Whole Foods Market is headquartered out of Austin. It’s expensive hippie/yuppie food and culture all rolled into one. Truth be told, if I had money pouring out of my pockets, I’d probably shop there because they do have some cool stuff (I’m a sucker for a good olive bar).

But there’s something kinda fun about reading this opinion piece penned by John Mackey, CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods. I think it’s because I know the vast majority of Whole Foods’ customers wouldn’t agree with him. Something about the sort of people Whole Foods tends to attract vs. the Obama voter/supporter demographic vs. those that want socialized medicine and the government to cure all their ills.

What I think is great about Mackey’s piece isn’t that he’s taking the course some might think. He agrees that our healthcare system needs to be fixed, he just doesn’t think using other people’s money nor having the government administer it is the way to do it. He demonstrates what he does at Whole Foods, and how it works out quite well. He also takes it a step further:

Unfortunately many of our health-care problems are self-inflicted: two-thirds of Americans are now overweight and one-third are obese. Most of the diseases that kill us and account for about 70% of all health-care spending—heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity—are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices.

Recent scientific and medical evidence shows that a diet consisting of foods that are plant-based, nutrient dense and low-fat will help prevent and often reverse most degenerative diseases that kill us and are expensive to treat. We should be able to live largely disease-free lives until we are well into our 90s and even past 100 years of age.

Health-care reform is very important. Whatever reforms are enacted it is essential that they be financially responsible, and that we have the freedom to choose doctors and the health-care services that best suit our own unique set of lifestyle choices. We are all responsible for our own lives and our own health. We should take that responsibility very seriously and use our freedom to make wise lifestyle choices that will protect our health. Doing so will enrich our lives and will help create a vibrant and sustainable American society.

Can’t disagree with the man. Well, except maybe about the plant-based diet thing. 🙂