Last night in Sarasota, I attended a presentation by John Mackey, Co-Founder & CEO of Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods started with one small store in Austin, Texas & now has more than 270 stores in North America & the UK. As a shareholder in WFMI, as well as a frequent customer & raw foods instructor there for the past several years, I was very interested in hearing what Mackey had to say. There was a very good crowd for the event, with a few hundred in attendance. They blocked off half of the store’s parking garage & turned it into a theater. Good thing as it was a windy night.
As much as I love Whole Foods as my trusted source for organic produce, I still expected to have to wade through some rhetoric from the man with such fiscal responsibility on his shoulders. And of course I expected it to be all pro-Whole Foods. What I got was a very pleasant shock. Mackey actually spoke out against most of the products in his stores, including meat, dairy, all processed foods and supplements. His talk was a leading-edge nutritional lecture focused on the beneficial effects of eating fresh, raw foods. In his modified food chart, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds & beans were heavily weighted. He used the term “nutritarian” to describe people who seek the most nutrient-dense foods. It all makes perfect sense.
He also discouraged the use of all oils, including olive oil, because of their high fat content and artery-clogging tendencies. He said studies on the Mediterranean diet were flawed because many of the subjects died of heart disease shortly after the four-year study. He recommended salad dressings made with blended nuts or seeds & fresh fruit.
He encouraged buying produce in season for freshness and cost-savings.
He said he himself has been mostly vegan for many years.
Mackey also pledged to offer more health education for his customers and staff. He expects to see an improvement in the health of his staff (team) members. And that will help his bottom line.
After the talk, Mackey took several questions from audience members. Most were about the practical aspects of adopting a vegan lifestyle. And he answered the questions competently.
So, it turns out Mackey & I are singing the same tune. I had no idea he was so pro-raw. That makes me very happy, even as a shareholder, in spite of the fact that he’s discouraging the purchase of most of his products. Because I believe in karma. And if you do the right thing, good things will come back to you.
I’ve been very grateful for the presence of Whole Foods for many years. As much as one might criticize Mackey or his business, he has brought much healthier options to 270 communities. So, it was an honor to meet him and have a little chat after his talk. I gave him a copy of my film, “Supercharge Me!” & he seemed interested in it. I’m aiming to have the film in all Whole Foods stores. Fingers are crossed…
Meanwhile, you can get your copy here now!
I know what you’re thinking & I promise I’m not kissing up to Mackey just because I want his stores to carry my film. I was genuinely impressed by the uncommon integrity he exhibited at his presentation last night.
Have you ever seen the film, “The Corporation?” It’s very enlightening and gives some powerful insights about the challenges the heads of corporations face when they’re held legally accountable to be solely motivated by profit for their shareholders. Also details the story about how a study was kept from the public that showed dairy tainted by Monsanto chemicals was causing cancer in laboratory animals.
I jotted down Mackey’s recommended reading list. And here it is:
The China Study by Dr. Colin Cambell
Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
Eat to Live & Eat for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn
The McDougall Program by Dr. John McDougall
Healthy at 100 & The Food Revolution by John Robbins
Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Preventing & Reversing Dianetes & Food for Life by Dr. Neal Barnard
The Pleasure Trap by Doug Lisle
Healing Cancer from the Inside Out by Mike Anderson
To your radiant health!
Jenna
