Our Signature Course!!

Nutrition in Essence: Commonsense Nutrition for Everyone

Which diets are healthier? Low carb and high protein diets?  Or high carb and low fat and low protein diets? Today's many fad diets touted by experts give confusing and often conflicting advice about nutrition. Which diet should you follow?

Are you one of those people who has bags of supplements that you got from various practitioners and from the advice given by articles you read in health magazines or from health food store employees but you now have so many bottles of vitamins you rarely take any of them and you'd like to learn more about how food can nourish you?

Would you like to learn how to plan meals for yourself and for your family that are healthy but are so good you look forward to eating them?

Would you like to learn some cooking tips that will save you time in the kitchen but still allow you to eat the most delicious and nutritious food?

Would you like to become your own nutrition expert?

If so, then consider attending our signature course "Nutrition in Essence: Commonsense Nutrition for Everyone"

This 6-week course meets once a week for three hours each week. Each class includes a lecture on a nutrition topic along with lively discussion, followed by a cooking demonstration which complements the information covered in the lecture. There will be in-class written exercises (but no quizzes or exams!) and informational handouts and recipes are provided for each class.

Each course is small, with a minimum of 6 participants and a maximum of 12. We run this course several times a year, but are also available to add on additional course scheduling if you arrange for your own group participants. We need a minimum of 6 to run a new course.  

Our schedule of course topics:

1. Whole Food Basics and Nutrition 101: The information you need to begin to design your own unique whole foods diet. We will learn about protein, fat and carbohydrates. We will go over the 5 elements we need to meet for a healthy day's intake of food.
2. Digestion and Detoxification: Enhancing the body's ability to digest foods and detoxify toxins. Why eating a rainbow of foods is important for both these functions.
3. Stress Management Through Food and Lifestyle: How what we eat and how we eat affects our stress levels, energy levels and mood.
4. Nutrition for the Immune System: Foods and Herbs which enhance immune function. We will also discuss food allergies and sensitivities.
5. Nutrition for Bones and Joints: Foods and Herbs that are helpful for bone and joint health and which foods to avoid if you have arthritis.
6. Anti-Ageing class: This is a really fun class where we learn about foods, herbs and essential oils that enhance our bodies from the inside but also from the outside: we will include a few cosmetic recipes!

What you receive in the course:

On the first day of the course you will receive:

• A Roots to Health Binder designed especially for the Nutrition in Essence Class.
• Handouts, Worksheets and Recipes for Class 1 (The rest of the course handouts and recipes are given at each class).
• Exclusive access to our "Nutrition in Essence" blog where we share articles and information 

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• Stock your own pantry and refrigerator with the staples you need to follow a whole foods lifestyle.
• Feel at ease navigating the grocery store and the farmer's market.
• Be able to create a daily meal plan which meets the 5 essential elements for optimal health.
• Be able to critique a fad diet using the knowledge you learned about nutrition.
• Be able to prepare basic healthy meals for yourself and your family.

About the teacher:

Our nutritionist, Sarah Bearden, is also a certified whole foods chef. She is the instructor for the course. Sarah also lived overseas for many years, and studied how various cultures use food as medicine. Sarah is the nutrition instructor for The California School of Herbal Studies and The Ohlone Herbal Center. She is also the author of the book: "Nutrition in Essence" .

The mission of Roots to Health is to:

Encourage people to reach their optimal level of health through nutrition and lifestyle and to empower people to take charge of their own health.

Some examples of classes we have held in the past:

The Skinny on Fats: Sarah Bearden

Japanese Cooking for Health and Fitness: Sarah Bearden

Indian Cooking Classes: Sarah Bearden

Qigong for Women: Daisy Lee, Radiant Qigong

The Energetic Properties of 50 Essentials OIls: Gabriel Mojay

Aromatherapy Facial Massage: Jenny Harding

Essential Fist Aid for Health Care Paractitioners: David Woodgate

Spring Cleansing Qigong Class: Denise Aubin