What do you buy at the health store? What are the most "important" things you'd get for your pantry, freezer etc? I live an hour away from Whole Foods, there's a dinky over priced health store here in my town but I can't afford to buy everything there. So I'm thinking now and then when I"m traveling thru this other city, I'll stop and stock up. What would be the Must Have stock up items?
Overall, the 365 brand at Whole Foods (if that is where you are going) is fairly cheap so I like to buy it.
I'll say I'm spoiled in that I live fairly close to a Whole Foods and my other grocery stores carry stuff that you used to only find at Whole Foods or a health food store. I think one of the best things that local grocery stores don't have is a bulk section.
This is generally my mental list when I go to Whole Foods though:
Soy milk (or other non dairy milks)
Bulk items such as beans and whole grains
Any veggies/fruit on sale or at a decent price
Frozen veggies
Soy yogurt
Cans of diced tomatoes or beans
Whole grain bread
Vegetarian multivitamins
(Not food) Paper products such as papertowels, toilet paper
Forgot to add: Also condiments like no sugar added ketchup. Although those are occasional purchases for me so I forgot about them.
I buy herbs and spices from the bulk jars, buying just a small amount of each. They cost a fraction of the normal little tins and bottles at the supermarket. As far as stocking up, don't buy more than you will use in 6 months. Herbs and spices should be replaced every 6 months, for best flavor.
I don't have a WF near me, but at my local health food store I buy:
Herbs and spices
Natural peanut butter (bulk)
Bulk dry beans and grains
Bulk cereals
Eggs
Organic produce
I don't live near a Trader Joe's either and make a trip once every few months (3 hrs away). My staples from there are:
Aoili mustard
5 Chinese spice sauce
Red pepper and egplant spread
Cereals
Multi-grain mix
WW bagels
Soy ginger broth
Red pepper soup
Greek yogurt (to use as starter for mine)
Frozen veggies
Olive oil
Other assorted spreads and sauces
What do you put your spices in Suzanne? I bought an entire cabinet of spices that are 1-3 years old so that's a good idea to get those at a health food store. Do you leave them in bags or did you buy little spice jars?
I generally buy organic short grain brown rice ( loose by the pound ), canned organic beans, organic fat free yogurt, organic fruit and veggies, wheat free bread/crackers, bottled mineral water, organic Muir Glen crushed tomatoes, loose herbs/spices.
I belong to a local food co-op where we are member and we get 12% off the price, including sale items, so not too bad. I know a lot more than Shop-rite would charge for 'normal' food shopping, but I eat organically as much as possible so this is my only real choice.
No Whole Foods in Brooklyn yet, and when they do come, are miles away from where I live anyhow. sigh !!
I find the whole foods here to be pricey, So i do most of my stocking up at Trader Joes.
I do find that whole foods has some cheeses and sea salt that are hard to find else where.
so i will stock up on a few varieties of cheese and celtic sea salt.
but since i'm a city dweller, i don't really need to stock up on bulk stuff.
I make a trip up to that end of town on a weekly basis.
actually, for stuff like rice, i like to go to the chinese supermarket. They have bags and bags of crazy varieties of different rices at low prices.
you can also get sea veggies at a fraction of the price that they charge at whole foods if you are into that sort of thing.
kaebea - the reason to buy the bulk stuff is because its cheaper by the pound, so you buy 1 lb (or more) and its cheaper than most stores. I even found adzuki beans are cheaper at whole foods if bought in the bulk bins than in my asian market. Also the 365 brand at whole foods is fairly cheap, cheaper than trader joes. Also spices are cheaper when bought in bulk but my absolutely favorite place to buy spices is the indian market but it tends to be more spice than I need.
Dried fruit, nuts, dried beans, whole grains, and whole wheat pastry flour I buy in the bulk section. I also buy my spices in bulk since you can decide just how much you are buying and they are so much cheaper than those little jars. I like to buy teas at our local co-op store as well.
When I wasn't living near an Asian market I would also buy miso, tofu, and tempeh at the health food store.
As far as Whole Foods, Nelie is correct, their 365 brand is very well priced. I buy the 365 tortillas, butter, olive oil, paper products, lotions, shampoos, etc. They even have their own wine now, but I have yet to try it. Whole Foods is like any store, you have to be selective to get the best deals. I would never shop at any one store for absolutely everything on my list.
I also buy my vitamins, fish oil, and neti pot salt at a health food store.
Last edited by zenor77; 01-24-2009 at 12:16 PM.
Reason: more info
I always get whole wheat linguine (I think it's 365 Brand), because I love linguine and can't find it in whole wheat anywhere but there.
WF also has a nice selection of veggie burgers and exotic frozen meals, in flavors that I can't find near me.
I agree with the spices. I buy bulk spices and put them in my old McCormick containers. Costs pennies.
I also buy whole grain hot cereal from the bulk bins, like 12 grain cereal. Cheap eats.
Oh, one more thing. I think whole foods has superior fish, so I always get a big hunk a fish to cook that night when I'm there. Their salmon is awesome.
Last edited by IngridonWW; 01-25-2009 at 08:09 AM.
Maybe I am just lucky? I find that supermarkets have finally gotten on the wagon and stock many items formerly only available in "health" food stores. Take time one day and really cruise the aisles in a few stores. You can get whole wheat pastas anywhere now. Catelli's SMART pasta has added fiber and is delicious. One store has a huge selection of vegetarian products - soy cheese, meat replacements etc. THey keep them in the produce section. Many stores now do carry organic fruits and vegetables. Many stores now carry Red BoB grains, whole grain rices, etc. EVen our Walmart has an ENORMOUS organic and whole foods section.
I live in Canada but once in a while I drive to the nearest Trader Joe's in Michigan, (about 40 minutes) just because they have a few items I love - the cranberry chutney makes a LF turkey wrap just fantastic. The two things I do buy at the "health food store" are hemp hearts which I add to my oatmeal and herbs/spices. I love the Ezekiel breads but they are frozen here and cost a fortune so they are one other thing I pick up when I am in the states.
mollymom, it might be a bit different in canada but I'd agree a lot of stores are getting on board with some of the products normally found only in whole foods or trader joes. Of course some of the speciality stuff I found in my normal grocery market was twice the cost of whole foods. I didn't understand that at all.
mollymom, it might be a bit different in canada but I'd agree a lot of stores are getting on board with some of the products normally found only in whole foods or trader joes. Of course some of the speciality stuff I found in my normal grocery market was twice the cost of whole foods. I didn't understand that at all.
I find that to be true as well. Of course, sometimes, some items are less at regular stores. If you are watching the budget you just have to know a good deal when you see it. This is why I regularly shop at 2-3 different stores.
I don't whop at WF or TJ's very often, as their far away and way over my budget. However, Winco has alot of great bulk items, including:
Spices of all kinds
Whole-grain pasta in various shapes
Barley, oats, quinoa, bulgar, and multiple varieties of brown rice
Stone-ground cornmeal, whole-wheat cake flour, and other such flours
Soy nuts, cashews, raw peanuts, and other nuts
Granola of various flavors
Unpasteurized honey in three flavors
Freshly-ground natural almond or peanut butters, creamy or chunky
Last edited by Wolf Goddess; 01-25-2009 at 05:32 PM.
kaebea - the reason to buy the bulk stuff is because its cheaper by the pound, so you buy 1 lb (or more) and its cheaper than most stores. I even found adzuki beans are cheaper at whole foods if bought in the bulk bins than in my asian market. Also the 365 brand at whole foods is fairly cheap, cheaper than trader joes. Also spices are cheaper when bought in bulk but my absolutely favorite place to buy spices is the indian market but it tends to be more spice than I need.
well i understand the reason for buying in bulk, I guess
being that i'm single i just don't really go through that much grains or beans at my house. just not something i buy a lot of.
As far as price, i generally can find good bargains as TJs on items i use alot of, and have come across a few TJ's product that i've come to trust in terms of quality. I have bought some of the 365 label products, but after getting home and taking a closer look at the ingredients in more than one product, I was just let down that they weren't as green as one might expect.
Whole Foods is actually considered by some to be more "corporate organic" so i tend to shop with them only for certain items that i can't find else where, or just on occassion. I will try to support local grocers, farmers markets, and trader joes before i'll shop at whole foods. In fact i almost lump WF's together with the Kroger and Giant Eagle chains that we have here in Columbus. I just prefer to support the little guy.
What do you stock up on at the health store?
Health food store shopping
