Nutrition Education

If you are interested in the Food for Life classes, please contact Lizabeth Rueda at ruedal@collierschools.com.   

The goal of the Food for Life Cooking Classes is to teach people to choose, prepare, and eat, nutritionally sound and healthy foods that will help them to attain or maintain a healthy weight as well as prevent and treat certain diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses.

Food for Life Cooking Classes were developed by a team of physicians, registered dietitians, nurses, and other health professionals at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) as a way to translate the data from the latest research in nutrition and help people put it into practical use.

The content and recipes shared are based on Dr. Neal Barnard’s evidence-based nutrition research and information published in his informative books: 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart, Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes, and The Cancer Survivor’s Guide. What is so unique about the classes is that participants are taught how to make a qualitative rather than quantitative shift in their eating habits. The program is not about restricting food, rather it is about choosing the right foods to prevent overeating and cravings.

The program has been shown to provide attendees with such clinical benefits as lowering cholesterol, achieving better control of diabetes, lowering blood pressure, and improving energy and mood.

If you are interested in the PIVIO classes, please contact Malorie Fry at mfry@chealthpartners.com.

The Complete Health Improvement Program (PIVIO) is a lifestyle enrichment program designed to reduce disease risk factors through the adoption of better health habits and appropriate lifestyle modifications. The goal is to lower blood cholesterol, hypertension, and blood sugar levels and reduce excess weight. This is done by improving dietary choices, enhancing daily exercise, increasing support systems and decreasing stress, thus aiding in preventing and reversing disease.

PIVIO is based on the fact that 75% or more of our Western diseases are “lifestyle-related,” according to the U.S. Surgeon General[1]. These diseases are connected to our processed diet; lack of exercise; overuse of cigarettes, alcohol, and caffeine; increased levels of stress; and the quality of our support systems. These diseases include:

• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Overweight
• Certain adult cancers
• Diverticular disease
• Constipation
• Heartburn
• Arthritis
• Impotence
• Depression/Anxiety
• Fatigue

It’s not unusual for people to think of health as simply the absence of disease, but nothing could be further from the truth. True health – Optimal Health – is so much more than this and PIVIO is designed to help participants achieve the priceless benefits that come with optimal health.

The areas of mind, body, heart, and spirit all play vital roles in achieving optimal health, and part of the PIVIO philosophy is that true health is like a jigsaw puzzle, with a number of different pieces that come together to create a whole. PIVIO participants are guided on how to put this puzzle together in the context of their own health, helping them to reverse or prevent chronic diseases and live a truly happy, healthy life.

This is where the optimal lifestyle comes in. Rather than just receiving information on diet and activity, PIVIO participants are also given tools to help with becoming resilient, managing stress, building and strengthening relationships, finding meaning and purpose, and maintaining positive change. PIVIO is not simply a short-term intervention, it’s an educational program designed to guide participants through the challenges associated with adopting a new lifestyle, one full of behaviors that bring us toward optimal health.

The Optimal Lifestyle is about getting the most out of life. It’s about actively working to live the best life available and enjoying all it has to offer.

Before the educational program begins, a comprehensive health screen is conducted to establish risk factor levels for each participant. Health screen results are provided to each participant early in the program, and participants are encouraged to share their results and work closely with their personal physician regarding their need for medication as they modify their lifestyle. Immediately following the program, the health screen is conducted again, and a detailed report is prepared for each participant that compares their risk factor levels before and after going through the program. Reports and course completion certificates are presented at the end of the program.

[1] McGinnis, J. M. (1988). "The Surgeon General's report on nutrition and health." R I Med J 71(10): 373.