We are what we eat

There is no more truth than that when it comes to emotional wellness. The way we feel depends on what we eat, as much as on what we think. What we eat is directly related to the health of every system and cell in our body, from nervous and hormonal systems to brain chemistry and headaches. We need to address our health on all levels. This is why we do not serve you what’s conventional. Eating like everyone means to feel like everyone – sick, sluggish, bothered by heartburn and gas. We go against that grain because we are sick and tired of seeing people sick and tired.

Allergies and other dietary needs: which ones we can accommodate and which ones we cannot

Allergies and other dietary needs: which ones we can accommodate and which ones we cannot

Many of our guests have various food allergies, likes and dislikes. Most people told us, “oh, it’s easy. All restaurants I go to can accommodate my needs. You guys should not have a problem with my allergies, dislikes and texture issues.”

However, our set-up is unlike any restaurant: we prepare a different meal every day, every meal, and each one is plated. The meals are gourmet and made fresh and totally from scratch. Because we do not have a repeating daily menu and assembly lines with simple ingredients pre-chopped up by line cooks, and the menu is unique, only highly qualified, well-trained chefs can prepare the entire meal.

To accommodate guests’ allergies/dislikes, we may need to add another Chef or a Chef Assistant. Additionally, Our Head Chef may need to extend her working day up to 10-12 hrs. Besides, before your arrival, she creates an individual menu for each person with allergies and ensures that the entire kitchen team is trained. The team needs to keep in mind the allergy for the duration of the whole seven days. If someone is allergic to tomatoes, someone else to soy, plus someone does not like beets, and still another one cannot tolerate cilantro, there are five menus to follow in addition to the main one. In addition to meals, we need to think through your custom protocols, supplements and juices to ensure those are also customized. Multiple ingredients customization complicates things even more.

But nothing is worse than any “newly discovered” allergy or meal customization request arriving in the middle of the program after everyone is trained and knows what they are doing. Undisclosed before arrival, allergies and fussy eaters make the life of our kitchen crazy.

Guys, we are talking about real life here… This is why we ask you to disclose all allergies, dislikes and other issues before arrival and to be understanding of our limitations. There is nothing worse than to come for a program and not be able to eat most of the foods we offer and then explode on day 4 or 5 or to run to a grocery store to buy Cheerios and other comfort foods to deal with the severe stress. It happened; that’s why you are reading it.

We are a small retreat with limited kitchen space and are not staffed to accommodate every need/wish; this is why we want to ensure you read in detail about what foods we offer and that you enjoy this type of food. It is super tasty and prepared with a lot of love, but, like everything, it cannot meet everyone’s tastes and standards. If you do not like vegetables and salads, have difficulty eating healthy foods in general, or do not like or cannot eat many foods, the program is probably not for you.

NOTE: If your digestive system cannot handle a lot of staple foods and needs a lot of work, please check out our Physical or Emotional GoDeeper Programs. These programs’ focus is health restoration, and we may be able to accommodate slightly more.

We appreciate your understanding.

What We Customize

Free of charge:

Dairy, gluten, meat, fish and other seafood, sugar and eggs free. These foods are not included in our meals.

Ingredients we can customize for an additional fee:

(see exceptions further in this doc):

  • Many types of fruit, veggies and greens
  • Rare types of nuts (pine nuts, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts)
  • Most seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, sesame, poppy seed)
  • Legumes (beans, soy, peas)
  • Gluten-free grains (quinoa, gluten-free oats, wild and brown rice, amaranth, buckwheat, millet)

Limitations: When the meal customizations are too extensive, or we have too many guests with allergies, we may not be able to accommodate all requests or ask you to book for future programs.

Meal customization fee:

$150 per 7-day program. The fee covers additional planning, preparation and dishes time.

The customization fee must be paid during registration, and all known allergies/ sensitivities must be truthfully disclosed.

We are not able to customize the following:

Special Diets (Keto, FOD maps, Tamoxifen Diet, Nightshades, Glucose Free, Salt-Free, Diabetes, Kosher and similar). If you suffer from health conditions requiring meal customizations, look into our Go-Deeper Programs.

Food texture issues, picky eating, food disorders and complex customizations (=very many ingredients, multiple food groups, or customizations due to major digestive problems). We do not accommodate most of these in any programs.

Culinary herbs and spices, except some fresh herbs such as cilantro. We cannot customize dry herbs and other ingredients that are part of spice mixes.

Contact allergies, Celiac and other severe allergies (traces of specific ingredients may cause an allergic reaction) – our kitchen is not set up for such extreme customizations, we do not have separate facilities, cutting boards, knives, or other equipment, and we cannot guarantee any cross-contamination.

Epipen-requiring allergies – you can come at your own risk and bring an EpiPen (we do not have one on-site). While we do our best, we cannot guarantee that no mistakes or mix-ups of plates will ever happen. By choosing to come, you release us from liability.

Staple ingredients we cannot customize (because they are virtually in everything):

  • Almonds
  • Cashews
  • Carrots
  • Cooked onions
  • Cooked garlic
  • Flax seeds
  • Honey
  • Lemons
  • Lettuce
  • Potatoes
  • Walnuts

Allergies Non-Disclosure Disclaimer:

Suppose upon arrival, the undisclosed allergies are revealed. In that case, the person will be required to pay a customization fee (if not pay it before registration) plus an additional $75 for the last-minute menu re-planning. If the allergies are too extensive or what we explicitly state we do not accommodate, we will either send the guest home with the credit remaining to use by another person within the next two years or will ask to pay a double meal customization fee ($300), not dependent on how many days of the program is left. Fresh Start is not responsible for the cost of lost tickets, flight rescheduling, or other expenses related to an early departure.

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Organic vegan

Some guests ask us: what about protein? What is so bad about a steak or a piece of fish?

We are not advocates of a one-for-all diet and by any means do not discourage people who cannot or are not willing to become vegetarians to change it unless they desire. However, to help you achieve your desired health goals, we designed a nutrition plan that serves that purpose best. Organic vegan food is hypoallergenic, anti-inflammatory and contains multiple times more nutrition than its commercial version. Besides, it tastes better and satisfies faster.

We are not suggesting to eat that way for a lifetime, but we ask your trust and follow the plan in its entirety for a few weeks – and then to see for yourself what it does to your body, emotions and wellbeing. All it takes is to experience the benefits.

We are born to live. We eat to live. Live food gives life.

We are energy, and each cell runs on energy. We all could use more energy.

Each type of food gives you a different type and amount of energy. Most people think that choosing healthy ingredients is all that matters and get surprised when no matter what they do or eat, they cannot lose extra weight or maintain optimum health.

There are many health factors. On the nutrition level, the most essential factor is how the food ingredient has been processed. For example, whole-cooked quinoa in Tabouli salad will give you more nutrients than quinoa pasta. Though the same ingredient, one is cooked in its whole, unadulterated form, where the other one went through a factory processing, making it first into flower and then forming into a shape of noodle. It may seem the same, but the first one is abundant in minerals and proteins, while the other contains much less. Or if we take a fresh peach and canned peach – the difference in the amount of vitamins and quality of other nutrients will be significant, though none of the nutrition charts will show this to you. The same goes for the difference in nutrients between a stir-fry and a fresh rainbow salad.

At Fresh Start, we aim to use maximum unprocessed (raw) foods to allow your body to get optimum nutrition and energy. Though we use small amounts of foods like gluten-free pasta and crackers, as people are used to them, the core of our nutrition consists of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds in raw or lightly dehydrated form. This helps the food to maximum energize your body cells and organs.

Cellular Re-nourishment and Rehydration

In addition to meals, you’ll receive multiple health drinks, supplements, and 3+ litres of fluids every day during your stay. The purpose of this is to optimize the function of every organ in your body. “A healthy mind in a healthy body,” as they say.

Plated Meals

Most people who come to us want to lose weight or are concerned about ensuring adequate nutrients. After testing buffet style and various portion sizes, we found what works best for most people – the proportion and amount that keeps you satisfied but prevents overeating. We want you to focus on mindful eating and savour each bite.

Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend and give your supper to an enemy

This Russian saying powerfully states our body needs to rest at night. This is when our cells go into a cycle called elimination or yin cycle. This is when they cleanse and restore themselves. If we eat late at night a big meal, we do not let that natural process happen effectively. As a result, we cannot sleep, lose weight and wake up tired with a bad smell from the mouth from the half-digested food.

At Fresh Start, we offer early suppers consisting of soup and crackers and allow our bodies to rest and rejuvenate through the night. It may feel unusual at first, but you get used to it quickly and get to enjoy better sleep and wellbeing the next morning.

Commitment to your results

We are committed to putting on your plate only those ingredients that are the very best. Every dish served to you is designed and served with a purpose, the purpose of helping you get well on all levels: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.  The food you’ll eat is truly medicine for your entire well-being. We really hope you’ll enjoy it!

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Disclaimer: These pics are samples. Your meals may differ.

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