Food as Medicine: The foundation of natural health and wellness

PORTLAND, Ore. (Jan. 31, 2011) — A $1.35 million gift from one of the most respected nutritional advocates in the U.S. will help the National College of Natural Medicine educate Oregon families about healthy food choices and eating habits. The announcement about the gift from Bob and Charlee Moore, founders of Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, will be made today at the kick-off of International Whole Grains Conference being held at the Nines Hotel in Portland through Feb. 2.

The Moore family gift—the largest donation that North America’s oldest accredited naturopathic college has received to date—will fund NCNM’s pilot ECO Project and help establish a research/teaching kitchen on the medical college’s campus. The ECO Project (“Ending Childhood Obesity”) is a free community-based nutrition program that aims to reduce chronic disease and morbidity associated with childhood obesity by promoting healthy food choices and empowering families through education and training.

“Charlee and I are passionate about healthy food. We’ve dedicated our lives to it,” said Bob Moore, founder and CEO of Bob’s Red Mill, which has produced whole grain foods for more than 30 years. The Moores’ lifelong interest in nutrition has led them to help find solutions to address the health problems affecting children caused by poor nutrition.

“Too many kids and their parents are overweight. With all the talk about health care in the last few years, there’s been little discussion about nutrition. The health care issues caused by obesity are significant—and they can be prevented through healthy foods and better diets,” Moore said. “We want to do more to inspire people to make changes in their diets—and we believe that our growing partnership with NCNM will accomplish that.”

Joining forces with the Moores and Bob’s Red Mill is a natural fit, said NCNM President, David J. Schleich, PhD. “Nutrition is the cornerstone to good health, and the foundation of the medical education that we provide,” Schleich said. “Bob and Charlee Moore know this about us. This exceptionally generous gift helps us honor their desire to implement change through action. The Moores want as many families as possible to know how to make meals that are delicious and good for them.”

The Moore family legacy will be used to preserve and promote the enduring value of healthy foods through NCNM’s professional and public education and training programs, Schleich said. He noted that the ancients understood the concept of nutritional health far better than many in today’s modern world: “Hippocrates famously said, ‘Let your food be your medicine and medicine be your food.’ This is an idea that the world has sadly lost sight of in an era of processed and fast food.”

The Moore donation will allow NCNM to establish far-reaching nutritional education for future generations of patients, including parents and kids. NCNM faculty and graduates look carefully at all aspects of patients’ health and lifestyle in determining health care treatment for their patients—and nutrition is a key diagnostic tool in the treatment of chronic disease, Schleich observed. He said, “We’re grateful to the Moores for their help in allowing us to go out into the community and make the information about healthy food more widely available to the young people of today. It is still not well understood in our culture that an education in nutrition, supported by smart lifestyle choices, is an investment in a lifetime of good health.”

NCNM’s ECO Project was developed by NCNM’s Dr. Courtney Jackson, an adjunct faculty member who is the lead physician overseeing the new project team. The pilot project is designed as 12 one-hour workshops offered free of charge through NCNM’s community clinics. The workshops will provide nutritional health education and training in cooking and preparing whole foods to families of adults and children, with a focus on improving overall fitness.

In addition to the ECO Project, the Moores’ gift will help fund the Bob and Charlee Moore Nutritional Research/Teaching Kitchen for the college’s faculty and students. Further, Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods will continue to fund the Intercollegiate Scholarship Cup Competition held at the annual Northwest Naturopathic Physicians’ Convention.

The Bob and Charlee Moore charitable contribution to NCNM officially launches the nonprofit medical school’s 2010–2015 capital fundraising campaign. The campaign goal of $25 million will revitalize its multi-building Lair Hill campus, which celebrated the grand opening of its NCNM Clinic in Sept. 2009, recently opened the doors to the new NCNM Annex—a lecture hall—and is preparing for the grand opening of the Min Zidell Teaching Garden in spring 2011.

In addition to the Bob and Charlee Moore Research/Teaching Kitchen, NCNM is renovating its former First Avenue Clinic facility to house its growing Helfgott Research Institute. The college’s Master Plan, expected to be finalized in fall 2012, will set the stage for other developments at the college, including an expanded library, student housing and a student life center.

ABOUT NCNM
Founded in Portland in 1956, NCNM is the oldest accredited naturopathic medical school in North America. A nonprofit college of natural medicine, NCNM offers four-year graduate medical degree programs in Naturopathic Medicine and Classical Chinese Medicine. Its community clinics offer low-cost medical care throughout the Portland metropolitan area, and along with the campus-based NCNM Clinic, practitioners attend to approximately 40,000 patient visits per year. NCNM’s Helfgott Research Institute conducts rigorous evidence-based research to advance the science of natural medicine and improve clinical practice. Until July 2006, NCNM was known as the National College of Naturopathic Medicine.

ABOUT BOB’S RED MILL NATURAL FOODS
Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, a distinctive stone grinding miller of whole grains, was founded in 1978 with the mission of moving people back to the basics with healthy whole grains, high-fiber and complex carbohydrates. Bob’s Red Mill, now an employee-owned company, offers a diverse line of more than 300 all natural, organic and gluten-free flours, cereals, meals and mixes for pancakes, cakes, cookies, breads and soups that are available throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the Republic of Ireland and Asia. With its dedicated gluten-free manufacturing facility and strict organic protocols, the company has emerged as a leader in providing safe and delicious natural, organic and gluten-free products. For more information visit www.BobsRedMill.com. Additional information is available at www.Twitter.com/Bobs_Red_Mill, www.Facebook.com/BobsRedMill and www.bobsredmill.com/blog/.

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