A new year is upon us, and, instead of making New Year’s resolutions that you most likely cannot keep, why not make that concrete giant step to start eating healthy? After all that indulgence during the holidays, there is no better time of the year to start working on a healthy body and a healthy mind than now. And we’re not talking about embarking on a commercially known diet such as Ketogenic and Dr. Atkins.

“We do not encourage fad diets such as Ketogenic, Dr. Atkins, Paleo, South Beach and Collagen Diet, because we would like our clients to look at it as a lifestyle change instead of just a diet. Usually, if it’s a fad diet, it’s not sustainable. And when you stop the fad diet, you have a rebound weight gain which is much more than the starting weight, and, worse, you have weight loss but blood tests will show elevated cholesterol or other health issues,” explains Dr. Jo Ann Tan of Food Rx by Culinary MD.

Through online teleconsultation, Doc Jo Ann receives clients who want to shift to a healthier lifestyle by eating healthy. During the teleconsultation session, Doc Jo Ann gets the client’s medical history and baseline lab then assesses and gives recommendations. Depending on what the client needs, she recommends a meal plan or meal delivery.

“We can plan a grocery list, menu with recipes, do pantry revamp, or even teach the client and members of his household how to prepare meals. This is usually based on the client’s food preferences. We make a healthier version of their usual meals or we slowly add good things to the usual diet of the client until he gets used to this and, unconsciously, we are already teaching him new eating habits,” says Doc Jo Ann.

For this food aspect of her business, particularly the meals, Doc Jo Ann has partnered with seasoned chef Toto Erfe, chef-instructor at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies and the brains behind Tito Toto’s fresh and marinated seafood delivery business. The collaboration between the two on diets, dishes and complete meals has been going on for two years already, so that they now work in a very synchronized manner.

They discuss meal plans and strategies in meetings and execute them effortlessly, each already knowing what the parameters are and what each other wants and come up with meals that do not deprive their clients of food that they enjoy eating and yet are healthy and low in calories.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all diet. Some men may need 1,200 calories and others 1,800 calories. Some women may need more calories at 1,800 or just 1,200 calories. There are a lot of factors to consider before prescribing the exact calorie count,” the good doctor explains.

To help clients keep within their prescribed calories and not agonize over what dishes to prepare and then actually prepare them, Food Rx by Culinary MD offers meal deliveries that cover breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner, and these are sent straight to the client’s house the night before.

Do clients lose weight because of the calorie count? More often yes, they do, but this is a bonus already. What’s more important is that they become healthier as a result because their particular health issues are addressed spot on.