The blogger seems to be trying to drum up page views by using sensational rhetoric...
I did think it was a bit weird to see the Whole Foods CEO writing that particular op-ed.
BTW it should be noted that Whole Foods sells mostly fats, highly processed carbs, cheeses, and wines to people who pay more b/c they are convinced that the food is more nutritious just because it is organic, etc.
People who blindly follow Whole Foods' marketing are the same sort of people who will blindly support health care reform as it's evolved thusfar... the current proposals have no clear specifics, focus on "evil corporations", and do little to change the perverse incentives that exist in today's heavily regulated, heavily subsidized healthcare industry.... similarly most Whole Foods shoppers are fat and unhealthy.
If you are skeptical of my statement, consider that nobody has yet been able to write a hypothetical sad story about a loved one who would be worse off under universal care -- this is not because some people would not be worse off, but because insufficient specifics have been released to make such a hypothetical story possible.
similarly most Whole Foods shoppers are fat and unhealthy
I am not sure I agree with this. At my local Whole Foods, the bike rack is usually filled with 30 or more bicycles. (Mostly employees, I assume, but I'm sure I'm not the only person that uses his bicycle for grocery shopping.) Inside, people seem to be thinner than the average shopper at Jewel down the street. (If you want highly-processed foods, that is where to find them -- everything is highly processed. So while Whole Foods may not be perfect, it's orders of magnitude better than "normal" grocery stores.)
I agree that Whole Foods has a lot of "unhealthy" food. If you eat nothing but steak, yeah, that's bad. But if you eat it once a month, it's better to buy a good one from a cow that was not pumped full of antibiotics and that ate what nature intended it to eat.
I am not sure that Whole Foods has a lot of "highly-processed carbs", though, so it would be good if you could clarify that. Sure, you can buy pasta there, but I consider that "minimally processed".
In addition to all that, they do have a lot of healthy food available that you can't find elsewhere. (I was happy to find some locally-grown peaches the other day. Fruit tastes good when it isn't shipped in from South America.)
So Whole Foods is not perfect, but like anything, it's a good tool. You can go there and get some great healthy food. Or you can go there and buy soda and cookies. It is up to you. (I am partial to some of their energy drinks. Not very healthy, but very delicious!)
I do acknowledge that Whole Foods had great produce and offers a lot of healthy food that isn't sold at most grocery stores... but I suspect that Whole Foods' growth has been fueled by selling expensive junk food to the same people who would never have shopped at Whole Foods when it smelled like body odor inside.
I did think it was a bit weird to see the Whole Foods CEO writing that particular op-ed.
BTW it should be noted that Whole Foods sells mostly fats, highly processed carbs, cheeses, and wines to people who pay more b/c they are convinced that the food is more nutritious just because it is organic, etc.
People who blindly follow Whole Foods' marketing are the same sort of people who will blindly support health care reform as it's evolved thusfar... the current proposals have no clear specifics, focus on "evil corporations", and do little to change the perverse incentives that exist in today's heavily regulated, heavily subsidized healthcare industry.... similarly most Whole Foods shoppers are fat and unhealthy.
If you are skeptical of my statement, consider that nobody has yet been able to write a hypothetical sad story about a loved one who would be worse off under universal care -- this is not because some people would not be worse off, but because insufficient specifics have been released to make such a hypothetical story possible.