Whole Foods Store

A Whole Foods grocery store just opened up here. Any opinions on this store? Is their food really worth the extra money?

What kind of "whole’ foods do they sell?

Some things are, such as the seafood which is flown in daily. Other things depend on how much stock you put into the notion that organic has more nutriets and is better for you. Personally I would only shop there if budget is not a concern for you.

[quote]morrison1 wrote:
A Whole Foods grocery store just opened up here. Any opinions on this store? Is their food really worth the extra money?[/quote]

Well, if there is an organic co-op in your area THAT would be cheaper.

Whole Foods is a great store but organic food is expensive. If you cant afford to buy everything organic, I would choose organic for “denser” type foods like meat, butter (other dairy, if you eat dairy). I would also get grains (brown rice, etc). I notice that ground meat (buffalo, lamb, beef) isn’t too expensive there.

Something I am going to look into is
buying directly from a farmer. That probably is cheaper, but of course you have to have a pretty big freezer.

I’m also looking at buying a little land and having fruit orchard and grow my own organic vegetables. If you have a little plot of land, maybe you could do the same.

Here where I live seems like Whole Foods is taking over…people prefer to shop there (if they can afford it) over Safeway. I have to admit, they have great stuff and great presentation.

[quote]entheogens wrote:

Whole Foods is a great store but organic food is expensive. If you cant afford to buy everything organic, I would choose organic for “denser” type foods like meat, butter (other dairy, if you eat dairy). I would also get grains (brown rice, etc). I notice that ground meat (buffalo, lamb, beef) isn’t too expensive there.

Here where I live seems like Whole Foods is taking over…people prefer to shop there (if they can afford it) over Safeway. I have to admit, they have great stuff and great presentation.
[/quote]

I’ve noticed that organic fruit at Whole Foods actually costs less, for many products, than the organic food at Safeway or Harris Teeter. The conventional stuff, on the other hand, is always much more expensive at Whole Foods…

Them and their damn gelato bar…so tempting.

[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:

I’ve noticed that organic fruit at Whole Foods actually costs less, for many products, than the organic food at Safeway or Harris Teeter. The conventional stuff, on the other hand, is always much more expensive at Whole Foods…
[/quote]

I’ve noticed this as well. Safeways and such in affluent urban areas aren’t any cheaper and are sometimes even more expensive than WF when it comes to many staple items if you’re comparing like to like. The prepared foods on the other hand are significantly more expensive at WF, although given the difference in quality I wouldn’t call that an exception.

To the OP, I suggest you look up some of the lists of most and least pesticide laden produce as a starting point. There’s no point in buying an organic avocado, but with a raspberry it makes a little more sense.

Unfortunately Whole Foods is very expensive. It gives stores like that a bad name.

[quote]entheogens wrote:
morrison1 wrote:
A Whole Foods grocery store just opened up here. Any opinions on this store? Is their food really worth the extra money?

Well, if there is an organic co-op in your area THAT would be cheaper.

Whole Foods is a great store but organic food is expensive. If you cant afford to buy everything organic, I would choose organic for “denser” type foods like meat, butter (other dairy, if you eat dairy). I would also get grains (brown rice, etc). I notice that ground meat (buffalo, lamb, beef) isn’t too expensive there.

Something I am going to look into is
buying directly from a farmer. That probably is cheaper, but of course you have to have a pretty big freezer.

I’m also looking at buying a little land and having fruit orchard and grow my own organic vegetables. If you have a little plot of land, maybe you could do the same.

Here where I live seems like Whole Foods is taking over…people prefer to shop there (if they can afford it) over Safeway. I have to admit, they have great stuff and great presentation.
[/quote]

most farmers inject their animals with growth agents, and feed them food laced with hormones.

you won’t really avoid much by going straight to the source unless you are sure the farmer raises the animals naturally.

WF is the only place I buy meat and I buy probably 80% of our groceries there. I get around the cost real simple, if you don’t eat it - don’t buy it there. I buy all the household stuff (paper, cans of anything, etc)at Sams.

You have to buy huge amounts of everything but it’s really cheap in the end, Quaker oats is about $5 for about 2 1/2 pounds.

In Cali we call Whole Foods “Whole Paycheck.” Very pricey.

I shop there for grass-fed beef and bison. Other than that, it’s overpriced. It’s a botique store that capitalizes on unjust paranoia people have for non-organic foods.

Also, you’ll notice that the people who shop at Whole Foods are some of the worst people you’ll encouter anywhere. You’ll have to experience that at least once in your life. It really is shocking.

Whole foods is pricey. In some areas, the difference in price is negligible, but in others it is kind of absurd. That being said, Whole foods does tend to have a vastly superior selection of foods than most mainstream markets. Not only will they carry 4 or 5 brands of any given item, but they will also typically stock all the flavors as well.

Also, Whole foods had the best beer selection of any of the markets in my area, by far.

It was also the only place I found that had grass-fed beef.

So, it does have its place as a place to shop. I wouldn’t buy everything there, nor would I shop there all the time, but it is worth it sometimes.

That being said, there is no Whole Foods anywhere near where I live now, so whatever.

As a rule, I tend to prefer “alternative” markets to mainstream ones. Smaller Super-market chains and the likes. Food Co-ops, farmer’s markets…etc. Safeway(and vons, ralphs…etc.) kind of bother me. My rule of thumb. If the market doesn’t have a club-card, it is worth shopping at.

[quote]Malevolence wrote:
Also, Whole foods had the best beer selection of any of the markets in my area, by far. [/quote]

Good point. (I haven’t had a beer in a while, so I had forgotten this.)

They are expensive and don’t really offer much. You can find most everything they have at a mega mart in your area. Most people here don’t call it Whole Foods, they call it Whole Paycheck.

I used to like whole foods a lot. They’ve gone a bit downhill in the past couple years. It used to be you could grab anything off the shelf and be assured it was completely free of preservatives, chemicals, hormones or anything artificial. But lately they have relaxed those rules to attract a broader clientele. But they are still the best one-stop-shopping place in town if you follow a natural, holistic, paleolithic or macrobiotic diet. Plus the meat there is about 10 times fresher and tastier than what you find in the average supermarket. i’ve been looking for an alternative but out here there really isn’t any. As far as the prices. It’s on par with what organic costs. And many of their raw grains, nuts and canned goods are cheaper than what you find in the normal supermarkets. The meat is very expensive and the premade foods are also pricey but that’s about it,

I’ll buy my meat and seafood from there, but usually only during warmer months when I’m more apt to use my outdoor grill.

Produce is good but I find it to be overpriced compared to farmer’s market and other places.

[quote]texasguy wrote:

most farmers inject their animals with growth agents, and feed them food laced with hormones.

you won’t really avoid much by going straight to the source unless you are sure the farmer raises the animals naturally. [/quote]

Well, I am talking about a farmer who DOES NOT inject their animals with junk.
Otherwise, right, that would be a wasted effort on my part.

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Also, you’ll notice that the people who shop at Whole Foods are some of the worst people you’ll encouter anywhere. You’ll have to experience that at least once in your life. It really is shocking.[/quote]

Hmmm, worst in what sort of way?

I’m a big fan of Whole foods market.

Its been here in philadelphia for a couple of years.

They sell organic, pesticide free, hormone free, responsibly harvested foods.

They are expensive.

I buy all of my meat products there. They have a bone in organic rib steak, prime grade 1 1/2 inches thick. Bake it w/ a little seasoning. Slow and low. You can throw away your knife.

However, if there is an organic co-op in your area it is better. Cheaper, and better for your community.

[quote]entheogens wrote:
texasguy wrote:

most farmers inject their animals with growth agents, and feed them food laced with hormones.

you won’t really avoid much by going straight to the source unless you are sure the farmer raises the animals naturally.

Well, I am talking about a farmer who DOES NOT inject their animals with junk.
Otherwise, right, that would be a wasted effort on my part.

[/quote]
Certified organic farmers and ranchers dont inject or use, growth agents, antibiotics or any chemicals at all.

Do some reading like this
http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/Factsheet/Diet/fs37.hormones.cfm

What got me off of non organic meats. I had noticed that my wife was having a bad reaction when we ate chicken. Mood swings, cramping etc… i started reading about how much pesticides and antibiotics are in chicken feed. and how much hormones were used in chickens. To speed the growth time from months to weeks.

We stopped eating the non organic and her symptoms lessened.

This may be nonsense to some but it works for me. And it tastes 100% better.