Whole Foods Really?

[Jo Jo]

So I am on day 5 today and can tell I am now in a rough spot, as this morning I think withdrawl kicked in, but yesterday on day 4, I went to Whole Foods with my friends and our kids for a bit of shopping and we thought we would just eat there and I figured I would have plenty to choose from. Well I am so sad to say that I was so wrong. I ended up spending like $20 for a meal I could have made at home for far less. All their hot foods even though the rest was okay, all had canola oil. I thought Whole Foods of all places would have more to offer that was Whole 30 compliant in the realm of protein. I may be lethargic and in withdrawl, so it is a perfect time for me to vent. I got many greens at the salad bar and some mushrooms and scallions and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic and sprinkled with some salt and pepper. For the protein though, was quite honestly pissed that just about everything had canola based something in it. I ended up paying almost $10 for a piece of salmon from the deli that I hope was not cooked using PUFA's. that and some coconut water cost me about $20! Ridiculous and I still don't know if that salmon was compliant. I am disappointed. Anyone else in those situations?

[GFChris]

While it's disappointing that WF uses canola oil, you are allowed canola oil on a Whole30, as many restaurants use that oil.

[Susan W]

WF brags about their Canola oil usage. They clearly need more education. They do have feedback slips available (my trainer pointed that out to me). Their kale salad is W30 compliant and so is their naked rotisserie chicken. I have them build a lunch plate for me and take the rest of the chicken home.

As GFChris said, you are okay with canola oil, but it is easily avoided at WF.

[AmyS]

I don't live near a Whole Foods, but I find that health food stores are not a great place to purchase pre-made meals/food items.  Where I live they tend to cater more to the veg/n crowd, so they are heavy on grains and soy and dairy.  And there doesn't seem to be anywhere I can shop where I can trust the words "healthy" or "natural" to mean what we know they should mean by Whole30 standards.  And YES I too find it incredibly cheaper to prepare my own food than to purchase it pre-made (though this was also true in the days when I ate sandwiches every day).

[Delaine Ross]

I'm on Day 5 of this Whole30 as well and I also encountered this yesterday!

 

Normally, I reserve trips to Whole Foods for emergencies because there is one close to me, but the much cheaper Farmers Market 10 miles away is a better option.

 

This weekend I taught a couple of weight lifting seminars in Omaha and I am from nowhere near Nebraska. I planned my hotel across the street from a Whole Foods and think I got the same salmon (if it was the herb crusted one, it is compliant. The ingredients weren't listed so I asked the nice MidWestern guy behind the counter to look it up for me.) Unfortunately, the chopped chicken liver I so desperately wanted had canola oil in it.

 

As Chris said, canola oil is Whole30 compliant when eating out, but one habit I try to break on a Whole30 is eating out all the time (single, live alone, enjoy restaurant enviroments...) It's a habit that I can get carried away with if I allow myself to eat canola oil. By not allowing canola oil, I pretty much cannot eat out.  If it's a once in a while deal don't freak out about canola oil.

 

But yes, Whole Foods misses the mark on this one.

[Ruby]

Whole Foods does love canola oil. Where I find that the most shocking is their olive bar. All the olives (except one) are soaked in canola oil. Why only one type is soaked in olive oil in an olive bar is beyond me.