The Whole Foods Virgin

I never thought I would be so "crunchy" that I'd be buying 75% organic food. I envisioned women who buy organic with no makeup, hemp clothing and no TV at home. But Baby E changed that. I suddenly became hyper-aware of what I was putting in my body and then into E's body.

I won't go into a diatribe about why organic, but let's just say I am leary of pesticides, antibiotics, mass-production, etc. So, I buy as much organic as I can afford. And there is a fair amount at Target, Kroger and Market Street. Walmart, on the other hand, is meager at best with the offerings (especially on fresh produce).

So, knowing that I am an organic buyer, Baby E's second cousins gave us a Whole Foods gift card for E's Birthday. Well that lovely little card has sat idle in my junk bowl for months in the same place where bobby pins, hair ties, a random Baby E shoe, pens, extra keys and a battery reside. I was cleaning up this week and came across the card. So, when grocery shopping time rolled around I ventured off to Whole Foods to buy my organics. Baby E stayed with Ad Man, so it was just me and my grocery cart.

And I'm no longer a Whole Foods virgin. And it was all that I thought it could be. And more.



Let's just say that my first Whole Foods experience has since changed my life. It was like I found my home. Healthy, delicious, organic as far as the eye can see. I had found "my people." Sure there were some "crunchy" types. And sure, there was the occasional botox-injected lady that probably shopped at Whole Foods because it is "hip." But for the most part the shoppers were hard-working people like me that appreciate quality foods and want to feed their families the very best.

So my trip? Here's what I did...I trolled the aisles and came across some fab finds. I bought some produce, yo-baby (which I normally buy at Target, but WF has a better variety). I also found oatmeal that Baby E will actually eat. I mean finding that oatmeal was worth the trip and the extra $30 that I spent beyond the gift card amount.

I also noticed that they have a food scoring system that is similar to Nu-Val scores, called ANDI. It designates a logo on packaging of foods that are focused on plants, nutrient dense, free of added oils, made with unprocessed whole foods. Sounds pretty good, right?

 

Love it!

And the best part of the whole trip? Ok, actually there are a couple best parts...

1) Pre-cut veggies and fruits bar - this is sort of like a bulk foods area that you might find at other stores, but it is all fresh foods that are already cut for you! Hello time saving. And you grab as much as you want. I didn't get a pic of this, but oh my goodness was it fabulous!

2) Pre-prepared foods - this is similar to Central Market for sure, but all whole, clean foods.

3) Natural meats - ALL of the meat they have is antibiotic, hormone and junk free. Although the lunch meat that I purchased was $12.99/pound. Yikes. It is pretty darn good, though.

4) WINE, WINE, WINE! - They do tasting all the time and their selection is fabulous. I need to do another post on organic wine, because WOWZA there is a great difference.

5) Herbal section - there is a section with natural herbs, elixirs, premium body care, etc. So you can go natural with this, too.

6) Lunch (or dinner) is ready - you can also do single serve meals if you need to grab food on the go.

7) Desserts - I won't even tell you about the bakery. I can't. It's too fabulous. Just look at these truffles. Seriously. I'm having a hot flash thinking about them.

The drawback? The only one I see is price. It is quite pricey. But can your really put a price tag on organic, "fit kids" oatmeal? I mean really.

I am going to put my family in the poor house because I am in L-O-V-E with Whole Foods.