Sleighter hasn’t toured that site, but he was sold on the concept after thoroughly reviewing the blueprints and requesting some modifications.

“There will be reverse osmosis water systems so that water from the tap will be purer than spring water,” he says. “And all the landscaping will be edible. It will be a pretty unique concept. From the time you step on to the property, it’s total health for the body and total health for the planet.”

Management, Sleighter says, has been inundated with inquiries since the recent launch of Health Food Hut Inc.’s Web site. “We have been overrun with e-mails,” he adds. “We have had over 9,000 hits and more than 100 requests from potential franchisees who realize we are not even open yet.”

While he is certainly capitalizing on consumer demand for healthier quick-serve offerings, Sleighter has more personal reasons for starting Health Food Hut: his health.

The last four years have been rather tough for the 46-year-old. In 2004, he was rushed to the hospital several days after having a wisdom tooth removed. Doctors and nurses saved his life after an infection built up fluid around his heart. A week later, he received more bad news. At 200 pounds overweight, his blood pressure and sugar and cholesterol levels were far too high.

“I almost died from heart disease and diabetes,” he says.

During a rather rough road to recovery, however, he began to research what would ultimately become the roots of Health Food Hut. Along with pH-based weight loss programs and exercise, Sleighter experimented with different organic food diets and has lost more than 100 pounds to date. His blood sugar is also down.

“I used myself as the guinea pig,” he says. “I ate nothing fattening or processed, and that’s just what my menu entails. I refuse to put anything on the menu that is unhealthy.”

For breakfast, that menu includes omelets with organic eggs and with fewer yolks, as well as bison, venison, or elk sausages. Health Food Hut will also add bison bacon and a super coffee with 60 vitamins and minerals that Sleighter says will not affect the taste.

Lunch and dinner menus offer quarter-pound burgers with ground chicken, turkey, grass-fed beef, bison, venison, elk, emu, ostrich, and lamb. Other sandwich offerings include rainbow trout, mahi mahi, and cod, while several salad plates can be had, including wild American shrimp and avocado, served over organic mixed greens, and the Just Plain Healthy salad with romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, and sunflower seeds. For desert, there’s raw applesauce, as well as carob raspberry and key lime pies. Rounding out the menu are salsas, sweet potato fries, wild and brown rice, and other sides that include fresh fruits, asparagus, broccoli, mangos, and figs.

“Most of our dressings and toppings are made from super fruits and vegetables,” Sleighter adds. “Our organic chicken nuggets are made with a flax seed and wheat germ coating and served with a mango avocado sauce. There also are no flours in our breads, so they have a very low glycemic index because they are made from sprouted greens.”

Ultimately, he says, the goal is to also provide menu options for consumers who want food that maintains a “healthy and happy heart.”

“America wants to eat healthier, but how many choices do people really have?” Sleighter says. “I have conducted surveys, and people are willing to pay more for something healthier. I’ve done my homework, and all my research indicates that this is what America wants.”