It’s possible to dramatically impact your health by simply changing what you eat and how you live. Ready to learn how? Join us for a new series, Educating Eats. In our first session, Dr. Monica Aggarwal, a board-certified cardiologist and expert on using nutrition and lifestyle management to manage heart disease and chronic illnesses, and Allison Harrell, a registered dietitian and culinary medicine specialist, will discuss how your everyday diet is one of your best tools for preventing and managing diseases, including heart disease, the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S. In this hands-on, interactive cooking demonstration, you’ll learn how to make — and then sample — a vegan Sofritos Burrito Bowl with Cilantro Lime Crema.

Join us in the Nutrition Theatre at the Center for Health & Wellbeing for this first of its kind program. You’ll roll up your sleeves and help prepare the meal and learn helpful lifestyle and nutrition tips along the way.

Dr. Aggarwal will also explain how the 4 Roots Foundation, an alliance of community stakeholders investing in a healthy, striving, sustainable food system, is leading the way to change how our community eats, with a focus on locally grown produce. With a mission to Unearth the Power of Food to Build Healthy Communities, the 4 Roots Foundation is poised to make a huge impact in our local communities.

Space is limited so sign up today to save your spot!

And save the date for our upcoming events in this series: October 20, November 3 and December 8. More details, including topics, guest chefs and registration links, coming soon!

About Your Program Presenters:

Monica Aggarwal, MD, is an adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the University of Florida Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. She received her medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and subsequently went on to complete a residency in internal medicine at Tufts-New England Medical Center. She then completed a cardiology fellowship at the University of Maryland. Dr. Aggarwal’s own path to understanding the impact of nutrition in illness started soon after the birth of her third child, when she developed an advanced form of rheumatoid arthritis. She was placed on medications that gave her severe side effects. It was only through learning about the microbiome (gut), its impact on the immune system and the role of nutrition in affecting the gut, was she able to truly heal. Determined to change the face of medicine, she left private practice and returned to academics in order to pursue research on the role of diet and to create an integrative cardiology practice focused on nutrition and lifestyle.

Dr. Aggarwal gives talks around the community and the country. She was named a “Next Generation Innovator” by Cardiology Today. Board certified in cardiology, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology and advanced cholesterol management, she is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), where she is a member of the nutrition council working on nutrition policies for the nation. She is the author of the book “Body on Fire: How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Illness and the Tools We Have to Fight It,” which outlines prescriptions to help guide people to better health. She currently sees patients in Orlando, Florida and via telehealth as part of Wholistic Cardiology and conducts research at the University of Florida.

Allison Harrell is a registered dietitian nutritionist and plant-based chef who has been passionate about food and nutrition for more than 20 years. She advanced her knowledge by becoming a certified Culinary Medicine Specialist, certified in Weight Loss Management. Harrell believes that every time we eat, it is an opportunity to promote our health. She incorporates culinary experiences with a science-based approach. Her programs and tools make a positive difference in the health of our communities by instilling confidence and knowledge in the kitchen.