health food

American  

noun

1. any natural food popularly believed to promote or sustain good health, as by containing vital nutrients, being grown without the use of pesticides, or having a low sodium or fat content.

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health food British  

noun

1. 1. vegetarian food organically grown and with no additives, eaten for its dietary value and benefit to health

   2. ( as modifier )

      a health-food shop

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Etymology

Origin of health food

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Shelke also observed that a fortified snack with, say, six grams of fiber but 15 grams of added sugar can’t be called a health food.

From MarketWatch • May 10, 2026

Their activism faced a commercial test as the brand moved from health food aisles into the mainstream.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Ultimately, he and his second wife — the love of his life over a more than 50-year marriage — opened a small health food store on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica called Healthy for You.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

But having fuelled a bad habit in China, it now wants to promote a health food there, hoping in the process to acquire the status of Africa's blueberry capital.

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2025

So now Molly does—she swallowed her pride, asked Ralph for money, and bought almond butter, organic honey, and nutty bread in the health food store in Bar Harbor.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline