Health Made Simple

An Interview with Dr. Bart Precourt

By felicia ferguson

Dr. Bart Precourt and his wife, Kelli—a former Olympic field hockey player—own and operate Balance Health Studio and Prema Organic Cafe in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. The pair of houses turned studio and café has become a fixture along Scenic Highway 30-A and the local wellness industry. Dr. Precourt sat down to discuss their new endeavors and hopes for the future of the community.

VIE: What drew you to the wellness industry?

Dr. Precourt: The journey started a long time ago with an injury when I was nineteen, and I discovered there is another way to heal the body. While playing rugby, I experienced a low back injury resulting in three bulging discs and partial paralysis. After being told by multiple doctors to take certain pills and completely give up sports, my mom turned to a chiropractor for other options. I learned from him that the body has the capacity to heal itself when given the opportunity through proper alignment, rest, and nutrition. That’s what planted the seed. It was a completely new way of thinking.

 VIE: Where did you study and how long have you each practiced in this field?

Dr. P: I have been practicing for twenty-five years after graduating from Life University in Atlanta, but education is non-stop. Graduation was merely an opportunity to get a license, an entry point into the field. I’m drawn to any additional education that demonstrates how to enhance human function

There have been incredible advancements in the last five to seven years as science and the holistic, alternative type of medicine have come together. We understand how to facilitate human health and function better than we ever have. The strategies are more clear than ever now and the tools we have to put those strategies in play have become mainstream. The idea is to practice “health” care rather than “sick” care, and the emphasis is on nutrition. At the very, very grassroots of it, we have a sick culture, and healing starts with nutrition.

VIE: What services are offered at balance30a?

Dr. P: We offer functional lab testing and nutritional consults as well as chiropractic care, acupuncture, yoga, and massage. We are a fee-for-service office and have established relationships with labs that make most of our labs much less expensive than insurance copays.

Nutritional consults are conducted virtually via Zoom, which is one of the nice things that came out of COVID. Through them, we can connect well with the clients. From there, most people proceed with a la carte services in a concierge-type setting. But there is an option for full health coaching protocol as well. The concierge program is typically for people with busy lifestyles. These clients know the results they want, but need accountability and a well-laid-out strategy to make sure they do better about achieving those results. We create strategies to help them reach their desired outcomes.

VIE: What is Prema Organic Cafe, and how did it evolve from the Balance Health Studio mindset?

Dr. P: Prema evolved from the need to fill a very important void on 30-A. That void was high-quality, organic, healthy, and delicious food. Kelli and I were never looking to be restaurant owners, but we’ve always been into nutrition as a way to create health. We saw the need for 100-percent healthy, grab-and-go food options here on 30-A. We thought, “Let’s create a place that is very similar to what we do in our own lives and show people how healthy eating can be fast, easy, and super delicious.” When we opened, it looked like it was the worst time, given the pandemic; but it turned out to be perfect as people became more focused on their health and were also looking for substantial meal options to-go. Now over a year old, Prema Organic Cafe offers 100-percent organic, gluten-free, canola oil-free, soy-free foods. Most menu items are dairy-free, and some are designed for keto diets. Everything in there is essentially medicinal food.

Crafting the recipes was the hardest part and took over nine months. All the recipes are doctor-approved for nutrient quality and proper balance of fiber, fat, and protein. Kelli has been the formulator of the recipes for taste. We also talked with other locals who have this lifestyle, and we’ve taken a tremendous amount of input from them, incorporating a lot of those ideas into our menu. Kelli, along with her team and others with a similar lifestyle, has been the key behind the formulas and the great taste part

VIE: What are some favorite menu items?

Dr. P: To my surprise, the Açai Smoothie Bowl. People travel from all over and claim we have the best bowl in the country. We had no idea because that wasn’t designed to be our specialty. Also, our chicken salad has been a huge hit. The chicken is 100-percent organic and we make our own 100-percent organic mayonnaise too.

The best thing about our menu though is anybody can come in and know they don’t have to pick it apart to find something to eat. They can throw a dart and anything it lands on will be delicious, 100-percent organic, and healthy.

VIE:What is your goal for these businesses? How do you see Balance Health Studio and Prema Organic Cafe impacting the community?

Dr. P: The word impact is always what comes up. When we opened up balance30a, it was to have an impact. To make having a healthy lifestyle just that—part of a lifestyle. Our community has really embraced that. We now have a place where people can go where there are other like-minded people and socialize, build friendships, and be supported.

We’ve been told since 2000 that organic costs too much and you can’t get it, but we’ve always believed it should be a norm here on 30-A. Whether it be Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, or any other large city where our visitors travel from, every place has this type of café. 30-A should be no different. In the end, we actually hope that more restaurants will do what we’re doing so we have even more healthy options.

The other impact we want to have is in health education. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re creating part of the problem. If we do take care of ourselves, that is a huge step in the right direction.

VIE: What results have you seen in your clients as they use your services and follow this wellness philosophy?

Dr. P: We have seen it all. Clients with issues with cholesterol, weight loss, diabetes, blood pressure—all of the standard issues in our country—and the results are amazing when they follow the strategies and develop lifestyle habits. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen more challenges with anxiety and hormone issues than ever before. Fortunately, all the tools we use have seen tremendous results.

The best thing about what we do is seeing someone who uses age as an excuse for their health issues, and as they create a healthy lifestyle, we see them revitalize. That 40-50+ group is now feeling youthful. They have a young, fresh mentality now. I love getting to play the role of helping people’s bodies catch up to their minds.

VIE: What is the Health Made Simple show?

Dr. P: I host a live podcast every Tuesday night where we bring on some amazing guests and take live questions as well. We cover anything and everything to do with health, weight loss, bio-hacking, hormones, whole foods, and new trends. It has become one of my favorite things to do, and it’s a great tool to expand our impact. Any question our audience has, we’ll tackle. From arthritis to intermittent fasting, and everything in between. We focus on short snippets and the overall goal is to emphasize that health is simple. Improve the way we Move, Eat, and Think, and we Improve our Life.

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Visit Prema30a.com and Balance30a.com to learn more.