In the 1920s,before kale was cool,my great-grandmother, Helen Seitner, a passionate health food pioneer, opened her own natural foods store.

The Stay-Well health shop carried all sorts of produce, flours, bulk seeds and nuts. She was ahead of her time in focusing on the power of whole foods. She refused to carry white flour in the store, only whole wheat. She’d purchase 100 pound bags of carrots for juicing and, most importantly,she insisted on letting nothing go to waste.It was this last piece of advice that left the greatest impression on me. She juiced daily, using only whole fruits and vegetables —roots, rinds, seeds and stems.I vividly remember her skin glowing orange from all the beta-carotene! I grew up seeing the benefits of her healthy lifestyle as she lived to nearly 100 and was full of vitality even later in life.