Tag: Cancer and nutrition

This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, please click the RSVP button above or email olivia@smithcenter.org.

You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.

With Angelina Genovesi

Gut health is crucial to overall well-being, influencing both our physical and mental health. This student-led, research-based program ‘Maintaining Gut Health’ hosted by the Smith Center for Healing & the Arts will explore the importance of gut health. The session will dive into how gut health affects various bodily functions and how different foods can promote either beneficial or harmful bacteria in the gut.

The presentation will offer an overview of gut functions, gut-friendly food suggestions, and practical tips for maintaining a healthy gut. While the subject matter is research-driven and may be information dense, the content will be broken down into an easy-to-understand format so participants can feel well-informed.

Disclaimer: This is a supportive program focused on gut health designed to complement but not replace medical treatment/advice from the care of your physician. Held at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC, the program provides general research information without recommending any substitutes for effective medical treatments/advice. Participants will engage in a presentation that addresses gut health information and how to be mindful, with participants taking full responsibility for evaluating and safely adapting these options to their needs, please always consult a medical professional first.

About Angelina Genovesi

Hi, my name is Angelina, and I am currently an undergraduate student at American University in my senior year, studying Public Health with an interest in nutrition. Originally from New Jersey, I’ve been passionate about health and wellness throughout my undergrad journey. I am particularly interested in developing strategies for maintaining a balanced lifestyle and diet to enhance overall well-being. Outside of my studies, I enjoy reading, exercising, and spending time at the beach. I look forward to seeing you at my upcoming program on gut health!

This program has been cancelled. To be notified of future sessions, please email olivia@smithcenter.org.

With Chef Kara Garrett

In our final session, we will take what we’ve learned and discuss tools to help you realistically incorporate preparing healthy meals into your weekly routine. Maintaining a healing kitchen requires planning your meals to be nutritious and delicious, while staying exciting to your taste buds. We will review how to select recipes, build a shopping list and prep your meals to support a kitchen that fits your lifestyle. This class will include:

  • Selecting a “base meal” to plan other healthy meals to enjoy throughout a week
  • Learning to plan your weekly meals by trying new dishes and utilizing your favorite recipes
  • Using a template tool to help generate a weekly shopping list (and keep your healing pantry stocked!)
  • Learning to evaluate and organize your meal prep tasks to reduce the amount of time spent in the kitchen

As a group, we will prepare our selected recipe, and prep additional ingredients that can be used at home in future meals that week.

Address: 

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

1632 U Street NW

Washington, DC 20009

Suggested Donation: $15/session or $45/series

About Chef Kara Garrett

Kara Garrett Cancer Support Program Coordinator

Kara Garrett is a health-supportive chef based in Washington, DC. Following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2013, she embraced the challenge of finding a balance between her foodie lifestyle and eating well with cancer. Kara is a graduate of the Chef Training Program at Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC, trained under Chef Lillian Chou at The Ananda Ashram Yoga Society of New York, and completed a graduate certificate in Developing Healthy Communities: Nutrition, Behavior, and Physical Activity from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. She is passionate about working with others to encourage healthier food choices and develop sustainable food relationships that energize the body and the soul.

Most people think of herbal teas as a simple soothing beverage, but if made properly, herbal teas (tisanes) can be potent tools for healing and maintaining health.

In this in-person workshop, Clinical Herbalist Erin Antosh, will discuss the power of incorporating an herbal tea ritual into your day, as you sip nutritive herbal tea (caffeine free). Erin will demonstrate how to properly make medicinal-strength herbal teas, using methods such as super infusions and decoctions.

You will learn about the therapeutic properties of plants that have been studied to reduce inflammation, support heart health/cholesterol, aid sleep, and calm the nervous system, as well as herbs that support your body’s detoxification pathways.

Erin will also discuss the art and science of herbal tea blending and guide you in creating your own tea blend. You will take home a bag of loose-leaf herbal tea that you blend yourself in class (which is about 15-20 cups of tea).

We hope you’ll bring a friend and join us for a healing experience!

Light refreshments will be served. Anthony Hyatt will be playing the violin.

To register, please visit this link.

Erin Antosh – Facilitator

Erin is a Clinical Herbalist with a background in nutrition, botanical product development, environmental health, organic gardening, biotransformation/detoxification, and true farm-to-table cooking. Through Where The Good Grows, she provides private Herbal Wellness Consultations, advises and formulates therapeutic botanical products for wellness brands, and combines her clinical training with her improv comedy experience to teach entertaining and approachable natural wellness education programs. Erin completed the Foundations of Medicinal Herbalism and Herbal Apothecary certification programs at Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine in Castleton, VA, and continued her clinical herbalism training by working at the school’s clinic seeing clients and formulating botanical products. In 2015, Erin graduated with honors from the Academy of Culinary Nutrition. As a Culinary Nutrition Expert and an experienced cook with training at The Farm Cooking School, Erin can translate nutrition science into nourishing meals that allow clients to use food as medicine. Additionally, Erin pursued advanced clinical studies in Detoxification and Biotransformation with Josh Gitalis, a Clinical Functional Nutritionist based in Toronto. Erin holds an Organic Gardening Certification from Prior Unity Garden and has extensive experience growing medical plants.

Anthony Hyatt – Violinist

Anthony is a violinist, singer, dancer, teaching artist, and medical musician working in partnership with many Washington DC area health and human service organizations.   He is an artist in residence in the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts program partnership with Virginia’s Inova Healthcare System and at the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.  He plays music of many genres and is a student of improvisation practices who believes that The Art of Presence promotes the emergence of healing experiences.  Anthony has, since 1997, been leading creative engagement programs at adult care facilities.  For 22 years he was co-director of the Arts For The Aging Quicksilver senior citizen improv dance company.  He has served as a master trainer for the National Center for Creative Aging, as a Dance for Parkinson’s Teacher, and as a presenter at international creativity conferences around the globe.  Anthony has had an article, “Creative Aging with Quicksilver”, published in the UK-based Creativity & Human Development Journal and now is working on a book about his Arts in Healthcare experiences.  He does additional consulting and facilitation work through his organization called Moving Beauty.

This program is being offered in-person. In order to participate, please register by clicking the RSVP button above or by emailing programs@smithcenter.org

with Chef Kara Garrett

With winter and the holidays rapidly approaching, it is a great time to revamp your menus with delicious items that are easy to prepare and that you can feel good about eating. Join us to learn cooking tips & techniques using cancer-fighting foods to heal from within. Chef Kara will lead you in preparing your meal and we’ll all sit down together to enjoy one of the greatest gifts of food – eating in good company!

Menu items:

  • Roasted Fennel & Orange Salad
  • Tofu Parmesan with Sautéed Spaghetti Squash
  • Mac and “Un”Cheese
  • Ultimate Fudge Brownies

 

*Menu subject to change based on ingredient availability and class size. All recipes will be vegan. Some recipes may contain gluten and/or nuts. Please alert us to any allergies when registering for the class. Every individual’s needs are unique. We aim to offer a variety of health-promoting options for each individual to consider, but do not prescribe the specific dietary content of any program for anyone.

Address: 

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

1632 U Street NW

Washington, DC 20009

 

Suggested Donation: $15

About Chef Kara Garrett

Kara Garrett Cancer Support Program Coordinator

Kara Garrett is a health-supportive chef based in Washington, DC. Following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2013, she embraced the challenge of finding a balance between her foodie lifestyle and eating well with cancer. Kara is a graduate of the Chef Training Program at Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC, trained under Chef Lillian Chou at The Ananda Ashram Yoga Society of New York, and completed a graduate certificate in Developing Healthy Communities: Nutrition, Behavior, and Physical Activity from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. She is passionate about working with others to encourage healthier food choices and develop sustainable food relationships that energize the body and the soul.