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

Soon after, the musician was placed under a conservatorship, with his family saying he was "unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter".

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2025

Bobby asked him to bring bottles of fresh-squeezed carrot juice from Yggdrasil; if the health food store didn’t have it available, Olafsson was to buy juice imported from Germany.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady