Today I explored the Whole Foods Market that opened up in Fashion Island, here in Orange County, CA. I must say, I was pretty impressed. Although I have been in a few Whole Foods before, it was never more than to just grab a specific item. This was my first time actually taking the time to look around. Although I’m not sure how representative this location is to other Whole Foods, I found myself being quite pleased at what I saw.

In the health circles I roam, Whole Foods has a bit of a split reputation. Some seem to really like it, others condemn it for its greed and corporate ways, saying it masquerades as a healthy store when in fact it should be called “Whole Paycheck Market.” The claim it is more expensive is common, although many people say this is due to carrying better food, which means you’re paying for quality.

After browsing around for a while (with no real desire to purchase anything upon walking in) I decided to have some lunch at the ready made food bar. Quite extensive and full of both hot and cold items, the food choices were varied and, most important to me, were labeled with full ingredient lists. I picked out a few things and enjoyed a nice meal. I will probably go back again to eat there from time to time.

After eating, I decided to shop and picked out the items seen in the picture above. Some good butter, cream, raw sheep cheese, dark chocolate, chocolate covered macadamias/almonds, Real Salt and some organic raspberries. I found there to be a nice selection of food in all sections and I could have completed my entire shopping needs had I decided to.

The most impressive thing was the quality of a majority of the food choices. It had the closest versions to “real” food I’ve seen in a grocery store. It certainly had its fair share of food products but gave the most options I’ve come across for someone like me who is interested in buying good food.

All in all, Whole Foods Market gets a Bare 5 thumbs up.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!

P.S. Per the “expensive” label, I could see this being the case for some food items and food products. For the food I looked at and bought I found the prices to be good but I did notice some items to be a little bit more expensive.