Whole Foods CEO tells US to eat better so they don’t need healthcare

The CEO of Whole Foods is being blasted on social media as an out-of-touch multimillionaire after he told a podcast that Americans need to eat healthier and change their lifestyles rather than insist on affordable insurance.

‘I mean, honestly, we talk about health care. The best solution is not to need health care,’ John Mackey told the Freakonomics podcast in an interview recorded on November 4.

The interview went viral on social media on Tuesday after it was reported by financial news site CNBC.

‘The best solution is to change the way people eat, the way they live, the lifestyle and diet,’ he said.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey was blasted on social media on Tuesday after comments he made during an interview with the Freakonomics podcast in November resurfaced online. Mackey said people needed to change their diet and lifestyle so that they wouldn’t need health care

Mackey is co-founder of Whole Foods Market, the healthy food empire which has 500 locations in North America

Mackey is co-founder of Whole Foods Market, the healthy food empire which has 500 locations in North America

Mackey added: ‘There’s no reason why people shouldn’t be healthy and have a longer health span.

‘A bunch of drugs is not going to solve the problem. And I think there will be innovations.’

Mackey said that those innovations include the Auto Sleep feature on an Apple Watch, which monitors the quality of his sleep.

‘Any time I drink any alcohol at all, my deep sleep almost completely disappears, I don’t sleep as long, my pulse rate goes up,’ he said.

‘So, my body is trying to metabolize this alcohol. And I had no idea. And so, now I consistently make the choice, “Yeah. I don’t think I’m going to have a glass of wine tonight. I actually think I’d rather sleep well.”’

Mackey was criticized on social media, where people noted that those who have low incomes often work long hours and do not have the time and money needed to prepare healthy meals and work out in the gym so as to maintain physical fitness.

‘The corrupt CEO of Whole Foods John Mackey says Americans don’t need any healthcare because all they need is to eat much healthier and live better,’ tweeted Ricky Davila.

‘Since he’s worth $75M, join me in telling him to go to hell.’

Another Twitter user wrote: ‘The cost of eating healthy, along with a gym membership, and time to prep is more than most people can afford.

‘Especially on $7.25 an hour. You’d need three jobs to be able to do that, but no time for sleep, food prep or working out.

‘Living healthy is expensive.’

Another Twitter user agreed, writing that ‘eating healthy is out of reach for many’ and telling people to eat better ‘is a slap in the face.’

Another Twitter user posted an image of a bell pepper that sells for $4.41 each at Whole Foods.

‘One. Bell. Pepper,’ tweeted Fortuona Paendrag.

Orlando Fuentes tweeted: ‘Funny it’s a rich guy advice because it’s expensive as F’K to eat healthy.’

DailyMail.com has reached out to Whole Foods for comment.

‘The corrupt CEO of Whole Foods John Mackey says Americans don’t need any healthcare because all they need is to eat much healthier and live better,’ tweeted Ricky Davila. ‘Since he’s worth $75M, join me in telling him to go to hell.’

‘The corrupt CEO of Whole Foods John Mackey says Americans don’t need any healthcare because all they need is to eat much healthier and live better,’ tweeted Ricky Davila. ‘Since he’s worth $75M, join me in telling him to go to hell.’

Another Twitter user wrote: ‘The cost of eating healthy, along with a gym membership, and time to prep is more than most people can afford. ‘Especially on $7.25 an hour. You'd need three jobs to be able to do that, but no time for sleep, food prep or working out. Living healthy is expensive.’

Another Twitter user wrote: ‘The cost of eating healthy, along with a gym membership, and time to prep is more than most people can afford. ‘Especially on $7.25 an hour. You’d need three jobs to be able to do that, but no time for sleep, food prep or working out. Living healthy is expensive.’

Orlando Fuentes tweeted: ‘Funny it's a rich guy advice because it's expensive as F'K to eat healthy.’

Orlando Fuentes tweeted: ‘Funny it’s a rich guy advice because it’s expensive as F’K to eat healthy.’

Another Twitter user agreed, writing that ‘eating healthy is out of reach for many’ and telling people to eat better ‘is a slap in the face.’

Another Twitter user agreed, writing that ‘eating healthy is out of reach for many’ and telling people to eat better ‘is a slap in the face.’

Another Twitter user posted an image of a bell pepper that sells for $4.41 each at Whole Foods. ‘One. Bell. Pepper,’ tweeted Fortuona Paendrag

Another Twitter user posted an image of a bell pepper that sells for $4.41 each at Whole Foods. ‘One. Bell. Pepper,’ tweeted Fortuona Paendrag

One Twitter user defended Mackey, saying that he was being 'shamed'

One Twitter user defended Mackey, saying that he was being ‘shamed’

Mackey, 67, a Houston, Texas-born businessman, is co-founder of Whole Foods with his girlfriend and two other health food entrepreneurs.

Together, they grew Whole Foods into an empire spanning 500 locations in North America and employing more than 90,000 people.

In 2017, Whole Foods was bought by Amazon in a deal valued at more than $13billion.

He is said to be worth an estimated $75million.

In the interview with podcast host Stephen Dubner, Mackey noted that ‘71 per cent of Americans are overweight and 42.5 per ccent are obese.’

‘Clearly, we’re making bad choices in the way we eat.’

Medical experts, however, say that while nutrition can go a long way toward preventing and in some cases reversing illness, there are some diseases that can take hold even among those who live healthy lifestyles.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the leading causes of death as heart disease, cancer, accident, respiratory illness, stroke, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, kidney disease, and suicide.

Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease could be directly tied to the food we eat, but the others less so, according to Dr. John Whyte, chief medical officer at WebMD.

‘Healthy eating can never replace the need for comprehensive health care,’ Whyte told the New York Post.

‘Disease and illness can unfortunately occur even when we take care of ourselves and maintain healthy habits.’

Mackey has been criticized in years past for publicly airing his views.

A staunch libertarian, Mackey has argued that people should change their individual lifestyles rather than rely on government aid to meet their needs.

In 2009, he wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal titled ‘The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare’, which sparked calls to boycott the supermarket chain.

Mackey argued in the op-ed that ObamaCare constituted a ‘massive new health-care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health-care system.’