“Why didn’t somebody think of this before? It’s so obvious!”

That was the comment we heard from a customer who stopped by our production facility to pick up his order. He was one of dozens of people who arrived at our company's doorstep the morning after Step One Foods was featured in a short television news story on WCCO, our local CBS affiliate.

If you missed the segment, you can watch it here.

In the existence of our company, we have never been flooded with walk-in visitors before. Now we’re meeting people who have driven for an hour or more to see us.  Clearly, Marybeth’s story and the mission of our company resonated with many viewers.

And I could not agree more with that customer – it is obvious. Treating the downstream effects of diet with medications makes no sense. The first step should always be… change the food! 

But as a cardiologist in practice for over 20 years, I’ve come to realize that taking that first step can be really hard – because the dietary changes are not necessarily straightforward.  Which is why so many people struggle.  And I'm just like you - I struggle too.  That’s why I created Step One Foods – to help people succeed at the most important aspect of their care and wellness efforts without having to completely upend their lives. Or commit to only eating kale.

But Step One’s road to this point – with a line of customers forming outside our door – was not quick or easy. 

When I first began talking about this idea, over 10 years ago, I was met with skepticism. After all, medications were making everybody’s numbers perfect and all the studies showing the benefits of drugs just kept on coming. Besides, if you took your Lipitor®, you could eat whatever you wanted and your lab results would always look fabulous. 

In that environment, getting anyone interested in the idea of a food-based solution - let alone using food as medicine - was nearly impossible. Doctors trying to incorporate diet into formal treatment plans were even looked down upon by their peers.

Which is why we undertook the arduous path of not only developing foods that are based in science and are made with completely natural and health promoting ingredients - but also went so far as to subject our products to independent validation through a clinical trial carried out by Mayo Clinic and the University of Manitoba. 10 years plus of perseverance. And the firm belief that at some point others would see it our way too.

Fast forward to today and the reality is hitting home. Medications certainly have benefits – but they also have side effects. And many of these are just being appreciated. At the same time, people are realizing that just because they look good on paper, doesn’t mean they FEEL any better. Or that they are fundamentally healthier.

But even we could not have predicted how ready people finally are for a different approach. Our work had been highlighted several times in the past – in newspapers, articles, and even on TV.  But never have we experienced this type of response. Even though we’ve been doing the same thing for years. 

We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for our mission and for the over-the-top demand for our products. I’ve always said that Step One Foods is the most professionally satisfying and important work I will ever do. And I've strived to make sure that what we created was so effective and so credible that someday it might even be the catalyst that encourages other physicians to think differently about how we approach health and healing. Now, over 10 years later, I just might be able to say that I really did do something good.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. We are grateful and honored that you have placed your trust in us. We truly are committed to helping you achieve your best health.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC