Friday, September 19, 2014
Working out the kinks
Things at the restaurant are going well. We have a new lease, food is coming out well, the team is amazing, and we are all having fun! The customers love us again, and though sales have been down since the changeover, morale is up! Because the food is coming out well.
There were a lot of things said about the changeover that were not true, and I would urge people to think about what may or may not be true. Natures express is far from extinct, as some have suggested...
J Levine,
Manager
Monday, August 25, 2014
You may have heard that some things have changed, or some rumors.
Well, there have been some changes and there are some rumors. I've sold natures express, as my time to devote to the project has been "slim-to-none" for the last couple of years. Three people were laid off, not fired as some suggested. New management has taken quite a bit of flack for no valid reason. I understand that the employees were angry, but in the restaurant business anger is generally not a sentiment to "take public" but I appreciated all who worked hard under my employ.
There were no qualified candidates to hand off management to from within, as my head chef turned the job down. I found some buyers who are dedicated to my vision of sustainable healthy vegan food. Their choice of management is excellent, and the people from Donut Farm (Pepples Vegan Donuts) serve some of the best non-gmo vegan food in the state as well as run a 100% organic vegan bakery.
Pepples is an Alameda county certified green business, as Natures' Express hopes to be soon.
I hope to encourage all who enjoy the food at Natures' Express to encourage Mr. Levine and his team as they forge ahead, and make my vision an economically sustainable one for the first time.
Please continue to support the restaurant, as our recipes, food, vision, and mission is indeed the same.
Onward and upward, all of us, and God save the kale!
Dr. Myers
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Sustainable Tuna. Is there such a thing?
I used to really love fishing. Sometimes I even fantasized about the future when I would have both the time to fish and some grandkids to show how to wait patiently for a bite.
I also loved to eat seafood – tuna steaks and lobsters were my favorites. But after becoming vegetarian 20 years ago, I quit eating seafood. While occasionally I still miss eating fish, I really miss fishing.
A while back, I went to the Seattle Aquarium with my two grandsons. I find aquariums fascinating, now loving fish for the fish themselves – the incredible variety, their stunning beauty, and their joy (I presume) to be alive. While I still feel sad that my fantasy of fishing with the grandkids isn’t going to happen, sharing the wonders of the life of the sea brought joy to all.
However, when lunchtime arrived, I found the cafeteria disquieting. While my opinions represent a minority perspective, it now seems odd that after showing us how wonderful sea creatures are and how our fishing practices are ruining their habitat, I am supposed to revel in the fact that certain fish are not yet endangered, so eat up! At one time that perspective made perfect sense to me as well.
When we got home, I did a little research on sustainable fishing. The Monterey Aquarium has extensive consumer information as a guide. What I found was disconcerting.
For example, under Albacore Tuna (one of seven kinds of tuna the Monterey Aquarium discusses) their summary table advises:
- The best choice is U.S. Pacific or Canadian Pacific albacore tuna caught by troll or “pole and line.”
- Avoid all longline albacore caught anywhere in the world (except Hawaii). This is a problem because this method of fishing tends to catch older fish that have accumulated too much mercury.
- Avoid even “wild-caught” albacore in the North Atlantic.
- At a retail level canned white tuna is both a “best choice” and an “avoid.”
- All the other market names they give – Longfin Tunny, Shiro Maguro, and Tombo are also confusingly both a “best choice” and an “avoid.”
The bottom line is that consumers wanting to learn about sustainable or healthier albacore tuna find information that is, at best, confusing. And if the world of tuna eaters all ate just the tuna from the U.S. or Canada Pacific, how long would that be sustainable? Does this seem nuts to anyone else?
If you want a truly sustainable tuna sandwich – try ours. There is no threat to the health or the population of Garbanzo Beans (the base of our “hold the Tuna”) – that we know of.
Bon appétit!
By Dr. Carl Myers
Friday, October 7, 2011
Our kids deserve a better world
Our children live in an obesogenic world. That is the medical term for the things in our environment that make us fat.
· High in fat
· High in salt
· Low in fiber
The average 8 year old watches 4000 junk food commercials a year encouraging them to eat the worst of the worst. After 4000 commercials, who is going to listen to Mom?
No surprise - high fat and high sugar diets create fat kids.
Children 40 years ago rarely had high cholesterol, hypertension, or glucose intolerance. Now 60% of kids who are overweight have at least one of these problems. Obesity in kids also increases asthma, liver dysfunction, sleep apnea and Type II diabetes.
We have known this for years, so why does the problem of childhood obesity continue to get worse? Some blame the schools, some blame the parents, and some blame the soda companies or fast food joints.
Kids have a sugar habit even before they start school. Four year olds eat over 60 pounds of sugar per year – 40 pounds more than recommended. What can be done?
The 5-2-1-Almost None Program is a fantastic start.
It stresses a daily routine for kids with 5 or more fruits and vegetables, no more than two hours of screen time, at least one hour of physical activity, and almost no sugary beverages.
It’s time to leave the obesogenic world behind!
Make the 5-2-1-Almost None guidelines the healthy choice for your family.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Change your world one step at a time
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
We all live in a nanny submarine
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Just the facts, ma’am”
- The world’s third largest cause of disease and disability
- The cause of almost two and a half million deaths per year
- The cause of over one in five cancer deaths
- The leading cause of death in men from age 15 to 59
- The cause of 30% of deaths from injuries