The inspiration for this dream came from their own struggles to afford healthy food and be healthy. Shortly after the birth of their second child, Margaret became chronically ill. When conventional medicine was unable to help her, she turned to the health mavericks of that time: Adelle Davis and Roger J. She used the principles in Davis’ book, Let’s Get Well, to heal her body with nutrition, which
included eating nutrient-dense, natural foods and taking dietary supplements. After the remarkable improvement in Margaret’s health brought on by following this nutrition regimen, our parents became health crusaders. Borrowing $200 to help feed the family and put gas in the car, they went door-to-door in Golden, Colorado lending books on nutrition and giving out samples of whole grain bread. They would return a week or two later, discuss nutrition and take orders for supplements, the bread and other natural, nourishing foods. In a time when TV dinners and convenience foods were enjoying their heyday, our parents bucked convention. They taught us that nutrition education is the foundation for building health and being in control of your life, and that healthy living should be affordable and accessible to everyone. Against all odds we’ve succeeded in growing a thriving, dynamic business that empowers people to live in health. We have done this by bucking the trends, by staying current and involved in nutrition, and by using our Five Founding Principles to guide our business decisions. Some of the most important innovations have been decisions that bucked the trends in the natural food industry itself. For example, against the advice of all the high paid health food industry business consultants, we have always set the majority of our supplement department by section and not by brand. This is so customers can easily compare similar products and choose the one that is best for them.
