Understanding Insulin Resistance: Why Whole Plant Foods Matter
Schedule
Tue Oct 14 2025 at 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC-07:00Location
Santa Cruz Seventh-day Adventist Church | Santa Cruz, CA

About this Event
Supporting Harmony in Your Body
Join Dr. Elise Atkins to learn about what causes insulin resistance and how to reverse it, so your body can work in harmony with itself. Why do some foods make you feel hungry rather than satisfied, no matter how much of them you eat? Why do some foods lead to weight gain while others don't, no matter how many calories they have? And most importantly, how can you use whole food plant-based nutrition to optimize your metabolism, your health and your weight? Get these answers and more as Dr. Atkins shares her expertise and experience in this inspirational talk.
Let's Eat Together!
We will start our time together with a whole food, plant-based potluck. Please bring a dish to share that is made exclusively from whole plant ingredients and is free of added oil. Please avoid bringing dishes containing meat, dairy, fish, eggs, or other animal-derived ingredients.
Here are some recipe sites for inspiration:
- Forks Over Knives Recipe Collection
- Monkey and Me Recipes
- Center for Nutrition Studies Recipes
If you are new to this way of eating, feel free to bring something simple like a fresh fruit platter or green salad.
Join Eat for the Earth for a delicious, healthy meal and gain insights to support your healthy metabolism!
About the Presenter
Dr. Elise Atkins’ greatest joy is using her knowledge and passion to help people live their healthiest lives. She is triple board certified in Family Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine and Obesity Medicine. With a deep-seated dedication to her patients’ success, she combines extensive medical knowledge with a genuine passion for lifestyle transformation.
After discovering the magic of whole food plant-based nutrition in 2018, she and her husband transitioned their diet almost overnight and haven’t looked back since. Seeing their own medical issues resolve inspired Dr. Atkins to delve further into learning about nutrition and lifestyle medicine and sharing these life-changing principles with her patients.
In early 2023, Dr. Atkins founded Coastal Vitality MD, a pioneering medical practice dedicated to empowering individuals to lose excess weight, reverse chronic disease, and embrace a life of vitality and longevity. For each patient, she customizes a set of powerful lifestyle tools and provides individualized support to help them achieve their health goals.
Dr. Atkins completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and Columbia University, and she studied medicine at the State University of New York Health Sciences Center at Downstate. She brings her rich experience from her career in primary care and physician leadership into her Lifestyle Medicine and Weight Management specialty medical practice.
What to Bring
in addition to your plant-based dish to share, please bring your recipe or a list of ingredients. And please invite your friends!
To Find Us
Drive towards the back of the parking lot. About halfway down you will see a smaller parking lot towards the left. We are in Sundean Hall, between the side parking lot and the street.
Donations are Appreciated.
All donations go to support the nonprofit Eat for the Earth.
Where is it happening?
Santa Cruz Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1024 Cayuga Street, Santa Cruz, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 100.00
