This is the time of year when the Doctor attends local food shows and other consumer-based events—something I especially enjoy. Standing at a table piled high with packages of Flatbreads, Snackers, and bowls of samples, it’s great to hear firsthand the enthusiastic feedback of both current and future customers. But every now and then a customer (almost always a man, which is curious) will say, “It looks too healthy, I probably won’t like it.” 

This always leaves me wondering what the implication of “too healthy” is. Since I have a rebellious nature, myself, I suspect that part of this attitude is based on an automatic rejection of what these people feel is being forced on them for their own good, especially if they think they’ll have to give up something they enjoy in the process. (“You want me to put cod-liver oil on my toast instead of butter, and like it? Hell, no!”) It’s true that a few decades ago, the good-for-you alternatives to standard conventional fare were pretty rough; it seemed if you wanted to eat foods that were high in nutritional value, you had to be prepared to suffer in the process. But these days, the shelves and cases of supermarkets everywhere are overflowing with good-for-you-foods that taste as good as—and very often better than—their processed and artificially flavored counterparts. I’m proud that Dr. Kracker fits into this category—that not only are we providing alternatives and solutions to the nutritional problems of the day, but we make absolutely delicious products that anyone would choose on the merits of taste and texture alone. 

In his recent article about the challenges of universal health coverage, Peter Huber makes a distinction between the “health-conscious” and the “heath-careless.”¹ To me, “health-careless” seems a good description of the group of people who say they don’t like healthy-looking food. Because there’s just no escaping the fact that there is a direct correlation between the quality of the foods we eat and the quality of the health we enjoy. 

The dire consequences of poor nutrition in our country are beginning to be daily news items, as they should be. During the last year the Doctor has been at diabetes shows, the Food and Nutrition Expo, regional dietitians’ events and numerous health and wellness fairs. I’ve seen firsthand the enormity (no pun intended) of health problems caused by obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and food allergies, and I’ve met the committed professionals addressing these problems. As individuals, many of us are choosing to live and think healthy. But the question is, as a society, can we afford not to? I don’t think we can, and as with most of the bigger problems of today, I think the best solution to a new awareness of the importance of good nutrition is in the hands of the stewards of tomorrow: namely, our children. 

The Vision of Reverend Graham
Because graham crackers are often a child’s first cracker, I’ve always strived to make a cracker that genuinely appeals to kids—one they WANT to eat, not just are willing to eat—so Dr. Kracker could provide caring parents everywhere a real alternative to the General Mills/Nabisco path. 

Most people these days might not know that the graham cracker is named after the Reverend Sylvester Graham, who was born in Connecticut in 1794 and died in 1851. After surviving a fairly sickly childhood, Sylvester Graham made a connection between a better diet and good health. In those days, flour was extensively bleached and refined to feed the myth that white bread was better than brown. Graham came to the conclusion that the resulting loss of the bran and the wheat germ was one of the contributing causes to declining health of the general population. His “graham flour” was a return to whole-grain milling. 

Ordained in 1826, the Reverend was a stirring speaker, and held large events to discuss spirituality and health. Graham strongly urged that his followers take responsibility for their health by reforming how they ate and how they lived their lives. Through his health lectures, the Reverend also became known as Dr. Graham, although he had not studied medicine. The Doctor Reverend became one of the first examples of a popular figure heavily censored by the industries he criticized. His advocacy of vegetarianism and home baking caused an uproar among butchers and bakers, and there were near-riots by these tradesmen to keep Graham from speaking. The Reverend’s movement came to be known as Grahamites, and the graham cracker is one of the enduring legacies of his recommendations for an improved diet. 

I found the recipe for our Krispy Grahams in an old baking book. I was thrilled to see yeast recommended as a leavening agent, since Dr. Kracker bakes with yeast rather than chemicals. (While there’s nothing wrong with chemical leavenings such as baking powder or baking soda, yeast’s fermentation creates a more profound flavor, and the texture is much more crisp and robust.) This recipe needed just a little tweaking and adjusting to create our Krispy Grahams. We chose to use whole-grain spelt flour as an answer to the increasing awareness of wheat allergies. We debated whether to use butter or not, but finally decided that organic butter creates the best flavor profile, even if it does depart from Dr. Graham’s advocacy of the strictest vegetarian diet. And we dust the grahams lightly with sugar to concentrate the sugar on the top crust, so we can get by with a less-sweet version. And like all of our flavors, the Krispy Graham has flaxseeds for their extra fiber, protein and omega-3 fatty acids. This is very much an heirloom recipe that is 100% whole grain, one of the few whole-grain grahams on the market! 

Our Krispy Grahams have been slowly gaining sales in the marketplace, and at our customer food shows, customers always give it high marks. They like that it’s not overly sweet, they enjoy the more substantial texture and mouthfeel, and they want more whole grains, both for themselves and for their children. Our grahams have even been accepted into the Unified Berkeley School District, where they’re part of the snack program. 

We feel that all of the Dr. Kracker Flatbreads, Snackers and Snack Chips honor the memory of the Reverend Graham. We join the Reverend in spirit to passionately “preach” the connection between healthy food and health itself. And most of all, we hope that with our delicious, great-tasting and genuinely wholesome products, Dr. Kracker can open the door for the “health-careless” of today to make a conversion, while inspiring a future generation of healthy children to never settle for anything less than what is truly best for them. 

¹Peter Huber is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of “The Bottomless Well.” I saw his article in Investors Business Daily, October 29, 2007.

George Eckrich apprenticed as a baker in Hanover, Germany, during the late 1970s, where he learned artisan baking of whole-grain and specialty European breads. In 1982 he started his own bakery in Austin, Texas, renting space in the second store, which Whole Foods Market built in Austin. In later years, Eckrich merged his company into Whole Foods, from which he retired in 2000.  

Intrigued by the need for a healthy alternative to crackers or chips, Eckrich traveled to Germany to meet Klaus Karg, who already was in the practice of baking flatbreads that emphasize the flavors of seeds and grains rather than fats, oils and sugar. Beginning in 2003 with other baker partners, Eckrich helped build Dr. Kracker up from its German roots to create a very American bakery that makes healthy, whole-grain-based flatbreads and Snacker Krackers. Dr. Kracker is sold throughout the United States.  

Eckrich has a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. 

Visit Dr Kracker at Booth 2516 at Natural Products Expo West, March 14-16 in Anaheim, Calif. For more info, visit www.expowest.com.