Beets, spinach, grapes, mango and blackberries smoothies are awesome!!!
i recently have gone vegetarian so i am eating a lot more beans and quinoa!