I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Woodson “Woody” Merrell and his patients for several years. In 1999 I was fortunate enough to cross paths with an exceptional Registered Dietitian, MaryBeth Augustine. She was making the move from Sloan Kettering's Integrative Department to the new Beth Israel Continuum Center for Health and Healing, founded by Dr. Merrell. MaryBeth, a dietitian who marries incredible clinical knowledge with holistic diet therapy, understood the value of collaborative care and asked if I would consider seeing her patients.
As a culinary nutritionist, I was able to pick up where MaryBeth left off—she could provide guidance in the clinical environment but feared that what she was asking her patients to do would get lost in translation when they left her office. Thus, I began working with her patients to help guide them through hands-on food lifestyle transitions to support their health. I created a three-phase program called Nutricook (link to programs page here), to help prevent illness and restore health through nutrition therapy and culinary guidance. I begin with an in-home evaluation; the second phase is shopping education and we finish with hands-on cooking instruction.
Throughout the program I create menus and other helpful tools to guide the patient through this transition making sure to stick with any recommendations made by the referring practitioner. The benefits of our care were and continue to be numerous.
- Improved digestion
- Improved autoimmune function
- Improved kidney function
- Improved blood pressure
- Improved cholesterol
- Improved blood sugar recovery
- Improved wound healing
- Improved emotional healing
- Less fatigue
It wasn't long after MaryBeth and I began collaborating that Woody became aware of what we were doing. Believing in collaborative care and knowing the synergistic benefits it ensues, Woody became a huge supporter of our work together. Not long after, I had the pleasure of meeting with Woody and the great opportunity to provide his patients with culinary nutrition guidancew. With my help, patients were able to apply in daily life the clinical nutrition and integrative medicine recommendations that MaryBeth and Woody made. We have worked and continue to work with many people on their paths to wellness, and sharing this journey not only with the patients, but also Woody, has been an incredible experience for me. I am truly grateful and superbly proud to have contributed the menus and recipes for the 21-Day Plan. I hope you enjoy reading and experiencing The Source as much as I enjoyed contributing to it.
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Email: sbs@stefaniesacks.com
Telephone: 917.686.3778
