Our mission is simple. To improve the health and well-being of our community by offering a balanced diet of fresh, tasty, whole grain and other whole food products while providing educational materials to aid in support of a healthy lifestyle.

Why we believe in this mission.
Overwhelming scientific evidence now points to the extraordinary nutritional benefits of consuming whole grains and other whole food products. In fact, recent research has revealed that many whole foods not only provide excellent nutritional value, but also contain a wide array of natural pharmaceutical including pain killers, cholesterol reducers, cancer inhibitors, and insulin regulators, among others. Today more and more medical and health care professionals are beginning to recognize the fact that what we consume (whole vs. processed foods) and how we live contributes greatly to our long-term health and well-being.

All of this research is interesting - and at times fascinating - but putting that aside for a moment, we believe that all of this evidence points to something intriguing and that is that these foods provide these benefits by design, not chance, that they are here to produce healthy bodies, they are here to maintain and enhance our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Actually, we believe the research is nice, but not essential to good health and we believe it does not need to be any more complicated than that.

What can this mean for you?
Imagine a world without diets! One interesting side benefit of eating a diet loaded with whole grains and foods is that your body is not receiving empty calories. Fullness tends to correlate with nutrients. Nutrient dense food provides satisfaction while empty calorie foods such as soft drinks and white bread lack nutrients to make you feel full. We hold out that a balanced diet of whole grains and other whole food products will, in the long run, reduce perceived calorie requirements.

So what about grains?
Much of the diet of ancient peoples was composed of whole grain products served 'fresh' daily. An analysis of the content of various whole grains reveals an incredible array of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, oils, and essential amino acids. One little known fact is that certain whole grain products contain more usable calcium per unit of weight than milk!

Grain has gotten a bad rap because most grain products sold in the United States use refined white flour which has had much of its nutritional value stripped in the refining process. Most of Fresh Grains' products have been created using whole grains and minimally processed sweeteners. In addition, because of the process of oxidation that begins when a kernel of grain is opened, we have chosen to serve our products 'fresh' to avoid nutrient loss.

So what’s wrong with the good old-fashioned grocery store?
The short answer is "quite a bit." Most supermarket shelves are stocked with highly refined packaged goods as well as meat and dairy products produced using conventional techniques including force feeding, hormones and antibiotics.

A casual reading of ingredients labels reveals a vast array of refined flours and sugars as well as a plethora of artificial ingredients in use. Why is this??? We believe the drive to maximize profits, design product for storage and transport, and align marketing efforts with our fast paced, convenience-oriented lifestyles, has led the nice folks at the large consumer goods companies to develop products that are quick, easy, and shelf stable, but that are stripped of essential nutrients. In order to make these products attractive they have developed a multitude of food additives designed to enhance flavor, smell, color, and mouth feel. They have also added synthetic nutrients to their products that enable them to use advertising taglines like 'enriched' 'fortified', and 'heart healthy'. The bottom line is that many of these products are sadly lacking in healthful ingredients, and, in some cases, may contain harmful ones.

So, what are the implications of not eating right?
A diet composed largely of processed and artificially enhanced food products has been shown to be a significant contributor to many major diseases including diabetes, heart disease, digestive disorders, certain cancers, and obesity, among others. Many third world countries that had previously shown little incidence of these types of diseases, when exposed to the 'prosperity' of the West, have experienced a substantial increase in incidence of these types of diseases as their diets have changed.

Along with the obvious health implications of a poor diet comes the burden of cost. Today's consumers are flocking to their local supermarkets and drug stores to stock up on nutritional supplements. These supplements, in most instances, are being taken to make up for nutrition shortfalls in the American diet. The sale of supplements has become a multi-billion dollar business. The sad fact is, however, that recent studies cast doubt on the benefits of these isolated nutrients.

Another clear cost of improper nutrition is in the medical arena. Double digit increases in medical insurance costs have caused significant burdens to both consumers as well as employers that supply these benefits. We believe the only way to curtail this excessive cost inflation in the future is to change America's eating habits.

The bottom line is that we believe that if we stick to the foods designed for our health, get a reasonable amount of exercise, and slowww… down a bit, good health and well being can follow.

Now what?
We invite you to enjoy the fresh, natural, whole foods at Fresh Grains Bakery and Café!