Live lectures:
- Introductory class: Saturday, Apr 15, 2023 at 10:00-11:00 AM CST
- Live class times: Mondays 6-7 PM CST (Apr 17 & 2, May 1) and Thursdays 12-1 PM CST (Apr 20 & 27, May 4)
- The live classes will be recorded for later viewing
- The recordings and class materials will be available in this platform for 1 month
- The course finishes on Friday, May 5, 2023
Written lessons:
Each day a new lesson will become available to you through this platform: information tailored to the class + a handout with that day's lesson that you can download and incorporate into your food choices.
You can read these written materials on your own time and at your own pace. They will not disappear once they are available. There is no requirement to login every day.
Bonus materials:
All weeks come with a shopping list, recipe book, and food journal! Easy to use and easy to track your progress. We will also use a medical symptom questionnaire to track the impact that your food choices have on how you feel in your body.
Structure of the course:
- Week 1: What am I eating?
Macro and micronutrients, phytonutrient spectrum, understanding food labels, overview of metabolism, understanding GMO's and organic vs conventionally grown foods.
Function of the liver, kidneys and skin in detox, anti-inflammatory foods and leaky gut, importance of fiber, cooking to preserve nutrients, power of rest, non-toxic food preparation
- Week 3: Fundamentals of healthy eating
Microbiome, prebiotics and probiotics, cooking with fats and oils, fermented foods, how to build a better smoothie, cultivating mindfulness in relationship to food, menu planning, food preparation strategies, repurposing leftovers, portion sizes
What previous students are saying:
“This has been such an enjoyable journey: it truly has. Thank you for all of your wisdom and your suggestions. It shows that none of us are too old to learn new tricks. One of your gifts is in making people feel comfortable to ask questions. You never shame anyone; you answer their question and make them feel good about asking.”
“Dr. Smith’s class really validated what I have been doing on my health journey. Learning the mechanics has been so helpful in understanding why we needed to make changes to our food. My mother-in-law’s Alzheimer’s was a constant reminder of what can happen when we eat a high sugar diet. Before changing my diet, I had high cholesterol and high blood pressure. After changing my food choices, it is all gone. Dr. Smith gave us lots of tricks for making food preparation easy. When I don’t eat this way, I definitely feel it.”
“I wish I would have learned these things when my kids were small!”
“One of the side effects of the class has been enjoying a different kind of cooking than I have done in the past. I’ve always loved to cook but to devise different ways to use lots more vegetables has been really eye-opening for me. I’ve developed a real taste for more vegetables than I used to take in, which has been a real benefit for me.”
“We have redone our cooking over the past three weeks. Recognizing that a plain strawberry is delicious, and you don’t need to put anything on it. The tricks we learned have made our lives easier, even as retirees. I’m looking at other grains that I might not have otherwise made and expanding my repertoire of healthy options.”
“We picked up lots of valuable nuggets—the importance of fiber, different ways of doing food preparation, bamboo cutting boards—all throughout the course. It will be so much easier now to engage the little ones at the grocery store as we "pick out the rainbow" and teach them to eat in a way that supports them and helps them make generally healthy decisions.”
“I really have gotten excited about fruits and vegetables again! I didn’t realize how influenced I had been about food trends like “just eat greens and protein” and “carbs are villainous.” When I look at my fridge, the foods are just so much more appetizing. The food is so much prettier now. Dang, this is great!”
“Who knew I would enjoy kale and white bean soup? I love the recipes and am making different choices when I go to my fridge.”