The Wholefood Farmacy is an idea whose time has come. On the edge of an industry whose market share is almost a billion dollars a day, The Wholefood Farmacy combines the best of the golden treasures of a forgotten age-old wisdom with today’s need for health and weight loss, beauty, and vitality.

The weight loss “industry” is huge and controversial. It is also ever changing and dynamic. It is populated by a wide variety of companies, organizations and individuals, some famous, some not, some credible, some outright frauds, that all seek to counsel Americans and help them cope year after year with their growing waistlines. Make no mistake—this is BIG business, to the tune of nearly $40 billion in products and services this year and estimated to grow 5.6% per year to $48.8 billion by 2006.

The industry is fragmented, has no coordinated trade group or even a common publication. Everyone competes for their own share of the American weight loss dollar. Ongoing steady demand for weight loss centers and services, whether delivered via the Internet, your local weight loss center, a family physician, a health club, a hospital, or a pill, will continue as long as obesity rates continue to climb. Now, it’s not just an American problem—it’s a global one. The costs of obesity-related health conditions in the United States is staggering, and more pressure will be coming from the medical community, insurers, employers and others for us to lose weight and get back in shape.

There are some that refer to the “medicalization” of weight loss, that is, that diet drugs will replace commercial programs. Market data Enterprises does not agree. True, all the major pharmaceutical firms are busy searching for the “magic pill”, but one still does not exist. In addition, it’s not likely that everyone who is overweight or obese would WANT or qualify for a medically supervised regimen. Many people don’t want to go to a hospital, clinic, or physician to lose weight. Others cannot afford the cost of such programs or the Rx diet drugs. Most simply want to do it themselves, in an unstructured, flexible, affordable program. There will always be room for commercial programs, for mail order products, and for counseling in both group and one-to-one situations.

As one can see from the table below, market data analysts estimate that the total U.S. weight loss market is estimated to have grown by 6.7% in 2001, to a value of $37.1 billion. For the current year, we are projecting 7.3% growth, to $39.85 billion.
The whole “pie” appears to be growing currently, with no individual segments of the industry displaying any contraction or decline. Of course, growth rates vary, with some of the most rapid growth appearing in the do-it-yourself, over-the-counter diet aids segment compared to very moderate growth for diet soft drinks and artificial sweeteners. All segments appear to be in the midst of a growth cycle, at least for 2001-2002, a rarity in the weight loss industry. Perhaps this is due to the increasing obesity rates in America and the realization that this is a major health problem.

According to the NIH and the major health organizations, obesity is an epidemic in the U.S. The most alarming fact is that 27% of all children in the U.S. are overweight. Studies also show that these children will most likely transition into adulthood with this affliction and are more likely to contract type 2 diabetes as well as other obesity related diseases.

Over the last 30 years, we have learned that pills and capsules and herbal supplements do not work. These products are ruining people’s lives. Consumers are frustrated and they just want to know the truth. They want to know what is the real answer. What is the healthiest and safest way to lose weight and prevent disease and cancer.

The truth about weight loss and disease prevention is this. There is no magical pill or concoction, medical procedure or fast fix that is safe or healthy. According to all the major health organizations, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, Mayo Clinic, Harvard School of Medicine, National Cancer Society, Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine and others say the following:

To lose weight you need to eat a healthy whole foods diet which is abundant in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes, walk 30 minutes a day at least 3 times a week, and drink 8 to 12 glasses of water a day. You should also reduce your consumption of saturated fat, processed sugar, sodas, flour, and limit meats to 3 ounces a day.

This is the message of The Wholefood Farmacy. We believe it is time for people to get the truth about health, weight loss, and disease prevention and also give people the products, education and support they need to take control, lose the weight on their own and do so in a safe and healthy manner.