Thursday, September 24, 2009

Superb Stuff #2: Kashi

This is the second installment of the Superb Stuff series. Read the introduction here.


Right now I am sitting over my laptop, the way I do every morning, with a delicious bowl of cereal. Full disclosure: my name is Erin and I am a cereal-aholic. My dad works for Kellogg's and I grew up in the "Cereal City" Battle Creek, Michigan (I just found a link with a comedian making fun of it, pretty funny). Anyway, it is in the complete spirit of uncensored bias that I present Kashi as one of my favorite companies.


As a kid I was pretty much raised on Kellogg's cereals like Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, and my personal favorite Froot Loops. I still enjoy Special K and other Kellogg's cereals (although not the Froot Loops so much) but as I have gotten older and more health conscious, my tastes have changed. It seemed appropriate that as I was learning more about nutrition and getting into yoga that my dad introduced me to a small Californian health food company called Kashi.


Kashi cereals are high in protein, fiber and their signature blend of whole grains. Their signature phrase is, "7 whole grains on a mission." Here is a section of their mission, or "Mantra" as they call it, that stands out to me:


Health isn’t a destination; it’s a journey. Every little step we take creates a healthier path forward. We believe that when we eat well, we feel well, and do well for ourselves, our families, our coworkers, our communities, and the world. This philosophy builds on our deep roots in natural foods since 1984 and remains our daily guiding light.


They go on to highlight all the ways that they are active in community building and environmental sustainability.


Sure, a lot of companies take on this image because it is fashionable to be health conscious and environmentally friendly these days. Still, more companies don't even bother. As consumers if we are serious about good health and corporate environmental practices we should support companies who make it a serious priority. It is built into the DNA of Kashi and I hope they stay that way. Plus Kashi Go Lean is really yummy.


9 comments:

PunkRockRunner said...

Thanks for posting this. I will give this a try and let you know what I think.

Interesting that Pops would tell you about a non-Kellogg's brand. Do they not have a similar product?

Take care!

Ron

Lady Southpaw said...

Well... full full disclosure Kellogg's "acquired" them in 2000, but I'm not sure all the logistics of the biz relationship and it's not really emphasized on the Kashi website so I left it out ;) In a way it's still a nod to dear old Dad. As big corporations go I still like Kellogg's for the most part. Although, if I had to work for some part of it I would rather be at a smaller more focused company like Kashi... I guess that's all I'm saying. I think it's a lot easier to stick to your mission when you're not a giant corporation...

Mike Turitzin said...

That cereal is freakin' delicious. I discovered it a few years ago and ate it exclusively for a while. I'm taking a break now, but I'm sure I will go back soon enough :)

JDawg said...

Well, at least Kashi doesn't have high fructose corn syrup like most big name cereals. Hopefully the acquisition won't change that.

Lady Southpaw said...

Mike, Yea, with all that fiber I can see how your body would probably need a break now and then hahaha. Have you tried some of the other varieties?

Jess, the acquisition happened nine years ago. It's the reason you can even find Kashi in almost every grocery store now.

Mike Turitzin said...

Nope, I haven't tried any other Kashi cereals. Have recommendations?

And just in case it was ambiguous, I meant that I was eating this stuff as my sole breakfast cereal, not as my sole form of sustenance :)

Atrusni said...

Hey, thanks for posting at my blog!!, It is great to see that someone actually reads it!!. I was running today a 5 mile run and your song "engineering masterpiece" started to play on my Ipod!!. Great running song, every once in a while starts to play on my ipod!

I look forward to hear more songs from you

Regards,

Atrusni

Junk Miler said...

I'm koo koo for cocoa puffs.

Not really, but I felt it needed to be said.

Sump Pump Installation Asheville said...

Hello mate niice post