Does the health food industry decide what’s good for us….or do we?
I made a trip to the health food store this week, something that I don’t do very often any more. I needed some dandelion leaf, which I bought in bulk to boost my sagging iron levels.
As I stood there waiting for my herbs to be weighed and priced, I couldn’t help but look around at the ever-expanding grocery shelves of so-called “healthy stuff”. Lots of stuff.
There used to be just the basics at your corner health food store, like organic produce, soy milk and gluten-frees.
But over the years, the health food market has grown to the full-capacity that any capitalistic-respecting industry would. What began as a specialized industry that catered to those with very special dietary needs has now convinced most of us that we need what they have to offer in order to be healthy.
Anything you want in organic, natural form can be had at today’s health food store. There’s organic soda pop, organic cookies (whole wheat, mind you) and even organic dog food, all at organic super-inflated prices.
The last number of years, I have seen a strong trend towards the “exotic” items to bring healing in the health food stores. The fruit that you’ve never heard of, much less pronounce, that only grows in the rain forest now comes in pill form. Green foods that grow on the other side of the planet are marketed to the American market and we buy them because those people on the other side of the planet seem pretty healthy. Oils that generate from trees that only grow on the equator’s line are marketed as the cure for arthritis for the consumer in Wisconsin.
The sad story here is that there is a lot of truth, but even more fiction, in today’s health food stores. Most folks don’t know enough about natural remedies and cures to know the difference.
Worse yet, most of what is marketed today is completely unsustainable.
I can’t believe that God made this earth in such a way that a busy mom in Ohio would have little chance of being healthy and/or healed without some random ingredient from a far off land. As a matter of fact, I’ll go out on a limb here and say that I do believe God made it possible for me to be healthy, right where I live and breath.
Sustainable, healthy living done in a local manner appeals to my interest much more than a miracle cure from the Arctic. Sustainable means that I can grow it or find it near me. Sustainable means that I can easily afford it. Sustainable means that it becomes part of a healthy lifestyle that I choose for myself. Most of us are smart enough to figure it out….
As I walked out of the health food store, with my bags of dandelion leaf that I should have harvested myself last Spring, I didn’t regret that I didn’t buy an organic soda pop and a Rain Forest dark chocolate bon-bon for the road.
I also didn’t regret keeping more of my money in my pocket.
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About kmorris
I appreciate this post so much! I am much more interested in local, and sustainable things. And if I can grow it, raise it or make it myself–so much the better! Unfortunately that isn’t possible for most things in an urban apartment (where I find myself right now) However, there are so many people that I am able to partner with that are keeping health at the local level. Organic is great, but not when it comes at a very high cost and is completely unsustainable!
The greater challenge is to find cost-effective sustainable products in our own areas. Not seek “health foods” from the ends of the earth, like you said so well.
Meg,
I’m glad that we share sentiments on this subject.
Guilty. Just purchased some “maca root powder” which is not available anywhere around here. I totally agree though, I buy very little at the health food store. It’s way overpriced. A few things I do buy regularly I’ve found on Amazon for a fraction of the cost.
I agree with you. I am part of a food co-op buying group which is great about saving money and learning healthy eating BUT a lot of them to me are over the top about the organic and super healthy and staying away from anything that isn’t the most healthy choices. I have asked the group (it is an email group) what their plans were for feeding the family if prices kept going higher and no one would answer me. I already don’t understand how they afford the things they eat….like 20.00 chickens, or 4 to 6 dollars a lb for hamburger. I seriously hope that high food prices do not drive these people crazy when they go higher. I think there has to be a balance. I use herbs, try to grow things in my garden and we have chickens and goats. I can only make the best choice I can for my family and know that no matter what God is in control.
My journey towards healtth has brought me to the same conclusions, although I never would have known it whenn I began! You did a great job explainng sustainability fro a health perspective!