The 8 Best Online Health Food Stores of 2020
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Best Overall:Thrive Market
"Thrive prides itself on low prices for their products and they cut out the retail markup on their products."
Runner-Up, Best Overall:Kalyx
"Tea drinkers will enjoy the selection of healthy teas, including black teas, green teas, and herbal teas."
Best Selection:My Organic Grocery
"My Organic Grocery makes it simple to click on organic, GMO-free, fair trade, kosher, and more."
Best Supplements:Vitacost
"Besides food products and supplements, there are also cleaning products, pet care items, shampoos, makeup, and other personal care items."
Best for Dietary Restrictions:Direct Eats
"You can quickly omit nuts, dairy, or other problematic ingredients from your search."
Best Raw:Natural Zing
"Look no further than Natural Zing for a large selection of raw foods."
Best Superfoods:Sun Food Superfoods
"Sun Food Superfoods focuses on superfoods, from acai to yacon and everything in between."
Best Produce:Farmbox Direct
"You can choose all vegetables, all fruits, or a mixed box of fruits and vegetables in three different sizes."
Best Overall: Thrive Market
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Thrive is experiencing an overload of orders, and are therefore unable to keep up with demand, due to strain on product availability and fulfillment. This may mean that any orders or subscriptions placed through Thrive will be shipped later than expected.
Thrive Market is a very popular natural and organic store, with a twist. In order to purchase, you need to subscribe to become a member, and that money helps to sponsor a low-income family’s membership. Thrive prides itself on low prices for their products and they cut out the retail markup on their products.
The site makes it easy to click on what you’re looking for, whether it’s organic, dye-free, paleo, raw, or a wide range of other attributes. You don’t have to read descriptions or labels to make sure you’re choosing the right products.
While most of the items here are shelf-stable, they do sell meat, poultry, and seafood as well. You need to log in to the site to see the products and prices. If you decide you like it, you can get a 30-day free trial before you have to pay for the subscription.
Runner-Up, Best Overall: Kalyx
Kalyx calls itself a natural marketplace, but you’ll also find a number of organic products to choose from. There are options to buy some products in large bulk amounts or case lots. This is great for sharing or for stocking up on items that you use often, but you can also buy items in smaller quantities.
Tea drinkers will enjoy the selection of healthy teas, including black teas, green teas, and herbal teas. Coffee drinkers are also represented, with whole beans, ground beans, k-cups, and mixes to suit every taste.
Besides food products, you’ll also find gardening equipment, housewares items, and even sporting equipment. If you happen to want an ant farm, those are sold in the science section.
Best Selection: My Organic Grocery
My Organic Grocery makes it simple to click on organic, GMO-free, fair trade, kosher, and more. You can quickly narrow the rather large list of products down to only the items that fit your needs.
One interesting feature is that there are products labeled "95%+ organic" or "70%+ organic." These could be good choices when there aren’t similar products that are entirely organic.
Besides food products, there is a large selection of other useful things. These include cosmetics and supplements as well as products for health, pets, cleaning, first aid, and many more. Essentially, it's everything you’d expect to find in a brick-and-mortar grocery store.
Best Supplements: Vitacost
Vitacost may be best known for vitamins and supplements, but they also sell a wide variety of organic and natural foods.
Some of the brands, like Bob’s Red Mill, Lundberg, Simply Organic, and Amy’s Organic, are very familiar since they’re sold in many grocery stores. There are also Vitacost branded products as well as many brands that aren’t likely to be found at your local grocer.
Bakers will like the selection of flours, including many interesting gluten-free alternative flours. Anyone who likes baked goods more than they like baking will appreciate the baking mixes that make desserts easier.
Besides food products and supplements, there are also cleaning products, pet care items, shampoos, makeup, and other personal care items.
Best for Dietary Restrictions: Direct Eats
Choosing organic on Direct Eats is as easy as clicking a button. You can quickly omit nuts, dairy, or other problematic ingredients from your search. If that’s not what you’re looking for, you can choose paleo, fair trade, or low carb.
Most of the items are sold in multi-packs, but the quantities are reasonable. Many of them are just 3- or 4-packs rather than full cases, so you're not making a big commitment if you don't like something.
Besides food items, there are also baby and children’s products, health and beauty items, and pet care products. There are no membership fees, no minimum orders, and shipping is free on orders over $50, so it’s easy to compare prices to see if you’re getting the best deal.
Best Raw: Natural Zing
Look no further than Natural Zing for a large selection of raw foods, because that’s what this site is all about. From raw barley grass powder to raw nut butter and raw herbs, you’ll find just about everything you need to maintain a raw lifestyle.
For those who aren’t on a raw diet, there are plenty of fun foods, like olives, dried fruits, snacks, spices, and condiments.
While this site doesn’t focus on organic foods, the products are all labeled, so you’ll know if it’s organic, wild harvested, or sustainably grown before you buy.
Best Superfoods: Sun Food Superfoods
Sun Food Superfoods focuses on superfoods, from acai to yacon and everything in between. You’ll find powders, whole raw nuts, dried fruits, and bee pollen.
To easily add superfoods to your diet, there are smoothie mixes and supplements, too. All products are labeled, so you’ll know if they’re organic, raw, or have other attributes.
Lest you think that superfoods are all odd berries and strange greens, you might want to check out the snack section where you’ll find some pretty tasty raw chocolate bars. While most of the products here are edible, there are a few health and beauty items, as well.
Best Produce: Farmbox Direct
One thing missing from most of the online grocers is fresh produce. It makes sense. It’s a lot easier to stock and ship shelf-stable products, so the online grocers focus on those.
That means you need to shop elsewhere for your fruits and vegetables. If your local grocer isn’t fulfilling your needs, Farmbox Direct can step in and ship fresh organic fruits and vegetables right to your door.
You can choose all vegetables, all fruits, or a mixed box of fruits and vegetables in three different sizes. Green, orange, and red juicing boxes are also available.
Once you choose your basic box, you can customize it so you don’t end up with vegetables the family won’t eat. You can also add items to your box, so you get exactly what you need, and in the quantities required for your favorite recipes.
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