Store

You never know with those sneaky food manufacturers, with their hydrogenated-this and monosodium-that. Gotta keep on them all the time. Thankfully, Whole Foods is the kind of place where you can ease up on your label-checking. All the items are natural and/or organic, without that dusty, musky health-food store feel. In fact, the whole shopping experience here is rather delightful, due to well-lit aisles, an epicurean selection of wine and high-end cheeses, mountains of produce and a meat department where you can let down your guard — they actually know where it all came from. Parents have an easier time here than almost any other store, because there's an entire line of organic food designed for kids to mitigate the "can we get this?" factor. Soy milk, peanut butter and even mustard are tailored to a child's palate.

Whole Foods also serves as a haven to those who want food fast, but can't stomach the thought of fast food. The deli has an array of innovative salads (quinoa and couscous), hot entrees (sesame-crusted salmon, prime rib) and soup. If you're looking to bring the Whole Foods flavor to an event, the store also does all-natural catering.

Once your insides are satisfied, you can work on your outsides in the "Whole Body" section, where there is an assortment of natural health and beauty aids that are friendly to the Earth, and to your body.

TIP: There are cooking classes and lectures almost every night; if you take 10 classes, you get a $25 gift certificate good for another class.

By Vanessa McGrady
NWsource staff