Our Mission

Nature's Express, a truly unique fast-food restaurant, has opened its first storefront at 2905 S. 4th Avenue in Yuma! We offer delicious, healthier foods for people with busy lifestyles who want a wholesome alternative to fast food. At first glance, the menu looks like typical fast-food fare—burgers, fries, shakes, and sandwiches—but there's a twist. Emphasizing healthier food, the Nature's Express menu is 100% plant-based and therefore higher in beneficial micronutrients and cholesterol-free.

Co-founders of the restaurant are Dr. Carl Myers of Yuma, his wife Jean Myers, and Mitch Wallis of San Diego. Mr. Wallis is an attorney who has been involved in the natural food business since he was a student at the University of Arizona in the 1980s. He has managed restaurants in San Diego, Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Many offerings on the Nature's Express menu come from the best recipes from these restaurants.

The Myers' decision to start a healthier fast food restaurant in Yuma grew out of a deep concern for the community's health. Yuma, like the rest of the country, has skyrocketing rates of obesity and diabetes that are clearly related to the food we eat. Poor food choices are also linked to America's three biggest killers: heart disease, cancer, and strokes. Recognizing that fast food makes up a significant portion of our diet, the owners of Nature's Express want to offer a convenient but healthier alternative.

Dr. Myers, an oncologist who has practiced in Yuma since 2001, says he constantly stresses to patients that a diet high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and empty calories may taste good going down, but is hazardous to one's health. "An unhealthy diet not only promotes deadly diseases, but also affects our energy level, how we look, and how we feel about ourselves. If we could make a pill with the beneficial balance of anti-oxidants and micro- nutrients found naturally in plants, it would cost a ton," says Dr. Myers.

He also notes the link between poor diets and depression. "We forget that what we eat affects how we feel. For instance, schools that improve the quality of their lunch programs have experienced fewer discipline problems. As a nation in a competitive world, we can't afford to bear the costs of junk food forever."

Jean Myers also promotes healthy life-styles by teaching cooking classes for cancer prevention and survival, sponsored by the Yuma Regional Medical Center and The Cancer Project in Washington, D.C. Jean observes, "By teaching cooking classes, I've discovered first hand that people really want to eat healthier. The participants who are able to fully adopt a healthy diet discover that they feel so much better. Seeing people get excited about what they can do for their health is very rewarding."

Nature's Express is designed to make healthier food available at an affordable price. Studies show that many of America's kids are eating fast food three to four times per week. Mr. Wallis states, "The convenience, affordability, and taste of fast food are hard to beat. We know that for Nature's Express to succeed the food can't just be healthy, it needs to taste great."

Meaghan Leahy, the company's culinary consultant, is in charge of making the food taste great. Meaghan, a graduate of the Natural Foods Culinary Institute in New York City, has the personal mission to enrich the world by offering everyone a healthier diet. (Find out more about Meaghan and her ambition by visiting her website, www.vegpod.com.)

Dr. Myers stresses how misinformation promoted by fad diets is detrimental to long-term health. "We want to help everyone know more about healthy eating. Nature's Express is committed to helping families eat better at home as well as when they go out."

Nature's Express already has in place exciting plans to improve and expand its nutritious menu, and is now hiring dedicated individuals who want to become part of the mission to provide healthier fast food.

Nature's Express—what a great idea! And who would think, it all started in Yuma!

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