Jackson’s Honest ~ A Family On A Mission
The story of Jackson’s Honest Chips starts with a family on a mission to make their son’s quality of life the best they could. Jackson was born in May 2001 a normal, happy baby but by late 2002 he began to show signs that something just wasn’t right. He started displaying signs of muscle weakness and his weight gain slowed. Over the next 18 months Jackson’s condition steadily worsened and he began experiencing severe digestive issues as well. Jackson was seldom sleeping through the night and would cry almost constantly. With no real answers from his pediatrician, his parents Megan & Scott Reamer, took him to see specialists across the country in hopes they could determine what was was causing his debilitating symptoms. Jackson underwent test after test, from spinal taps and CT scans to X-rays and blood tests. His parents explored Chinese-medicine, Reiki and homeopathy. They subscribed to online medical journals and even reached out to the authors looking for answers. Despite everything they tried, there were still no answers and worse, no diagnosis. It wasn’t until they discovered a cookbook entitled “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon that they saw a change in Jackson’s condition. The philosophy was simple enough; eat nutrient-dense foods as close to their original state (that is, unprocessed) as possible; eat fermented foods that are more easily bio-absorbed; eat ‘good’ fats. Within a week of following this principle, Jackson was not only sleeping better, he was crying less. Within a month, Jackson was actually putting on weight. This had his parents convinced this diet really worked; they converted entirely to this “good fat” diet. With no real answers from the doctors Megan and Scott came to the conclusion that it was most likely inflammation that was causing Jackson’s condition. Processed foods and unhealthy fats seemed to aggravate Jackson’s condition. As the Reamers embraced their new healthy fat diet, they discovered coconut oil. As the family grew to now four children, they started experimenting with snack foods. It was one day that they decided to make homemade potato chips using coconut oil. These chips were amazing! These potato chips would fast become a favorite household snack. The Reamers would share their chips with friends, family and neighbors who also loved their coconut oil recipe and often said “you should sell these!” Initially Megan and Scott scoffed at the idea but eventually came around to the idea and so was born – Jackson’s Honest. Jackson would finally receive a diagnosis for his condition that for so long doctors could not figure out in 2015, a rare variant of an already-rare autoimmune disease called Aicardi–Goutières syndrome (AGS). Jackson’s Honest has grown over the years, becoming a company with a mission: to make clean, simple products with as much of these nutrient-dense fats as they can in a great tasting and convenient form while spreading the word that ancestral fats are a critically important part of a balanced diet. Sadly, Jackson passed away unexpectedly on August 13, 2017. His story and legacy however will go on with Jackson’s Honest. Please read more of Jackson’s amazing story and how Jackson’s Honest is changing the snack food industry at Jackson’s Honest ~ A Family On A Mission. You can also watch their story here.
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