Meal Standards: Quality you can trust

Our Food Philosophy

Ceres is dedicated to growing, preparing and delivering food and meals that are healthy for our clients, our community, and the planet. We believe food can’t be truly healthy or sustainable unless we look at the impact of our choices on each of these levels.  

A Ceres meal is filled with foods that are… 

• WHOLE. For our clients whose appetites are reduced, we know that every bite counts. Our meals are delicious and made of nutrient-rich, minimally processed foods.  

• ORGANIC. Because we believe it’s healthier—and safer—for our clients, our community and our planet. 

• LOCAL. Prioritizing locally-grown means our clients get the freshest foods, at their peak. 

• LOW-GLYCEMIC. We design our meals to support healthy blood sugar levels. 

• MADE WITH LOVE by our teen and adult volunteers. We want our clients to know that their community cares. 

Whole

Fresh whole foods are steeped in healthy minerals, vitamins, enzymes, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and the protective phytochemicals. Phytochemicals, also known as phytonutrients, are natural components of plants which support the immune system and cellular health. 

“A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is the best bet for preventing virtually every chronic disease. This fact has been established time and time again by scientific studies on large numbers of people. The evidence in support of this recommendation is so strong that it has been endorsed by U.S. government health agencies and by virtually every major medical organization… Fruits and vegetables are so important in the battle against cancer that some experts have said that cancer is a result of a “maladaptation” over time to a reduced level of intake of fruits and vegetables.” 1 

Every Ceres meal starts with whole foods rather than canned or processed foods. We feature a wide variety of whole grains, legumes, colorful fresh vegetables, eggs, poultry, meat and dairy from pasture-raised animals, and sustainable, line-caught fish. Our meals are low in sodium and saturated fat, but high in flavor thanks to fresh herbs, spices and seasonings.  

Our meals follow DASH diet standards and are plant-forward, with the majority of the meal consisting of vegetables, whole grains and legumes. This evidence-based diet has been shown to support healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels and to help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. Ceres’ Registered Dietitian Nutritionist works with our culinary team to tailor our menu to the nutritional needs of our clients according to their medical conditions.  

Organic

At Ceres, we also put an emphasis on the quality of the food, based on how and where it is grown, so that it isn’t only about what foods we use, but where they come from. This is why we use organic, seasonal, nutrient-rich foods that are local and sustainable as much as possible. 

Our choice to use organic foods is also based on the fact that “in the United States, more than 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides and herbicides are sprayed on or added to [non-organic] food crops each year. That’s roughly five pounds of pesticide for each man, woman, and child.”1 

Using organic ingredients which are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers is a way to better support our clients in their recovery from illness, to support organic farmers in their vital work, and to educate our clients, teens and volunteers on what real food tastes like, feels like, and how it affects our health. 

Low Glycemic

Another important aspect of our meals is that they are balanced for appropriate intake of all macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) and we create them with a low glycemic load, so that they will not cause a spike in blood sugar (high blood sugar is linked with cancer growth, and blood sugar spikes have short-term consequences such as fatigue and long-term consequences such as diabetes and cardio-vascular disease). We do not use refined sugars for this reason.

Local & Humane

Ceres believes in promoting a resilient local food system. We operate two organic gardens that provide fresh seasonal produce for our meals, and we source from local farms and from wholesalers who purchase from local farms. This means that our clients receive fresh, seasonal produce in all of their meals.

Aligned with our commitment to support the health of both people and environment, Ceres values the well-being of animals and supports farm and ranch practices that reflect this value. Ceres Community Project currently procures 100% of our goat dairy and turkey from farms that achieve an animal welfare certification recognized by REAL Certified and ASPCA® Shop With Your Heart. 

Our goat dairy is from Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery, which is a Certified Humane farm, and our turkey is from Diestel Farms, which is certified at Global Animal Partnership Step 3 (or higher). We also source pasture-raised eggs from Green Star Farms (a Certified Naturally Grown farm whose practices go beyond organic), procure chicken from organic sources with a strong commitment to animal welfare, and cow dairy from sources who are either American Humane Certified (Clover Organic) or abide by the highest standards of organic certification and are committed to environmental sustainability as well as animal welfare (Straus Creamery). 

Summary

In some ways, you can distill our food philosophy down to three words: beautiful, delicious and nourishing. We tell our Teen Chefs that our food must be visually appealing so that someone who doesn’t have much appetite will want to take that first bite. It has to be delicious so that first bite makes them want more. And it has to be nourishing since every bite counts in our mission to support the health of our clients.  

For more information about why we make these choices, please read our white papers:

• The Power of our Food Choices 

• Why and How: Ceres’ Food Philosophy

 1. Murray, at al. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Atria Books, 2005. 

We follow the Food Is Medicine Coalition Standards for Nutrition.

The Food is Medicine Coalition’s Clinical Committee (FIMC), overseen by the FIMC Advisory Board, has issued guidelines based on over 30 years of experience developing the science of medically tailoring meals. The Clinical Committee is made up of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, who are experts in treating serious illness with nutrition.