How ‘Thrive Gives’ Changed My Life: Food As Medicine

When Sue Ann Colvin placed her first order from Thrive Market, she says she felt a surge of anticipation the moment she pressed the “Check Out” button. And the day her order was due to arrive,  that anticipation had bloomed into all-out eagerness.

“We heard a truck going down the street and we were like, ‘Is that them?,” she recalls, laughing. “We chased the FedEx truck through the neighborhood, that’s how badly we wanted our stuff!”

Chase might be a bit of a stretch, as Colvin is currently in a medical boot thanks to the two foot surgeries she’s had in the past few months. She’s been a Thrive Gives member for only a few months, but already has a running list of her favorite products. “I’ve been trying a lot of new stuff—it’s easier because it’s so inexpensive, so I’m not so nervous to try something and maybe not like it.”

The co-op across the street from her house sells organic, non-GMO food, but Colvin found it too expensive to shop there. After her first foot surgery, which left her housebound, she found Thrive Market and decided to give it a go.

“I couldn’t do anything, and I was driving my neighbors crazy every time I asked them to take me to the grocery store!” Colvin says. “So that’s why Thrive was great, it just got delivered to my door in like, two days. The FedEx guy even brought my groceries inside for me and set them on my table.”

Following multiple medical issues over the past year related to digestive health problems, Colvin’s diet has recently become extremely limited. “I have to sort of test what I can eat. I learn pretty fast what works and what doesn’t because my stomach reacts quickly.” Her new dietary needs pretty much eliminate any foods that are too sweet, too processed, or heavy. “Soda gave me really, really bad reaction. I can’t have stuff like that anymore.”

For someone who’s had to completely revamp her entire diet, Colvin is surprisingly chipper. “It’s great! I’m kinda forced to eat healthy.” You can hear in her voice how pumped she is to try different foods that weren’t previously available to her.

“I was craving cheese puffs and had tried some from the regular grocery store, and it did not end up well. Then I saw a healthy version at the co-op and really wanted to try them, but they were $5,” she says. “On Thrive they’re less than $2.50, and when I tried them they didn’t make me sick. So I ordered two bags this time. It’s a huge treat.”

But it’s not just the snacks that makes Colvin so excited about Thrive. She’s been experimenting with ghee, Himalayan pink salt, couscous, oats, and is determined to try tahini in her next order. She’s also recruited friends and family to join Thrive Market. “I’ve been telling everyone I know about it,” she says. “I think it’s just wonderful, and the customer service is so good. It’s rare to get an email response from a big company, but I heard back from Thrive within a few hours.”

Colvin can’t have many sweets, but Theo’s Salted Almond Dark Chocolate is one that she can have in moderation—and one that even her 11-year-old granddaughter enjoyed. “A whole bar lasts me a few weeks. When my granddaughter came to visit this summer I made her try it because I said it was ‘to die for.’ She got such a kick out of that, but we decided it wasn’t a very good saying. So we changed it—it’s so good that it’s ‘to live for’ instead. It’s to live for!”

We believe that everyone deserves the right to access healthy food. But even in the United States, it can prove impossible for some families. So we created Thrive Gives: a program that gives access, family by family, to affordable, healthy, and wholesome food. Click here to see if you qualify for a free Thrive Gives membership!