WHOLE FOODS PROMOTES MILITANT VEGETARIAN AGENDA
Has the Upscale Market Outlived Its Usefulness?
WASHINGTON, DC. February 3, 2010: Whole Foods Markets has launched a nationwide “Health Starts Here” marketing scheme that endorses a lowfat, vegetarian diet, with promises that the diet will “improve health easily and naturally.” The plan promotes the books and private business ventures of Joel Fuhrman, MD, and Rip Esselstyn, both of whom worked with Whole Foods to formulate the new guidelines. Customers now receive a pamphlet urging them to adopt a lowfat, plant-based diet and to cut back or completely eliminate animal foods. Many Whole Foods stores no longer sell books advocating consumption of meat, eggs and dairy products.
The plan will feature new Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) labels for foods in the store; the index is designed to make plant foods to appear “nutrient dense” by favoring various phytonutrients in plants and ignoring many vitamins and minerals essential to health. “Whole Foods has stacked the deck against animal foods by choosing ANDI parameters that do not include a host of key nutrients, such as vitamins A, D and K, DHA, EPA arachidonic acid, taurine, iodine, biotin, pantothenic acid, and vital minerals like sodium, chloride, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, copper, manganese, boron, molybdenum and chromium,” says Sally Fallon Morell, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation. “Many of the phytochemicals that Fuhrman includes in the index he developed for Whole Foods play no essential role in the body and may even be harmful.”
“Animal foods like meat, liver, butter, whole milk and eggs contain ten to one hundred times more vitamins and minerals than plant foods,” says Fallon Morell. “Plant foods add variety and interest to the human diet but in most circumstances do not qualify as ‘nutrient-dense’ foods.”
“For years before becoming deathly ill, I followed the dietary suggestions in the Whole Foods plan,” said Kathryne Pirtle, author of Performance without Pain. “I ate large amounts of organic salads, vegetables and fruits, lots of whole grains, only a little meat and no animal fat. I had chronic pain for twenty-five years on this diet, then acid reflux, then a serious inflammation in my spine followed by chronic diarrhea. Without switching to nutrient-dense animal foods, including eggs, butter and whole dairy products, not only would I have lost my national career as a performing artist, I would have died at forty-five years old! I am not alone in this story of ill health from a lowfat, plant-based diet, which does not supply a person with enough nutrients to be healthy and can be very damaging to the intestinal tract.”
“Consumers can send a message about Whole Foods’ misinformed scheme by voting with their feet,” says Fallon Morell. “Most major grocery store chains now carry basic organic staples and a larger array of organic fruits and vegetables than Whole Foods markets. And citizens should purchase seasonal produce and their meat, eggs and dairy products directly from farmers engaged in non-toxic and grass-based farming. It’s not appropriate for Whole Foods to promote a scheme that has no scientific basis and that bulldozes their customers towards the higher profit items in their stores.” The local chapters of the Weston A. Price Foundation help consumers connect with farmers raising animal foods in humane, healthy and ecologically friendly fashion.
“The growing emphasis on plant-based diets deficient in animal protein also serves to promote soy foods as both meat and dairy substitutes,” says Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. “Soy is not only one of the top eight allergens but has been linked in more than sixty years of studies to malnutrition, digestive distress, thyroid dysfunction, reproductive disorders including infertility, and even cancer, especially breast cancer.”
“Low fat patients are my most unhealthy patients,” says John P. Salerno, MD, a board certified family physician from New York City. “The reason we are spiraling into diabetes and obesity is because of the lowfat concept developed by the U.S government decades ago. Lowfat diets have a low nutrient base, and phytonutrients in vegetables cannot be properly absorbed without fat.”
Fallon Morell cites recent studies from Europe showing that lowfat diets promote weight gain in both children and adults, and also contribute to infertility. A meta-analysis published January, 2010 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no significant evidence that saturated fat consumption is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Whole Foods CEO John Mackay has stated that eating animal fats amounts to an addiction. But in fact, animal fats are essential for good health,” says Fallon Morell. “The nutrients in animal fats, such as vitamins A, D and K, arachidonic acid, DHA, choline, cholesterol and saturated fat, are critical for brain function. In the misguided war against cholesterol and saturated fat, we have created an epidemic of learning disorders in the young and mental decline in the elderly.”
“Perhaps the vegetarian diet has affected the thinking powers of Whole Foods management,” says Fallon Morell. “It’s time for the stockholders to insist on leadership devoted to increasing customer base, not promoting a personal vegetarian agenda.”
The Weston A. Price Foundation is a 501C3 nutrition education foundation with the mission of disseminating accurate, science-based information on diet and health. Named after nutrition pioneer Weston A. Price, DDS, author of the book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, the Washington, DC-based Foundation publishes a quarterly journal for over 12,000 members, supports 400 local chapters worldwide and hosts a yearly conference. The Foundation headquarters phone number is (202) 363-4394, westonaprice.org, info@westonaprice.org.
Comments about the Whole Foods Health Starts Here scheme can be emailed to customer.questions@wholefoods.com .
CONTACT
Kimberly Hartke, Publicist, the Weston A. Price Foundation
703-860-2711, 703-675-5557 press@westonaprice.org
A letter from a concerned patron of Whole Foods:
Dear Whole Foods,
I am a person who became very sick on a low fat plant based diet.
For years I ate lowfat organic whole foods with an emphasis on whole grains and beans and leafy greens. I developed skin so dry it cracked and bled every winter, acid reflux and gastritis, and chronic joint pain. I was always hungry and craved sugar all the time.
After reading about Metabolic Typing, the idea that depending on ones ancestry people need different nutrient combinations, I started eating animal products. I now eat meat and fish, eggs and milk and butter in addition to plenty of vegetables.
I depend on the meat, dairy, butter and eggs that I get from Whole Foods for my health and well being. Please abandon this misleading Health Starts Here program and continue to provide a variety of foods for the diverse population that shops in your store.
Thank you,
Keith Person
Another letter I received:
I am deeply concerned with the “Health Starts Here” campaign at Whole Foods Market. As a former marketing professional for Whole Foods, a current stock holder, and an educator of healthy foods for 30 years, I, too, followed and taught this plant-based, low-fat approach for years, and got very sick. I am not alone in this. Humans need fat, and most need some animal fat and protein. I know that John Mackey eats like this, but it’s not right to gear customers’ choices without them knowing their metabolic type. Most people do poorly as vegetarians, especially in the long run.
The press release by the Weston A. Price Foundation has sound nutritional information. Please look at the research of Weston A. Price who studied indigenous cultures who were healthy. They all ate some animal foods and fats. And they avoided all refined foods. And these populations were free of the chronic conditions that plague Americans. Since Americans have eaten lower fat and higher carbohydrates, obesity and chronic conditions have escalated.
Besides all this, you are offending a significant portion of your customer base. Remember when some East Coast stores in the mid-90’s stopped selling chocolate and coffee? There was a customer revolt. The stores made a formal apology, because they realized that they were being extremely judgemental. The stores chose to sell top quality chocolate and coffee, and let customers decide what to buy. (I am not a coffee drinker, but this incident is worth remembering). What would be a better approach in the store is to get rid of all corn syrup, and reduce the amount of products with sugar in them. Another helpful thing would be to soak all grains and beans, and cook them properly. Another important thing would be to remove all canola and soy oil from the deli foods, and use traditional oils like olive oil. Increase the amount of grass fed meats offered, and sell the bones, too. These would be helpful, healthful things for your company to consider.
From the press release (attached below): “”Perhaps the vegetarian diet has affected the thinking powers of Whole Foods management,” says Fallon Morell. “It’s time for the stockholders to insist on leadership devoted to increasing customer base, not promoting a personal vegetarian agenda.””
Thank you,
Gina Orlando, MA, CH
Another letter:
I am very concerned about your new campaign to promote the low fat vegetarian lifestyle. People who eat in this manner are limiting some extremely important vitamins and minerals and especially the fat soluble “activators” (vitamine A, D, K ) that are proven to provide the best health. I patronize Whole Foods markets in order to buy grass fed meats, natural fish, organic dairy, butter, cream and other animal products. I would be VERY dissapointed if my local (Houston) markets did not provide these for me. As a matter of fact, I would stop shopping there all together!!!!!!
Thanks for listening
Jackie Hunt
My correspondence with Whole Foods and their replies:
Dear Whole Foods,
Please abandon your misleading Health Starts Here program and continue to provide a variety of foods for the diverse population that shops in your store.
I am a professional clarinetist and author of an important book called “Performance without Pain.” For years before becoming deathly ill, I followed the dietary suggestions in the Whole Foods initiative.
I ate large amounts of organic salads, vegetables and fruits, lots of whole grains, only a little meat and no animal fat.
I had chronic pain for twenty-five years on this diet, then acid reflux, then a serious inflammation in my spine followed by chronic diarrhea. Without switching to nutrient-dense animal foods, including eggs, butter and whole dairy products, not only would I have lost my national career as a performing artist, I would have died at forty-five years old! I am not alone in this story of ill health from a lowfat, plant-based diet, which does not supply a person with enough nutrients to be healthy and can be very damaging to the intestinal tract.”
Your initiative is so irresponsible, that if you decide to continue it, you may be promoting life-threatening illness in many already very ill people who are turning to you for expert advice. This would be a true disaster.
Sincerely,
Kathryne Pirtle
Hello Kathryne,
Thank you for contacting Whole Foods Market with your concerns. The intention of the Whole Foods Market “Health Starts Here” Program is not to promote a 100 percent plant based, or vegan, diet. We acknowledge that there are many paths to health, and the intention of our program is to emphasize the increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans, regardless of the overall diet that one follows. These foods are known to promote weight loss, lower cholesterol, and reduced disease risk, yet are not consumed in adequate amounts by most people.
Your concerns are important to us and we thank you again for taking the time to share them with us. We hope to have your continued support of Whole Foods Market.
Kind regards,
Rachael
Rachael Gruver | Global Customer Information Specialist | Whole Foods Market | 550 Bowie Street | Austin, Texas 78703
Dear Rachael,
I think the intention of your program will be a huge disaster especially for people who are ill, for children and for couples who would like to have healthy children–your suggestions go right along with the status quo–high-fiber/lowfat–and this is the path that led me to degenerative illness and near death as it is for much of our society today. This path made my weight highly unstable, ruined my digestive system and caused severe malnourishment. I followed this “enlightened” path for many years until I developed chronic diarrhea as a result of intestinal damage and malabsorption.
Whole Foods needs to look at the work of the Weston A. Price Foundation and the healing it is providing to people who by- and-large faithfully followed these same Whole Foods dietary suggestions for many years only to become desperately ill as well.
Sincerely,
Kathyrne Pirtle