Pairs of students stand at counters in the Mussallem Nutritional Education Center, a large, state-of-the-art teaching kitchen in the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, and listen to Jessica VanRoo give advice and instruction about the next steps for making chimichurri in a Meal Prep 101 class. VanRoo’s manner is relaxed, as if she’s chatting with friends rather than teaching people cooking skills and nutritional education, though the overhead screens at each station showing her precise methods are a giveaway.

VanRoo has been with UC Irvine for 14 years and is executive chef at the Samueli Institute, where culinary, nutrition, mindfulness and tai chi programs are available regularly to the community. “Through our evidence-informed integrative health practice – whether it’s a nutritional education cooking lesson or an empowering tai chi class – we help you nourish the whole person: mind, body and spirit,” says Dr. Shaista Malik, the institute’s founding executive director.

Maintaining a healthy mind is the top priority for Jessica Drew De Paz, director of mindfulness programs at the Samueli Institute. Offered quarterly, the mindfulness-based stress reduction classes are rooted in scientific discoveries made in the 1970s at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The eight-week, 22-hour program – which many participants are referred to by a therapist or doctor – teaches people to focus on living in the moment and has been shown to decrease stress and depression as well as support heart health.

“I think people are longing for spaces of connection,” Drew De Paz says. “We can often feel very alone. These classes provide a space where we can sit together, and everyone brings something different, but there’s something that connects us.”

The clinical psychologist has been involved with mindfulness for more than a decade, teaching children as well as adults. She points to a slight difference in thinking: mind full vs. mindful. “I have my to-do list or my worries,” Drew De Paz says. “But then I bring my attention to the present: the birds, the blossoms, feel my feet on the ground. Not only does that bring my cortisol levels down and calm me, but now I have access to my inner wisdom and profound healing. It’s been my best medicine.”

Medical issues often prompt people to try the institute’s classes. One cooking class participant, Chris Warmbold, has had high blood sugar for decades but says his exercise routine kept it at bay for most of his 20s and 30s. As he got older, his blood pressure increased, and his doctor suggested that a change in diet could keep him off prescription medication. He ate only whole foods for about five months, lost weight, slept better, and his blood pressure came down. “The thing that I wish everyone could be taught is why these foods are important,” Warmbold says. “I took the class because I like to cook for myself, and I wanted new ways to make [healthy] things that taste good. Today we made lentil meatballs that are delicious!”

That’s exactly what VanRoo is aiming for with her nutrition classes. “Cooking is a skill you want to learn and be able to do so you can avoid processed foods,” she says. “It’s important for people to see the various parts of the recipe so they’re aware of what they’re putting in their body. It’s a great way to learn about control – being able to enjoy something but knowing your limits.”

World-renowned expert Shin Lin runs the institute’s Laboratory for Mind-Body Signaling and Energy Research and trained with a tai chi grand master. He teaches the ancient martial art, known as “moving meditation,” to both beginning and intermediate practitioners. Tai chi has been shown to reduce anxiety and blood pressure while improving concentration and balance, as well as boosting the immune system. Students also learn acupressure points to decrease stress.

Performing the various exercises with proper breathing techniques can increase blood flow, Lin notes, but even when people don’t do the correct breathing, tai chi leads to multiple health benefits. Tai chi “is like pizza,” he says. “When it’s good, it’s really good. When it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.”

Participants in the wellness classes will take away a fresh perspective, good ideas and plenty of tangibles. The nutrition classes include leftovers, recipes and advice: which items can be frozen, when to throw things away, how best to store food or how to use a knife. All lessons can be adapted for food sensitivities or allergies too.

“Cooking is a way to connect, because we all need to eat. Teaching people to do this is really interesting; a lot of people teach me as I teach them,” VanRoo says. “We’re lucky [in Orange County] because we have access to so many great ingredients and cultures. We can teach so much through food, and that’s always been my passion.”

If you want to learn more about supporting this or other activities at UC Irvine, please visit the Brilliant Future website. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UC Irvine seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. The Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute plays a vital role in the success of the campaign. Learn more by visiting https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu/susan-samueli-integrative-health-institute-2/.

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