Start Right Foods: One Local Dad’s Take on A Healthy Breakfast

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This post is sponsored by Start Right foods. 

You’re a dad and you and your business partner were college athletes. What made you start a breakfast food company? Why not a sporting good company?

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and at my house we ‘breakfast’ for dinner on the regular! As athletes, both Kyle and I faced the issue of what to eat for breakfast. We both were up early for workouts and did a lot of eating on the go. The best options that didn’t upset your stomach were either a protein shake or a protein bar. Not exactly well balanced. 

Now that I am a busy entrepreneur and a dad of three, my mornings have only gotten more hectic. Knowing that just about everyone struggles to find healthy, convenient breakfasts, Kyle and I wanted to create products based around breakfast staples that were high protein but also convenient for those hectic mornings. Start Right exists to do just that!

Co-Owners Kyle and Clint in Start Right’s first kitchen in 2015

Your waffles look different than normal store-bought waffles, what else sets them apart?

If you see our waffles on the grocery store shelf you will instantly see a difference that sets us apart but it really matters with what is in them! Our waffles are all about protein. Two of our waffles contain 15g of protein, which for comparison is like eating 2.5 eggs for breakfast! Our waffle slider breakfast sandwiches contain 19g or protein. All of our waffles and sliders are gluten free. All you need to do is either pop them in the toaster or heat the sliders in the microwave! You can have a complete breakfast ready in the matter of a couple minutes! 

What do your wives think about this business that you started? Do your kids eat waffles every day for breakfast?

Both of them are very supportive of the business and gracious in the amount of our time it consumes. (Thank you to them!) My wife is constantly telling people about what we do because she is proud, but also she is a Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). She knows the importance of eating a high protein breakfast and the positive effects it can have on the diabetic community!

We have three children, so getting them off to school in the morning is hectic. My daughters and my wife are definitely the waffle consumers in our house and we all share a love for our waffle sliders. It is cool to watch the kids enjoy Start Right products for breakfast because I know they are being sent to school with the fuel their bodies need to be able to learn and be attentive all day long!

I get burnt out on eating the same things for breakfast. Our intent is to not be the ONLY thing people eat for breakfast but to be an option that families go to a few times a week when they are in a pinch for time. That is how we use them!

You recently announced an exciting partnership, can you tell us more about that?

We just partnered with St. Louis Scott Gallagher and St. Louis FC. Their mission is to build a club that positively impacts the development of our players on and off the field and positively impacts our community. We are a sponsor and supporter of the soccer team and associated youth program. It has been great getting to know the players and staff there. More importantly St. Louis Scott Gallagher is working to impact the soccer community and we know we can help parents fuel their young athletes.

We want to be a company that builds community! We both are coaches and intimately know the importance of nutrition on athletic performance. Kyle coaches the St. Louis Blazers Track Club and I coach a middle school football team. As entrepreneurs, coaches and former athletes, it seemed only fitting that we ‘officially’ begin supporting young athletes in our community with education and awareness on the importance of proper nutrition and how Start Right can help.

So, why IS a protein-based breakfast so important? 

There is a lot of research that shows several benefits from eating a high protein breakfast. They range from better cognitive function (awareness/activity), decreased snacking throughout the day, decrease caloric intake, more stable blood glucose levels throughout the day and even weight loss. The sad part is, now that I have kids, I am able to see and hear what their friends eat for breakfast either at home or at school and it is the same sugary, carb-loaded items. Kyle and I take great pride and comfort in knowing that we give families and easier option that is convenient but also good for them. 

Tell moms how this product can change their morning routine!

If you are a mom with kids and you are also working a job you are about as close to a modern day super hero as it comes! Start Right wants to be there on those mornings when you wake up late, kids are moving slow or maybe your husband (I would never do this) isn’t helping quite as much as usual! We want to be in your freezer so you can use our waffles or sliders when things are hectic and give you peace of mind that you can send your kids to school or yourself and your husband to work with the fuel you need to conquer the day ahead.