Tara FinleyToday, health is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. More than just avoiding sickness, people are seeking a full-body wellness that encompasses both the physical and mental self. So how does one achieve health? This was the question that Dr. Andrew Abraham sought to answer in his younger years.
At 17, Andrew received a diagnosis that changed his life drastically: cancer.
A high school senior immersed in athletics and college applications, he was living in what he thought were the best years of his life.
“At that age you almost feel invincible,” remembers Andrew. “I was at a point in my life where I was the most carefree I’ve ever been.”
From the playing field to a hospital bed, he was no longer planning for the future, but rather wondering if he was going to get one at all. “You go from one extreme to the other,” says Andrew.
Sick from constant chemotherapy and radiation treatments, the teen struggled to get the nutrients he needed to become well. From a nasogastric (NG) tube to popular nutritional shakes, his team of doctors prescribed whatever they could to stop him from wasting away.
Unable to eat, he was instructed to try pre-packaged protein drinks. At the time, he trusted the advice and drank them as much as he could, trying to ignore the chemical taste. “This must be really good for me because it tastes horrible,” Andrew recalls thinking.
Despite their purported benefits, he found that the shakes were making him feel worse. “I just didn’t feel good,” explains Andrew. “It was kind of like putting the wrong tank of gas in the car – it filled me up but I didn’t feel good at all.”
After reading hundreds of books on food and nutrition, Andrew realized that what was being offered had the “worst possible ingredients you could use.” He was impassioned to make his own shakes that would actually provide the fuel his body needed to regain strength and become well again.
“I don’t think people realize how good they are supposed to feel,” Andrew says. “The body has an incredible ability to repair itself and feel amazing if you give it the right fuel.”
Andrew beat cancer and graduated both college and medical school. While working, Dr. Andrew Abraham realized that his calling was not treating illness, but helping people to avoid it altogether.
“The power of clean nutrition stayed with me as I entered my medical career,” shares Dr. Abraham on Orgain’s website. “As I treated patients, I was consumed by the idea that I could help millions more people a day by bringing a healthier, organic nutrition shake to the market. So I took a leap of faith, quit my medical practice and started Orgain.”
And thus, his business was born. A blend of organic nutrients, what started as simple homemade shakes has become a way for everyone to gain health, energy and life. Clean eating changed Andrew’s life after cancer almost took it, and he wants to provide that same opportunity to all who need it.
“I designed and built Orgain thinking it was going to be for patients that are dealing with cancer, but instead it became a lifestyle brand,” shares Dr. Abraham.
“Nutrition is the foundation for health,” teaches Dr. Abraham. “What you put in your body can either lead to disease, or avoid it. If everyone ate healthy and took care of themselves, our health care system could do so much better.”
Today, as the world is being ravaged by a pandemic that affects all, especially the most medically vulnerable, health has become a goal for everyone. Easier said than done, eating healthy can be difficult, as many find the taste and lack of nutritional knowledge prohibitive.
Dr. Abraham hopes to solve this dilemma. “It has always been my mission and passion to solve for what has been completely absent in the marketplace – to bring delicious tasting and cleaner nutritional options to the consumer and make clean nutrition accessible to all,” says the cancer survivor.
For those new to nutritional eating, he suggests finding a product that fits with your lifestyle, and offers simple smart adjustments instead of immediate radical change.
To start, says the doctor, replace your breakfast with something healthier. “If you start your day off right, it will set the tone for the rest of the day,” he advises. “You begin to feel a little bit better and it influences the rest of your day.” As you repeat this choice daily, you may find it easier to make larger changes that will continue to positively impact your health.
Dr. Andrew Abraham (Courtesy of Orgain)
Dr. Abraham hopes that those who use Orgain can feel the positive effects clean nutrition has on their bodies, sustaining their energy levels and their overall health.
Calling his business “relentlessly clean,” Orgain offers products that are Certified Organic as well as soy free, gluten free, non-GMO with no artificial ingredients.
Located in Irvine, Orgain has found that Orange County is an ideal place to run a business.
“Orange County is home to a diverse and highly forward thinking workforce, and we have been lucky enough to recruit several of these people onto our team,” Dr. Abraham tells us. “I think if you look at the number of economy-leading businesses that have set up shop here, it proves that it is an ideal place to do business.”
As the company grows, its future is bright.
“It has been incredible to grow our business within the community of Irvine. Once shelter in place restrictions are lifted, we are really looking forward to getting back to work because our team will soon be working out of a new facility down the street that will allow for even more innovation,” says Dr. Abraham.
While he has found great success, he remains dedicated to his roots of giving back.
“I am always thinking of ways to give back, and I got into this business to help others,” shares Dr. Abraham. “Since day one, we always try and give back. Anyone that can’t afford Orgain and may be dealing with cancer, we ship them product free of charge.”
Recently, the company created a program called Shakes for Heroes which was designed to help nourish healthcare practitioners on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. People can nominate health care practitioners and the hospital or medical team where they work and Orgain will send at least 100,000 Clean Protein shakes to support frontline health care workers as they do their critical work.
At the end of the day, Dr. Andrew Abraham is a family man that wants to not only stay healthy to be there for those he loves, but desires to help others do the same. Cancer taught him to never give up, and nutrition showed him that the future is what we make of it.
“I have a sign hanging in my office that says ‘The dream is free, The hustle is sold separately’ and that is something that I tend to live by,” ends Dr. Abraham.
“It’s really not about having an idea as much as it’s about making ideas happen, always being bold and relentless in something you believe in.”
To learn more about Orgain, visit their website here.
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