Living a Whole Life

Evelisse Capó, received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Purdue University and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. While practicing clinical pharmacy, she witnessed the pain and suffering of many chronically ill patients in hospitals and long-term care institutions. Questioning the effectiveness of the conventional approach to treating diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, she trained in Culinary Medicine and founded The Food Pharmacy (thefoodpharmacy.com) / Farmacia en La Cocina (farmaciaenlacocina.com) where she provides guidance and support to those looking to adopt a whole food plant-based lifestyle. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and a past student of the CNS and eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate. Evelisse is the Executive Director of Spanish Programs and Culinary Content for the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. Dr. Capó is a licensed PCRM’s Food for Life Program Instructor and collaborated in the GEICO Workplace Nutrition Study coordinated by the Washington Center for Clinical Research. She is an active board member and speaker for the Casa Vegana de La Comunidad non-for-profit organization in Puerto Rico. Evelisse lives in Florida and shares her life with her husband, four plant-based children and three dogs.

Chef Del Sroufe currently works as Culinary Specialist at The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. He works with those who are looking to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet, or who struggle to lose weight and keep it off. In 2006, Del joined Wellness Forum Foods as Executive Chef, where today he continues the tradition of delivering great tasting plant-based meals to clients locally and throughout the continental United States. Del continues to teach cooking and health classes and is a keynote speaker at local venues and events around the country. Del is the author of The New York Times bestseller Forks Over Knives Cookbook; Better Than Vegan, the story of his struggle with weight loss and gain, and how he managed to lose over 200 pounds on a low fat, plant based diet and; The China Study Quick and Easy Cookbook and; The China Study Family Cookbook.

Alison Ozgur is a master’s level registered dietitian nutritionist and wellness expert with advanced training and expertise in whole food, plant-based nutrition. In 2012 she co-authored her first book, Go Beyond Good: The Trail to a Lifetime of Health and Vitality! That same year she was invited to join the online instructor team at the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, which has evolved into her current role as Director of Wellness Programs. Alison is a forever teacher and also offers lectures and workshops at Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa. Throughout her two-decade career as a registered dietitian, Alison has expanded her love of health and wellness as an author, college instructor, middle and high school health teacher, certified meditation and mindfulness teacher, and registered yoga teacher. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine as a Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professional.

Sharme Ridley is a Rouxbe certified plant-based cooking enthusiast who specializes in creating Creole inspired dishes. Overcoming a host of health issues after adopting a plant-based diet, she now inspires others to follow a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle through her efforts with Plant Based Atlanta, a PlantPure Communities pod, and Atlanta Creole YouTube channel, where she offers WFPB cooking demonstrations. She is also one of the hosts for CNS Kitchen, a T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS) plant-based support group. Sharme earned the CNS eCornell Plant Based Nutrition Certificate and is a Licensed Food for Life Instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). She is a retired public school teacher with a B.S. in Secondary Education, a M.S. in Educational Administration, and an EdS in Curriculum and Instruction.

Essential Practices for Optimal Health

Online, 9-week live, instructor-led course

Do you strive to live a balanced life? Do you spend most of your days eating nourishing meals, moving your body, practicing kindness, getting restful sleep, and reducing chronic stress? This is a path that many of us are on, but to achieve lasting wellness requires consistency, intention, and practice.

That’s exactly what our 9-week course is designed to help you achieve. We’re focused on the essentials that will help you reach your best, so that you can decrease your risk of chronic disease, strengthen your immune system, achieve a healthy body weight, and more. These interactive classes will help you build confidence and awareness, with an emphasis on implementing effective change. By the end of the course, you will have the motivation and tools to make wellness the cornerstone of your everyday life.

Understand the connection between lifestyle and chronic disease.

Implement wellness strategies and techniques to improve overall health and longevity.

Prepare a variety of nutrient-dense whole food, plant-based meals.

Program Costs: $379

Engage:

in a live, instructor-led interactive group setting

Learn:

from lifestyle experts and plant-based nutritionists

Connect:

with a community of likeminded individuals

Week 1: Your Wellness Journey Starts Now

This introductory class sets the foundation for your journey. We will take a look at the emerging field of lifestyle medicine, and you will learn about the six focus areas that have the greatest ability to improve health and longevity. We will explore the lifestyle habits of centenarians and reveal the commonalities of people who live in the Blue Zones, so that you can build on well-documented patterns of success.

Week 2: Optimal Nutrition: Building a Better Plate

America is overweight, and the standard American diet plays a significant role. To make matters worse, there’s so much conflicting information about nutrition. It’s no wonder confusion abounds. This class will address that confusion. You’ll explore the evidence on fad dieting, related myths about food, and the science supporting a whole food, plant-based lifestyle. You will learn how to define and identify ultra-processed foods and explore how they are connected to chronic inflammation.

Week 3: Getting Started in the Kitchen

Adopting and maintaining a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle is going to be so much easier for you if your environment is organized for a successful journey. This includes cleaning out your refrigerator and freezer, clearing out the unhealthy foods in your cabinets, preparing your space for cooking, and incorporating the practice of mise en place in your kitchen. In addition to getting your kitchen prepared, you will also need to navigate the supermarket and read food labels properly. Finally, once you’re back in the kitchen, there are a number of skills that will make food preparation much easier, including knife skills and oil-free sautéing techniques.

Week 4: Optimal Nutrition & Gut Health

There are trillions of bacteria that live in your digestive tract, and each plays a role in maintaining (or disrupting) your health. Building upon the foundation of a WFPB diet, we will focus on nutrient density to ensure the right balance of carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake. Learn how to optimize your good bacteria to boost your mood, achieve a healthy body weight, and strengthen your immune system.

Week 5: Meal Prep 101

Meal prep is an important concept in plant-based cooking. Dr. Evelisse Capó will share with you tips and techniques to help you save time and your sanity. Meal prepping is a very efficient way to make sure you have some or all of your food cooked, prepped, and ready to go for the week. Think of it like creating your own “fast food” restaurant at home so that during the week, you have quick and easy meals. She will also help build a meal plan around a few favorite staples.

Week 6: Simple Solutions for Better Sleep

Restorative sleep is a key component of optimal health, yet many people are unable to fall or stay asleep. Poor sleep habits undermine our physical and emotional well-being. In this class, you’ll learn the importance of healthy sleep and its link to improved brain and cardiovascular health. We’ll also cover a variety of practical strategies and solutions to help you achieve a better night’s sleep.

Week 7: Decrease Stress & Increase Movement

Persistent, unaddressed stress is linked to numerous chronic health conditions. Learn the importance of our body’s fight-or-flight response and the rest-and-digest response, specifically as they relate to calming the central nervous system. You’ll learn a variety of stress reducing tips and techniques. We will also explore the benefits of strengthening and moving your body, getting out into nature, and mindful movement.

Week 8: Meal Prep 102

In this second installment, we will show you different strategies for meal preparation, including batch cooking and tips for smaller households. We’ll focus on how you can adapt batch cooking strategies to fit your preferred tastes and level of variety. Chef Del will show you how to build a meal plan around a few versatile staples so that you can increase your efficiency in the kitchen without sacrificing variety.

Week 9: Putting the Essentials into Practice

This final class will emphasize the importance of connecting with community and building social support. Humans are social creatures, and finding a safe and trustworthy support network is critical to your wellness journey. We will finish the course by reviewing our personal goals and understanding our intentional practices.