Anybody who has decided to improve their health knows well that a mixture of physical activity and proper nutrition are the essential building blocks to achieve this goal.  

Working out can be made easier through personal trainers and classes, but what about assistance to support healthy eating? 

Walk into a regular grocery store and you can find healthy foods if you look hard enough, but with most isles in your typical supermarket filled with hyper-processed foods with better alternatives few and far between, it’s no wonder eating healthy can be such a struggle at times. 

But the importance of adequate nutrition can’t be forgotten despite the difficulties of it at times, especially when adding in more physical activity. 

Cooper Drover, a varsity athlete at Algonquin College and an employee at the gym on campus told me about how important nutrition changes are for maximizing athletic performance. 

“You definitely have to change and reflect on your diet when you’re exercising a lot and look at what is going to give you energy and fuel when you are working out,” Drover said. 

Now, to help aid this process of healthy eating, I have found a few stores right here in Ottawa that can aid in the process of finding healthier options.  

To start, lets look at Healthy Planet. 

This store found at 1600 Merivale Road is the top option on this list. I can say I have shopped there before because of its proximity to Algonquin College and plentiful options between organic produce, high protein supplements, healthy snacks and a wide variety of supplements.  

It is a relatively small store, but it still has everything most people would need to begin making healthy meals, even including some options that are very hard to find elsewhere such as beef bacon, Mutant Mass Gainer protein powder for those looking to pack on extra weight and lots of naturopathic supplements. 

The store also has 392 reviews on Google with a 4.9 star rating out of five filled with comments highlighting the diverse selection of products available. 

One reviewer wrote “Great new store! Fantastic assortment of all the best healthy brands. Beautiful store and wonderful staff.” 

Speaking to one of the staff members there to ask questions about the products I found them very helpful, a woman named Ingred had a background as a natural product advisor and focused on helping customers in the natural beauty and supplement section of the store. 

“The main question when someone comes in is ‘what are you looking for?’ We offer everything from fresh produce to supplements to health and beauty, so we have a lot of products,” Ingred said. 

Whole Foods Market at 951 Bank St is another great option. This one is a little different as it is a larger store and has even more options for this reason. 

This can be a great place to check out if you know what you are looking for and want to find more specialized and plentiful options, but the sheer numbers of products can be a little daunting. 

Overall, with a rating of 4.2 stars out of five with 1,840 reviews on Google with most I read seeming very positive, this is still a great option for a grocery store with plenty of healthy options that are enjoyed by regular shoppers. 

Lastly for this list, I want to mention Nature’s Care Health Products found at 115 Bank St.  

The first thing that stood out to me is the perfect five-star rating on google, granted, it only has 35 reviews, but every single one highlighted how helpful the owners were in guiding customers to the products that suit their needs.  

This store is mostly focused on the supplement side of things so the previous two options would be better for those just looking to improve their eating habits, but I had to throw this oft-overlooked local gem into the mix for those who want a store that is well-stocked with supplements and has knowledgeable staff to help guide people through the process of finding the right products before purchasing. 

Again, making healthy dietary changes can be a difficult and confusing process at times, but health food stores like this can make the process a little easier. 

Sometimes that can make all the difference.