Bob's Legacy
The Moore family has proudly supported health & wellness in our community
Moore Family Center for Whole Grain Foods, Nutrition and Preventive Health
The Moore Family Center for Whole Grain Foods, Nutrition and Preventive Health helps individuals and communities live healthier through healthy foods and good nutrition. The center takes a multidisciplinary approach to understand the role of all foods, including whole grains, in health promotion and disease prevention and builds upon synergies among research, education and outreach to bridge the science of whole foods and nutrition to its practical application in the community. Because its work is facilitated and promoted in every Oregon county through the OSU Extension Service, its reach and impact is unparalleled. Housed in the state’s only accredited college of public health and at Oregon’s premier research university, Oregon State University, the center is poised to make a significant difference in the nutritional health of individuals and families in Oregon and beyond.
Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness
The Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness at Oregon Health & Science University, is working to change the way we think about food and health. Founded in 2012 with a generous gift from Bob and Charlee Moore, the OHSU Moore Institute is committed to reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases across the lifespan in current and future generations by promoting healthy, nutrient-rich diets based on whole-foods – before conception, during pregnancy and lactation, and in infancy and early childhood. Years of scientific research have revealed that the nutrition a woman receives before and during pregnancy has a direct impact on her children’s risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease later in life. To translate this message, the Moore Institute launched a public health initiative called Better the Future, which inspires and empowers people to make changes to our food culture, ultimately leading to healthier communities for all. Bob and Charlee Moore's passion for healthy food, combined with OHSU's world-class expertise in the developmental origins of health and disease, created a powerful partnership to fight the rising tide of preventable chronic disease. Contact the OHSU Moore Institute by phone at 503-494-2382 or by email at [email protected].
Food as Medicine Institute
In 2010, thanks to the integrity and generosity of Bob and Charlee Moore, owners of Bob’s Red Mill, the Ending Childhood Obesity (ECO) project began at National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) and developed into the Food as Medicine Institute (FAMI). Over the course of six years, FAMI has guided hundreds of families to better health through better nutrition by means of a 12-week, physician-led, hands-on cooking classes (Food as Medicine Everyday). FAMI reaches hundreds more [public and physicians] with the latest nutrition information and research through its annual Food As Medicine Symposium. FAMI physicians created a unique farm-to-table Master of Science in Nutrition program housed at Charlee’s Kitchen in Helfgott Research Institute. The degree provides a solid foundation in holistic nutrition and diets of whole, unprocessed foods, complemented by skill-training in cooking, teaching and nutritional counseling. Thanks to the ongoing support from Bob’s Red Mill, FAMI continues to provide high-level nutrition education to populations in need under the guidance of Lead Physicians, Drs. Julie Briley and Courtney Jackson, both naturopathic doctors, in Portland, Oregon. In early 2016 NUNM published a book compiling their wisdom and recipes entitled Food as Medicine Everyday: Guiding Principles.
Whole Grains and Gut Health
Dr. Robert Martindale serves as the Chief of Gastrointestinal and General Surgery at Oregon Health & Science University, and is well-known for his expertise in gut health.
Dr. Martindale’s latest endeavors primarily involve nutrition and the microbiome. Gut dysbiosis, or disruption of normal gut bacteria, has clearly been shown to alter gut function in the acutely ill patient, and there is growing evidence that this disruption likely contributes to worse patient outcomes such as infection, longer hospital stays, and possibly death. Research has shown that dietary intake, specifically a plant based diet with complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, can positively alter the gut microbial activity (microbiome) by promoting microbial diversity and metabolic capacity. Thanks to a generous gift from Bob and Charlee Moore, Dr. Martindale investigates the impact of dietary changes on the microbiome in hospitalized adults.
Nutrition Matters
In the fall of 2014, George Fox University introduced its campus to the “Nutrition Matters” program based on a generous grant from Bob and Charlee Moore of Bob’s Red Mill. The expansive program is aimed at developing a culture that understands what good nutrition is and how it impacts one’s health. To accomplish a cross-generational shift in health awareness and habits, George Fox focused on education, health monitoring, and social support across the campus.
As part of its general education curriculum, George Fox enhanced its Lifelong Fitness course with new nutrition lectures; fitness tracking technology that records steps, nutrition, and sleep habits; and a Bod Pod to measure changes in body fat percentage. The course reached 661 students in the first year of implementation. Simultaneously, the university’s campus food service, Bon Appétit, made great additions to its meal offerings including: an enhanced whole grain station, a “flavor station” to encourage students to substitute flavored vinegars and herbs for salt intake, posted nutritional information for common food items, increased gluten-free meals, allergy training for cooks, and Lifelong Fitness presentations on nutrition.
The university has increased the reach of its nutritional re-imagining through student-led activities in residence halls; doing cooking demonstrations for students; having students join “Accountability Teams” to help them reach fitness goals; and engaging biology and nursing students doing research projects on nutrition, using the health trackers for data. Additionally, George Fox has partnered with the Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness at Oregon Health & Science University to develop enhanced nutrition curricula for its nursing, biology, and health programs. George Fox faculty also participate in a curriculum development committee for the Moore Institute. The university is pleased by the impact on students it has seen so far and looks forward to continued expansion of the program.