From day one, Mood has been committed to being transparent about what we serve. When we opened in 2007, we struggled to categorize ourselves, as many food establishments label themselves as organic or farm to table. Others also market themselves as selling the best ingredients, but this leaves us wondering what that means to our customers. We have always been dedicated to our philosophy regarding where we source ingredients and how we prepare our food, rather than following trends of the day.
In an ideal world, all of our ingredients would be from organic or regenerative farms, but with costs rising, this becomes more and more unattainable. We price our menu as affordably as possible without sacrificing what we believe in, and with the hope that anyone can pursue a healthy lifestyle at Mood. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to keep costs down. We have promised transparency about our ingredients, so here is a breakdown of what you pay for when you eat at Mood Food and Mood 'Wiches:
SEASONINGS:
We avoid sugar and use fruits, honey or maple syrup whenever possible. In all cases, we use much less sweetener and salt than popular recipes. Exceptions include some of our baked goods, such as scones, muffins, cookies and bars. None of our GF items contain processed sugar. They’re sweetened with honey and we won’t use substitutes such as stevia or swerve because we believe these are overly processed.
We don't over season our dishes, since there’s no need to mask the flavor of our amazing ingredients! The better the source, the more flavor (and nutrients) in the food. We all have a sweet/salty gauge that differs, but we want to bring your gauge down. Lower sugar and salt intake for a multitude of health benefits! Once we reset your taste buds, you won't want to eat overly seasoned meals again.
ORGANICS
We don't always order from USDA organic certified farms, but we do order from small farms that that follow organic farming practices as an alternative, many of which can’t afford to pay for the USDA stamp. We believe that some ingredients are more important than others to be organic or from a regenerative farm.
Any produce grown underground is organic, such as carrots and beets.
Anything grown at the soil level such as kale, spinach and romaine we do our best to source organic or from regenerative farms.
We feel that bananas or produce with a thick protective skin does not need to be organic.
Most of our breads are organic which means they are made with unbromated flour. Exceptions include gluten free bread, Ezekiel bread and the whole wheat wrap.
PACKAGED INGREDIENTS:
We try to avoid anything packaged that contains preservatives or other fillers. None of our main ingredients are ultra processed.
COOKING METHOD:
We’ve eliminated the use of seed oils at Mood Food and now use olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil for all of our cooking and dressings. We believe this is better for your health than using seed oils even if they are organic.
Are you looking for a 100% clean diet?
Here is a detailed guide on anything you may want to steer away from:
ORGANIC PACKAGED GOODS:
Ketchup
Olive oil– contains no additives
Almond butter– contains no additives
Tahini – contains no additives
CONVENTIONAL PACKAGED GOODS:
Dairy Milks, which are hormone/antibiotic free
Half and half, buttermilk, heavy cream are organic
Almond milk - contains no additives or filler or emulsifiers
(when Mood-made almond milk runs out)
Oat milk – contains seed oil and emulsifiers
(still searching for an alternative that works for espresso drinks)
Tobasco
Sriracha
Ketchup in packets
Cream cheese
Mayo
Dijon mustard
Whole grain mustard
Anchovies
Yogurt
Peanut butter
Coconut cream
Juices that are not made in house
Vinegars
Tomato paste
Roasted red peppers
Kalamata olives
Solid white tuna
Mood made items that CONTAIN PROCESSED SUGAR:
Non GF muffins
Chocolate chip cookie
Oatmeal cookie
Chocolate walnut cookie
Scone
Nutty date bar
Coconut bar
Pecan bar
Lemon bar
Apple pie
Balsamic vinaigrette
Lemon Vinaigrette
NATURALLY SWEETENED Mood-made items
Fudgey brownie – maple syrup
Powerhouse cookie – maple syrup
Paleo bread – raw honey
GF Muffins – raw honey
Apple cider vinaigrette – maple syrup
Honey mustard – raw honey