Holland & Barrett

Acai
Pomegranate
Aloe vera
Calcium
Magnesium
Kelp
Omega 3
Echinacea
Milk thistle
Agave nectar
& Acidophilius
If you live near London Road, Holland & Barrett sells most of the vitamins, minerals and health supplements available in the UK. The staff are friendly and helpful and happy to suggest products for different ailments or defencies. Like other H&B branches dotted around the city, they also stock digestive aids, detox aids and environmentally friendly beauty products. None of it’s cheap but remember, your body is a temple and deserves looking after!

As well as being the place to go for all manor of health inducing pills and vitamin supplements, Holland and Barrett also stock a damned decent variety of well priced nuts, seeds and dried fruits. You’ll probably be better off buying you standard vitamins (like cod liver oil and vitamin C) at a supermarket, but you’re unlikely to find apricots this nice anywhere else for less. And only three apricots is one of your 5 a day! Wowzers…
They also sell heaps of protein powder and growth supplements, but seeing as I’ve been blessed with a naturally manly physique as it is, I’ve never needed any of these… (cough)… I do quite like the quirky ways of getting healthy food into your life, such as a sugar replacement for everyday use that has vitamins and minerals in it. The staff are also frequently pleasant and helpful, so you can often just ask if your not sure what you’re looking for!

I’m never really sure about health food shops.
I mean, they just seem so earnest — all those rows and rows of expensive stuff that’s supposed to make you all healthy and sparky, but do they really? Has anyone actually proved that spending £7 on a jar of vitamins will really make your life better?
On the other hand, there is a nice calming feeling about the idea of going into a shop dedicated to heathiness. Staff are helpful and knowledgable, the aisles are free of irritating teenagers, and the place is free of cheesy piped music.

Holland and Barrett makes me feel good. Can’t help it… I know I’m a sucker falling prey to a simple marketing campaign (‘Holland Barrett: We’re Good For You.’), but I don’t care, the fact is they’re right, they are good for me! How is it that a shop selling supplements can lift my spirits so? Beats me, but whenever I walk in to the little London Rd store, I feel a little bit rejuvenated! (Might well have something to do with the increasingly depressing state of the London Rd… but that’s another story!)
Holland and Barrett provides me with healthy treats such as dried cranberries, delicious dried mango and my new favourite, Agave nectar. They also sell a whole world of supplements and vitamins to support a healthy immune system, as well as specific diets and ailments. They have great ‘women’s health’ supplements (a categorization that makes us sounds a little like another species but is very useful nonetheless!) as well as digestive aids, beauty products, even aloe vera toothpaste, which I highly recommend! At the back of the shop they have a great collection of herbal teas, including ‘Dr. Stu’s’ herbal medicinal teas, great for soar throats, sniffly noses and the rundown winter blues!
I particularly like this branch because it’s small but stocks all the things I need. The staff are also really helpful.