Whole Foods Elitism

By Daniel Miessler on November 19th, 2008: Tagged as Culture | Psychology

I like the way Whole Foods makes me feel, but I don’t like the fact that it makes me feel that way. It reeks of elitism to me. Not the rancid, “treat others badly” type of elitism, but the “I’m better because I do x” kind.

It feels so good, but I hate it.

I hate not being in control of how I feel. It’s not that I want to necessarily kill every single natural and potentially negative feeling in me (especially when some do feel good), it’s just that I want to dissect and identify anything that I allow myself to feel.

This feeling is suspect because I don’t quite understand it. It does have some positive characteristics, however, such as making me want to clean my house and organize everything. Spending time in a Whole Paycheck store also makes me want to cook at home, and go to the gym, and just to be healthy in general.

So those things make me want to embrace the goodness, but there’s something lurking underneath that is unsettling. Perhaps it’s hypocrisy. Perhaps it’s the fact that I don’t eat healthy, and I don’t cook my own food, and don’t regularly work out. Perhaps it just feels disingenuous to be there, as if I’m posing as some sort of health nut when I’m not.

Anyway, the place makes me want to improve my life–it’s that cool. But so do big-tittied blondes that I care nothing about. I’m just not sure that feeling is always positive. ::

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Viewing 4 Comments

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    I think I know what you mean, but for me it's the whole, "I keep my body in a highly natural / optimized state by digesting 'organic' and 'clean' foods because it makes me feel healthier and one with the Earth" subliminal message everytime I go there. Don't get me wrong, the food there is generally good (their produce tastes way better than what's at Safeway), but it also costs a nice penny or two more. That pisses me off.


    I guess I'm just jealous that I'm not as financially comfortable as all those yuppies who shop there and seem to be able to afford it easier. Or something.


    Excuse me while I go check the logs on my brain's IDS...

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    I've become pretty cynical about "health foods" in general. There seems to be a lot of marketing that is substantively no different than urging kids to by Poop-Cereal for no other reason than a cartoon character said so on TV. Meaningless words appear on all of these health food boxes that have cumulative meaning of nothing. So many "health cereals" have just as much sugar and calories as Fruit Loop and Lucky and Charm but much less nutritional value.
    They tend to play off of our ignorance of nutrition by throwing buzz words all over the place to make us feel better about spending the extra cash.

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    I understand what you're saying. I've heard it from others. Have you really tried embracing the concept of cooking your own meals, etc.? I wonder if you really put forth the effort, if you would feel differently. I rarely go to Whole Foods because we have other, less expensive options here. I go to the Sunflower Market and see a noticeable price difference. And I only buy certain organic items, like apples, which I eat the skin of. I've read that it's best to only purchase organic items where you're likely to eat the whole item, skin and all (they taste a heck of a lot better too!). Also, since following a low GI, almost gluten free diet, I've been forced to cook my meals because I don't have many "easy" options, especially when I'm out. And I feel tremendously better now that I eat this way...which encourages me to continue. It's kinda like a snowball effect.

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    I used to go to a small store for my organic/health food needs and was tempted away by shiny elitist bastion that is Whole Foods.


    Although the workers at WF were generally nice, some of them (and most of the customers) looked at me like I needed an Armani suit with a PHD from Harvard stapled to the back of it before I was entitled to sample an apple wedge.


    Whole Foods is to food what Apple is to computers. Though I endorse most of what both of them are doing, the shopping experience leaves me feeling like I need a shower.


    Recently I learned that Whole Foods does not locally source some of their produce. This is bad for three reasons.


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    Food that is sourced outside the USA is very rarely fair trade.

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    A boat/plane bringing in food from Chile or China causes massive pollution and this rather deflates the good feeling you get from buying organic.

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    When food has to be transported it is bred solely for hardiness and not for taste and nutrition. Ask your grandmother what tomatoes and stone fruit USED to taste like, or better yet go to a farmer's market and experience yourself.


    Long story short, I've returned to that small store. The selection isn't as good and the store isn't as clean, but people smile back at me when I smile at them and I am helping local farmers. That suits me just fine.

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    This site is an avatar for my own self-assigned life purpose--an attempt to model the world in the most accurate way possible, and to do so without bias or fear of unpleasant truth. I desire to develop, articulate, and perpetually improve models of how things work, and then to use that understanding to increase happiness and reduce suffering. I seek those on similar paths and thrive on sharing an appreciation of the interesting and beautiful with others.



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