When looking around Whole Foods I often have wondered if there is a specific section I should be looking for Paleo and Whole30 friendly products. Yes most whole fruits and vegetables would qualify, but what about packaged products and prepared foods catering to these diets? In this post, I go over what I have found.
Does Whole Foods have a Paleo section? There is not a single dedicated Paleo section at Whole Foods. Instead, there are several small areas of Paleo and Whole30 approved foods in different departments around the store. For example there are often Paleo friendly prepared foods in the packaged sauce, energy bar, dairy and hot bar sections.
Paleo Whole Foods Finds
In the last several years, Whole Foods has taken notice of the Paleo and grain-free movements. In some cases, they partnered with big name Paleo and health food bloggers. In other areas, they have made sure to carry a portion of the growing assortment of products catering to these diets.
Here is a department by department, aisle by aisle tour of Paleo, Whole30 and Keto friendly products at Whole Foods:
Paleo in Whole Foods Prepared Foods Department
The Whole Foods salad bar allows you to piece together a Paleo and Whole30 friendly salad, with dressing options like extra virgin olive oil and vinegar.Often a base of several greens, some organic, are offered in the salad bar.Depending on your store, there are sometimes other packaged foods that are Paleo and Whole30 friendly. The soup company pictured has several Paleo and Whole30 friendly soups in their line of soups made with local, in season vegetablesWhole Foods also has a decent selection of fermented foods that in many cases have a small ingredients list. For example the Bubbie’s Sauerkraut pictured is only cabbage and salt. There are several other interesting options like a healthy kimchee and some delicious fresh pickles available, at least at our local store. This section can sometimes be closer to the grocery aisles than the prepared foods, it will depend on the store layout.
Paleo in Whole Foods Produce Department
In the produce section, several prepared items such as the Whole Foods pico de gallo and guacamole, as well as fresh cut fruit assortments tend to all be great Paleo and Whole30 options.Another convenience option that can be a real time saver in crafting Paleo, Whole30 and Keto meals are pre-cleaned and chopped organic vegetables.In addition, the majority of the actual produce in the Produce aisle is Paleo, Whole30 friendly. This would be true in the majority of grocery stores as well, although Whole Foods typically has a slightly higher proportion of organic produce, although that gap is narrowing over time.
Paleo in Whole Foods Bulk Department
If you are looking to save some money on Paleo friendly nuts and baking staples like almond flour, you can often find these items in the Whole Foods bulk section.I was surprised that many of the nuts available in the bulk section are organic and have minimal ingredients, something that can sometimes be hard to find with the products individually wrapped on the Whole Foods shelves.The other reason the bulk section tends to save you money is that you can get the amount you need but not more. This can be a big cost savings when you are making a recipe but don’t typically eat lots of (say pecans) on a regular basis.
Paleo in Whole Foods Grocery Department
Hidden in one of the aisles at Whole Foods are often a number of sauces from PaleoChef/Steve’s Paleogoods.Some examples of Paleo and Whole30 friendly products in the Whole Foods international grocery aisle are the ever popular Red Boat fish sauce and coconut aminos. I have to say I am a bit of an addict of the red boat fish sauce. You will also find several options for canned coconut milks in the Whole Foods international aisle. I recommend the Native Forest “simple” brand they have been carrying recently, as it contains no gums, with coconut and water as the ony ingredients.There are even some Paleo friendly snack chips available if you really scrutinize the ingredients of all the products in their chip/snack aisle. These chips have only organic beets as their sole ingredient.The canned fish section is worth noting, both because a number of canned fish and shellfish conform to the Paleo, Whole30 and Keto diets, but also because several brands sold at Whole Foods offer wild and sustainably caught seafood, something you often won’t find at standard grocery stores.
Paleo in Whole Foods Dairy Section
The Whole Foods dairy aisle even has a few surprises. I was very excited when I learned that Malk, one of the first almond/nut milks I have seen on the market that doesn’t have gums and other fillers, and is just organic almonds and water.
Paleo in Whole Foods Frozen Aisle
The Whole Foods frozen aisle has a great selection of organic frozen vegetables and fruits, which is amazing on it’s own. In the last few years, they have begun to stock Paleo and Whole30 specific stables like their own 365 brand of organic cauliflower rice. However, I have been even more excited about these custom cauliflower rice blends by Cascadian Farms they have been offering – a great option for a quick and fairly complete Paleo/Whole30/Keto friendly meal.
Paleo in Whole Foods Seafood Department
One thing that sets the Whole Foods seafood section apart from other stores is a focus on labeling all fish, including rating the level of sustainability of each fish/seafood item and whether it was wild caught.
Paleo in Whole Foods Meat & Poultry Department
As one might expect, Whole Foods meat counter offers a number of high quality meats, even typically offering grass fed ground beef as a premium option. They also offer a 1-5 rating system for all beef, pork and poultry based on how humanely it was raised – which roughly coincides with Paleo goals of eating hormone free proteins raised in a natural habitat and to avoid factory farmed animal products.
Whole Foods Paleo Hot Bar
In January of 2018, Whole Foods market ran a partnership with the blogger Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo. As part of that partnership, a section of the Whole Foods hot bar at stores nationwide had a selection of Paleo friendly dishes from her cookbook!
In addition, the store placed little cartoon stickers on the price tags of items selected by Michelle Tam as her favorite Paleo/Whole30 friendly items available at Whole Foods.
Unfortunately, I have not seen an announcement yet about another upcoming promotion between Nom Nom Paleo and Whole Foods, although depending on the store they may still carry her magic mushroom powder.
Nom Nom Paleo Whole Foods Hot Bar Dishes
Here are some example dishes from the Nom Nom Paleo cookbook that has been served in the Whole Foods hot bar:
Chicken Tinga
Roasted Squash with Romesco Sauce
Cumin, Cilantro & Lime Cauliflower Rice
Tex Mex Beef & Cauliflower
Pineapple Pork
Ginger Sesame Carrots
Pot Sticker Stir-Fry
Bacon Brussels Sprouts with Kimchi Applesauce
Whole Foods Paleo Granola in Bulk?
In my experience, the whole foods bulk section has a number of the ingredients you would need to create a wonderful Paleo Granola, but typically does not offer a pre-assembled Paleo granola.
these additional ingredients will require going into the other aisles:
eggs (whites)
coconut oil
In addition, local Whole Foods stores often do carry Paleo granolas brands, for example Paleonola Original Grain-Free Granola. However in my experience these are available on store shelves and not in bulk bins in the Whole Foods bulk section.
However, you may find something different in your local Whole Foods as products offered are typically regional and vary by individual store. If you do come across one at your local store please drop us a not in the comments section below!
A note of caution. Paleo granolas such as the recipe above tend to be very nut and seed heavy. For this reason, you may want to reserve it as more of a treat than an everyday breakfast food.
Related Questions
Does whole foods have a whole30 section? Whole Foods does not have a dedicated Whole30 section, instead Whole30 friendly products are found in clusters throughout the store in various departments and aisles. Beyond the typical produce, seafood and meat & poultry departments you can sometimes find packaged smoothies, soups and cured meats.
Does whole foods have a keto section? Whole Foods doesn’t have a Keto section, but does carry many Keto friendly foods throughout the store. In addition to Keto friendly produce, meats and dairy, there are a number of Keto friendly prepared foods, like guacamole, cured meats and an extensive olive bar and many other low net carb foods.
My goal with this website is to help get the message out about grain free diets such as the Paleo and Primal diets, SCD diet and GAPS diet, so that more people might benefit from them. My other main goal is to help everyone transitioning to these diets, which can be challenging when first starting down this path. It definitely was for me.
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