Definition

Noun: A type of food considered to be highly beneficial to one's physical well-being, typically because it is natural, unprocessed, or fortified with specific nutrients. It is popularly believed to promote or maintain good health.

Usage

"Health food" is used as a countable or uncountable noun to refer to a category of food products. It is often associated with specific diets, lifestyles, or stores. - You can buy health food. - She eats health foods like quinoa and kale. - This is a health food store.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• The term can sometimes carry a marketing or commercial connotation, implying a product is healthier than conventional alternatives, regardless of scientific consensus.
  • Critics argue that many products labeled as health food are high in sugar.

Variants and Related Words

• Health-food (adjective, often hyphenated when used attributively): Describing something related to this category of food.
  • He owns a health-food restaurant.
• Health food store (noun phrase): A shop that specializes in selling such foods.
  • I get my supplements from the local health food store.

Synonyms

• Whole food: Food that is processed or refined as little as possible.
• Natural food: Food without artificial ingredients.
• Organic food: Food produced without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
• Superfood (informal/marketing term): A nutrient-rich food considered especially beneficial.

Antonyms

• Junk food: Food with low nutritional value.
• Processed food: Food altered from its natural state for safety, convenience, or taste.

Idioms and Phrases

• While there are no common idioms using "health food" as a fixed phrase, it frequently appears in discussions about diet and lifestyle.
  • He's really into health food these days. (Meaning: He is very interested in and consumes a lot of food believed to be healthy.)

Noun

1. any natural or prepared food popularly believed to promote good health