Cletas Nutritions full-time sales consultant, Jennifer Rulo, left, store manager Wendi Wittman, center, and Wittmans mother and Cletas founder, Beverly Roberts, all of Godfrey, stand inside Cletas Nutrition, at 3004 Godfrey Road, in Godfrey. Roberts founded the health food store in 1991.

Cletas Nutritions full-time sales consultant, Jennifer Rulo, left, store manager Wendi Wittman, center, and Wittmans mother and Cletas founder, Beverly Roberts, all of Godfrey, stand inside

Cletas Nutritions full-time sales consultant, Jennifer Rulo, left, store manager Wendi Wittman, center, and Wittmans mother and Cletas founder, Beverly Roberts, all of Godfrey, stand inside Cletas Nutrition, at 3004 Godfrey Road, in Godfrey. Roberts founded the health food store in 1991.

Cletas Nutritions full-time sales consultant, Jennifer Rulo, left, store manager Wendi Wittman, center, and Wittmans mother and Cletas founder, Beverly Roberts, all of Godfrey, stand inside

Clean living closer than you think at Cletas Nutrition

GODFREY One of the regions most comprehensive health food destinations is right here in our own backyard.

Were the place you come to if you have a food intolerance, said Cletas Nutrition store manager Wendi Wittman. We have that edge. We carry and focus on what you would normally have to go to St. Louis to find.

Wittmans mother, Beverly Roberts, 75, founded Cletas Nutrition, in Godfrey, nearly three decades ago, at 3004 Godfrey Road, and still works at the health food store.

Wittman, 49, and knowledgeable full-time sales consultant, Jennifer Rulo, 46, research every single brand and product that is sold at Cletas Nutrition.

Rulo, a former customer, came to Cletas 12 years ago seeking pain relief. Not only did she find that relief often through trial and error but she also discovered a desire to help others find relief from persistent daily human conditions.

She is a blessing, said Roberts, who opened Cletas Nutrition in 1991.

Shes on it, shes into it, her hearts into health.

Rulo originally came to Cletas Nutrition to address her own fibromyalgia and inflammation. Now shes worked at Cletas for more than four years, helping others who walk through Cletas door to manage their own physical pain and fatigue.

I do a lot of one-on-one, Rulo said. People approach me about different things theres so many options. Theres a lot of different avenues as far as what people respond to we never diagnose or recommend, but talk about what has worked for other people and different research on pain management.

You have to know your companies and do your research to talk to others about clean products, she said, and you should always consult a physician before changing your diet or adding any supplements, especially with prescription medication.

Current diet trends include a ketogenic diet, high in fat, adequate in protein and low in carbohydrates, or plant-based, not necessarily vegetarian, consisting mostly, or entirely, of plant-derived foods, including vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits, and with few, or no, animal products. Diets that address food intolerance issues also are common, Rulo said.

Roberts began working in the health food and nutrition industry in the 1970s, for River City Nutrition, founded by Carl Muckler, who had an Alton location and three Missouri locations: Florissant, Chesterfield and Kirkwood, where Roberts worked. But her experience there wasnt the only thing that inspired her to have her own health food and nutrition business.

Different family members were getting sick and I was trying to think outside the box, about what could fuel the body so it could heal, Roberts recalled.

Now twice widowed, Roberts said health improved for her first and for her second husband when, during the course of their respective medical treatment, they began consuming clean foods and giving more attention to nutrition.

Clean means no chemicals, no dyes, no preservatives, no artificial or synthetic anything, explained Wittman.

In general, clean eating follows the belief that consuming whole foods in their most natural state and avoiding processed foods, such as refined sugar, offers certain health benefits.

For instance, organic ketchup has 45 percent more lycopene than commercial brands, Wittman noted.

Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, can be found as a supplement, but it may be most effective when consumed from lycopene-rich foods, like, tomatoes. Lycopenes many health benefits purportedly include improved heart health and lower risk of certain types of cancer, as well as sun protection.

Roberts was diagnosed with lupus approximately three years ago, she said, and credits clean eating for reversing the systemic autoimmune disease, for which she no longer tests positive.

Within a year and a half, I tested negative, she said. God made the body to heal. In my recovery, I worked with diet changes, cleaning it up even more.

Cletas also offers healthy alternatives, such as homeopathic medicinal products, for mind and body, including beauty and hygiene products, such as fluoride-free toothpaste and hair and skin care.

Its nutrition for your outer organs, Wittman said.

Roberts gives all the credit for Cletas longevity to God.

Hes the reason, He has blessed our business, she said.

People come in here for so many things medically that may be irreversible, but you can clean up.

Visit Cletas Nutritions Facebook page for more information.

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Clean living closer than you think at Cletas Nutrition - Alton Telegraph