Meet The Co-Authors
Colin Zhu, DO, FACLM, DipABLM, Chef
Double board-certified physician in Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine, trained plant-based chef, and founder of TheChefDoc. An international keynote speaker, author of Thrive Medicine, podcast host of Thrive Bites, & founder of The THR5 Formula™ Masterclass Series; he empowers individuals and organizations to improve their well-being through food, lifestyle, and emotional resilience.
Aifra Ruiz
Caryn Dugan
Dominican culinary educator, Food for Life instructor, health & fitness coach, and entrepreneur, dedicated to empowering Spanish-speaking communities through plant-based nutrition. She is also the founder of Healthy con Plantas, where she creates spaces where culture and health meet through cooking classes, wellness programs, and community support.
Culinary educator, speaker, and founder of the Center for Plant-Based Living, the first plant-based culinary education center in the United States. Through her teaching and media work, she helps people turn nutrition science into simple, delicious meals.
Chloe Stein
Christina Badaracco, MPH, RDN, LDN
Chloe is a plant-based chef, culinary innovator, and wellness advocate who creates recipes, menus, and meal plans for corporations, health professionals, and private clients. Specializing in whole-food, plant-based cuisine and therapeutic nutrition, she combines culinary creativity with evidence-based wellness to make healthy eating both nourishing and enjoyable.
Healthcare consultant and registered dietitian specializing in nutrition, healthcare innovation, and sustainable food systems. She is the author of The Farm Bill: A Citizen’s Guide, co-author of Mix It Up and serves as president of the DC Metro Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a board member of Slow Food DC.
Dominica Zhu-Pierre-Louis
Christina Lucas-Vougiouklakis, DO
Founding Director of the Global Wisdom Collective, an organization dedicated to protecting Indigenous knowledge systems in partnership with Indigenous communities. She also leads the archiving and legacy work of the Yu Center, preserving an endangered lineage of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Board-certified family and lifestyle medicine physician, educator, and Medical Director of a Family Medicine Residency Center. She is passionate about helping patients prevent and manage chronic disease through lifestyle medicine, osteopathic care, and whole-food, plant-based nutrition.
Daniel Chen, MD, FACP, DipABLM
Emma Steinberg, MD, Chef
Double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine and a primary care clinician at Esperanza Health Center in Philadelphia. He serves as co-chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s HEAL Initiative and a Medical Advisory Board member for the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.
Pediatrician, certified chef, and mother of two who teaches culturally informed culinary medicine to medical trainees, patients, and healthcare professionals. Her work focuses on helping children and families use cooking and nutrition to support health, strengthen community, and advance health equity.
Director of the Culinary Medicine Program at UT Southwestern, where she launched the institution’s Culinary Medicine Program and Clinical Service Line. She is also Medical Director of Food is Medicine Innovation at Parkland Health and Chair of the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee.
Board-certified internal medicine and lifestyle medicine physician who specializes in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease through evidence-based lifestyle interventions. In addition to her clinical practice, she is actively involved in community education and health equity initiatives.
James Loomis Jr., MD, MBA, FACLM
Kristi Artz, MD, DipABLM
Board-certified internal medicine and lifestyle medicine physician at Barnard Medical Center. A graduate of the University of Arkansas and Washington University’s Olin School of Business, he previously served as Director of Prevention and Wellness at St. Luke’s Hospital and as team internist for the St. Louis Rams and St. Louis Cardinals.
Medical Director of Lifestyle Medicine at Spectrum Health and a practicing emergency medicine physician. A diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, she is also an advisory board member for Health meets Food and holds certifications in Plant-Based Nutrition and Culinary Medicine.
Director of Culinary and Lifestyle Medicine at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, where she founded Thrive Kitchen and the Lifestyle and Culinary Medicine Consultation Service. She is an Associate Professor at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine and author of Spicebox Kitchen.
Panamanian physician, nutrition educator, and founder of Somos Plant Powered, The Whole Protocol, and the Intensive Anti-Diabetes Program. She helps Spanish and English-speaking communities improve metabolic health through evidence-based lifestyle and nutrition programs.
Linda Shiue, MD, Chef, DipABLM
Melanie Cano, MD
Raw vegan educator, recipe creator, and wellness advocate who has inspired others to embrace vibrant, plant-based living since 2014. Through her recipes, books, and online community, she helps people make healthier choices while discovering the joy of simple, nourishing food.
Melissa Maris
Milette Siler, MBA-HC, RDN, LD, CCMS
Registered dietitian, culinary instructor, and Fellow of the American College of Culinary Medicine. She serves as Lead Culinary Instructor at UT Southwestern Medical School and co-founded the UT Southwestern Culinary Medicine Clinical Service Line, advancing Food is Medicine initiatives.
Founding director of the CHEF Coaching Program at the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and the Center of Lifestyle Medicine at Sheba Medical Center, as well as an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Founder of the Israeli Society of Lifestyle Medicine and author of the bestselling cookbook Delicious Diabetic Recipes.
Rani Polak, MD, Chef
Robert E. Graham, MD, MPH, ABOIM, FACP, Chef
Harvard-trained physician, professionally trained chef, and co-founder of FRESH Med. Board-certified in Internal and Integrative Medicine, he is a nationally recognized leader in culinary medicine and food-as-medicine innovation.
Stefanie Cullingford, RDN
Agatha Achindu
Experienced Registered Dietitian with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry. Strong healthcare services professional skilled in Health Promotion, Nutrition Education, Clinical Research, and Hospitals.
Founder of Life Unprocessed™ and Yummy Spoonfuls, the first nationally distributed organic baby food brand in the United States. A Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, yoga instructor, and author of Bountiful Cooking.
Chef-instructor, culinary educator, and Ayurvedic practitioner with more than 35 years of experience. A longtime instructor at the former Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City, now Institute of Culinary Education. He specializes in plant-based, Indian, and Italian cooking.
Plant-based chef and founder of My Daddy’s Recipes, where comfort food, wellness, and cultural heritage come together. Her mission is to show that nourishing, plant-based food can be both deeply healing and deeply flavorful.
Richard La Marita
Nekia Hattley
Food justice advocate, culinary educator, and Food Justice Coordinator at City of Hope. She is the founder of The Cast Iron Collective, teaches Food Communication at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and is currently pursuing a MA in Gastronomy and Food Studies at Boston University.
David Zhu-Pierre-Louis
Community builder, social entrepreneur, and founder and executive director of Kay Tita. Through his work in community development, digital equity, storytelling, and social enterprise, he creates initiatives that strengthen local economies, foster collaboration, and support resilient communities.
Dená Brummer
Jasmol J. Sardana, DO, FACLM
Jaclyn Albin, MD, DipABLM, CCMS
Board-certified family and lifestyle medicine physician, integrative medicine practitioner, and co-founder of Dr. Lifestyle Clinic. She is dedicated to empowering patients through evidence-based lifestyle, nutrition, and integrative approaches.
Melissa Sundermann, DO, FACOI, DipABLM, FACLM
Double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine and Medical Director of Lifestyle Medicine at Corewell Health. She is the founder of Doctor Outdoors and serves as Chair of the Global Wellness Institute’s Lifestyle Medicine Initiative.
Melissa Mondala, MD, MHA, MS, FACLM, FAIHM
Co-owner and CEO of The Chef’s Garden, a family-owned regenerative farm in Ohio that supplies vegetables to restaurants and consumers across the United States. He also serves on the board of the Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health.
Regenerative agriculture expert, educator, and founder of SteveGroff.com. A longtime agricultural thought leader, he manages a 200-acre farm in Pennsylvania and has taught regenerative farming practices to farmers and agricultural audiences around the world.
Bob Jones Jr.
Steve Groff
Writer, researcher, and leader in culinary medicine and Food is Medicine innovation. She is co-author of Mix It Up: The Culinary Medicine cookbook. She designs and leads programs that integrate nutrition science, culinary education, and healthcare to improve health outcomes and advance nutrition equity.
Wei Na Yu, CMD
Olivia Thomas, MS, RDN
Traditional Chinese Medicine physician with more than 50 years of clinical experience and a practitioner of a rare lineage of Indigenous healing traditions from China. Licensed in New York and Florida, she integrates Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, and nutrition-based approaches.
