Healthy 'way of life'

the eufaula Herb Shop is located on 10 oak Ave, eufaula. Store hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.

Health food store offers customers advice on diet, lifestyle

Story by Emily Every

Ric Fornell has been a health food store owner for over 20 years and a healthy living advocate even longer. In Fornell’s eyes, eating well is living well.

“This is the only body that you’re going to have. If you feed it carefully and nourish it properly and take care of it, it’ll last for a long time. If you don’t, it’s not going to,” Fornell said.

Fornell founded Eufaula Herb Shop & Health Foods in August 2000. In the 21 years since, the store has been serving the health supply needs of its local community. The store, located at 10 Oak Ave., Eufaula, was once a hair salon. Fornell renovated the building, knocking down a wall to open up space for his health food and nutrition wares.

Despite occasional flare-ups of popular fad diets and bunk nutritional advice, Fornell says he has noticed an increase of sustained interest in healthy living in recent years.

“Healthy food is becoming a way of life rather than something people just want to try for a little bit,” he said.

A major advantage of frequenting health food stores is that they can handle questions and discuss nutrition more knowledgeably than a big-chain grocery store.

“You can’t go to the grocery store and get any kind of help. They don’t know anything about nutrition,” Fornell said. “We’re kind of the rock of the

the store carries capsules of herbs and vitamins, as well as a selection of specialty health foods.

neighborhood. Everyone else comes and goes, but we’ve been in the same spot for 21 years.”

Viewing your body holistically is part of Fornell’s personal health philosophy. He recommends viewing a health problem not as a singular issue to be fixed, but rather as a symptom of a larger way of living.

“Your body will talk to you if you listen to it, but it takes time to do that. That’s a mindset that’s really difficult to get to,” he said. “Everything in our body is hooked together. What affects one organ will go on to affect four or five others.”

Fornell suggests that people who want to start eating better focus on eating fresh foods. He encourages people to purchase organic produce that has not been treated with pesticides if possible. Many grocery stores have organic sections, as do many local farmers' markets.

Beyond the specifics of organic or non-organic produce, Fornell says that the most essential part of eating well is starting the habit of reading nutrition facts labels. Becoming aware of your caloric and nutritional intake is essential to healthy eating, especially in regard to sugar.

“Reducing sugar consumption is where people should start, but it can be hard. Sugar is addictive,” he said. “For instance, a 20-ounce Coca-Cola has 60 grams of sugar in it. That affects everything in your body.”

Tim Noakes’s 2017 book “Lore of Nutrition: Challenging Conventional Dietary Beliefs” is a resource that Fornell suggests for those just getting their footing in the health and nutrition world. After years of extensive research, Noakes advocates for a low-carbohydrate, highfat diet to help combat diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.

The Eufaula Herb Shop offers herbal and vitamin supplements, along with gluten-free, sugar-free and organic food options. Also available in-store are massages, blood-typing testing and ear candling. The store offers well-established, nationally recognized brands.

The store’s website, www.eufaulaherbshop.com, lists their stocked brands, along with store hours and contact information.