This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Carrollwood's Best Health Food Stores

Health, fitness, wellness and weight loss in Carrollwood ... our best local health food stores (Abby's and Nutrition S'mart) are highlighted.

Ever try to find your favorite vitamin or supplement at the supermarket and strike out?  What about organic produce?  Or, maybe you have a difficult time selecting hypoallergenic pet food or organic shampoo?  Most supermarkets are not equipped to cater to “green shoppers” and the big warehouse stores are even worse.  The best place to find the health conscious beauty products, superior supplements and organic food you need is at a local health food store. Carrollwood has two exceptional locations on Dale Mabry Highway that I frequent, but they are fairly different. 

Here’s my breakdown:

Abby’s Health & Nutrition is located on southbound Dale Mabry near the Tampa Pitcher Show and Bally’s gym.  It’s named after nutritionist and owner, Abby Sayler, and includes an organic, vegan and raw deli called Café Eden.  Excellent for both hot and cold food, this is a great local stop for a healthy lunch and free Wifi.  Their wellness reference library is a good resource for those looking to acquire more knowledge about health and wellness while shopping or having a bite.  I find their organic grocery to be generous with lots of dry goods like nuts and seeds and a comprehensive refrigerator section with lots of vitamin packed drinks.  A bit more intimate than other health food stores, Abby’s has it’s own special charm, but their in-stock selection is sometimes inconsistent and some prices can run higher than other stores.  Still, their skin care and beauty products aisle is better than most.   Abby’s other perks include fantastic parking, an unannounced 5 percent discount for those who ask and newly announced on their website – they now accept food stamps – which is a rarity among health food stores.

Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nutrition S’mart Organic Food & Vitamin Center is across the Highway going northbound just before Bearss Ave. near Michael’s.  One of NS’s biggest perks has to be their prices.  They advertise up to 50 percent off suggested retail and I have seen the evidence on my receipt.  From vitamins and supplements to pet food and beauty products, they have the market cornered on available selection and competitive pricing.  In my experience, Nutrition S’mart is a better all around shopping experience for exercisers and body builders than GNC or similar sports nutrition shops, with many more options and much less of a shock at checkout.  Their organic food section is quite abundant and fresh and they offer a greater number of free, weekly wellness seminars and cooking classes than Abby’s or anyone else.  Newly renovated, this location is bigger and better than ever and their staff is always very helpful and knowledgeable.  If you can’t find it at NS, it may not exist!

Both stores have a lot to offer and are a terrific complement to the neighborhood and both offer an alternative medicine network of local doctors, dentists, homeopaths, naturopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists and other wellness practitioners.  Both are open 7-days, have online purchasing options and e-coupons available and can be found on Facebook.  Neither sells my favorite brand of isotonic vitamins (I have to order them by mail), but nobody’s perfect!  Either is a superb resource for your health, beauty and nutrition needs, but please do your own investigating.  I hope you all have a happy and healthy shopping experience at Carrollwood’s two best health food stores.  Be well!

Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

by Dennis Johnson, CHT, CPT

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Carrollwood-Northdale