Healthy Heart: Eat to Protect and Even Improve Your Heart

Did you know that the vast majority of heart disease is preventable, and in many cases, its progression can be slowed or even reversed through nutrition and lifestyle? Leading physicians and researchers, including Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Michael Greger, have demonstrated that what we put on our plates each day has a profound impact on our cardiovascular health.

In this engaging and practical class at Gorton Center, you’ll discover how simple, evidence-based dietary changes can help lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, improve circulation, and support a healthier heart, without complicated meal plans or expensive specialty foods.

Together we’ll explore:

• The foods that nourish and protect your heart
• How a whole-food, plant-forward diet can reduce cardiovascular risk
• Simple strategies for lowering high cholesterol and blood pressure naturally
• Easy, affordable meal ideas the entire family can enjoy
• Practical tips for making sustainable lifestyle changes that last

Whether you’re looking to prevent heart disease, improve existing heart health, or simply feel your best, you’ll leave empowered with the knowledge and confidence to make informed choices every day.

Participants will enjoy a tasting of a delicious heart-healthy dip and receive a collection of easy, budget-friendly recipes and take-home resources to help put these concepts into practice immediately.

No prior cooking or nutrition experience is necessary! Just come hungry to learn and inspired to take charge of your heart health.

About the Instructor

Thais Boddicker is a home care physical therapist based on the North Shore of Illinois with more than 25 years of experience helping people improve their health and quality of life. A longtime advocate for plant-based nutrition, she has been vegetarian since her early 20s and later transitioned toward a fully plant-based lifestyle after discovering the growing body of research connecting nutrition with chronic disease prevention.
Inspired by both her professional experience and her work with patients facing diet-related chronic illnesses, Thais became passionate about helping others make sustainable lifestyle changes through education, encouragement, and practical support. She completed plant-based nutrition training through the and a nutrition education program led by .
Thais is active in community wellness education and has helped bring leading plant-based speakers to local events in the Chicago area.