MEET
JESSICA DeLUISE
PA-C, CCMS
Physician Assistant, Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist, AAPA Nutrition Fellow, TV Host, On-Air Guest Expert, Emmy Award Winner
ABOUT
Jessica
Jessica DeLuise, MHS, PA-C, CCMS, is a Physician Assistant with a master’s degree in Health Science and Physician Assistant studies. She is also a Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist, TV chef, Emmy award-winning TV host, QVC on-air guest expert, wellness entrepreneur, and 2022 AAPA Nutrition Outreach Fellow.
Jessica is the founder of The Wellness Kitchenista. She believes food is fundamental to chronic disease prevention, lasting wellness, and mental health enhancement. Jessica delivers ‘easy-to-digest,’ practical information across social media, at private and corporate events, and as a valued expert on various media outlets around the country, including ABC, Fox, CBS, The Dr. Oz Show, and as the Calphalon brand expert on QVC.
You can watch her Emmy award-winning show, Eat Your Way to Wellness, streaming on TubiTV.com and DBTV.TV. She recently worked with the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council (PAHIC) on a 2023 Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp Promotion Grant. In 2024, Jessica will launch a new TV show, food line, and an educational cookbook.
Jessica believes lifestyle and food choices can considerably impact overall wellness. Always an energetic go-getter (lovingly described by her husband as a ping-pong ball), Jessica faced many hurdles on her personal road to wellness. You can read about Jessica’s health struggles below – and how the lifestyle and dietary modifications she made now allow her to live symptom-free.
That’s why Jessica’s mission is to champion and share impactful information about the potentially life-improving benefits of food, wellness, and balance. To carry out her mission, Jessica committed to becoming well-rounded with her education and experience, which include:
Whether with patients, in front of an audience, or engaging with her social media following, Jessica demystifies food facts and science – and shares delicious meal ideas. A proud Italian-American, Jessica finds a way to bring her heritage into many of her recipes.
Jessica’s passion for culinary medicine is rooted in her own life experience. Jessica has fond memories surrounding food and her Italian American family home. She learned treasured family traditions and culinary techniques from her mother, a Sicilian American who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked in food service.
Around the age of 16, Jessica began to have episodes of syncope (fainting). After seeking evaluation from healthcare providers and undergoing a variety of testing, Jessica was prescribed various medications. At this same time, Jessica began to experience symptoms of GERD (chronic acid reflux), and an endoscopy showed esophageal ulcers. She received two additional prescription medications for these diagnoses.
The dietary recommendations included eating less GERD food triggers, such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, citrus, coffee, and peanut butter. Many of these restricted items were what Jessica and her family ate regularly. Meal time became confusing – and she also started to experience constipation. She recalls her primary care provider recommending that she address the problem by stocking up on stool softeners and taking them as often as possible.
For years, Jessica managed her symptoms primarily with medications. When she learned about anatomy and science in college and PA school, Jessica decided to make a change. Jessica consulted with additional specialists regarding nutrition and her health, asking questions and advocating for herself. She used what she learned, began a food and lifestyle journal, and slowly implemented changes.
Jessica learned which foods triggered her symptoms – and transformed her diet. She found that many of her symptoms were markedly improved with dietary interventions and lifestyle modifications like stress management, regular exercise, and quality sleep.
While this isn’t the case for everyone, Jessica’s goal is to bring the potentially transformative benefits of food and life balance to the forefront.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in both men and women. Heart disease affects Jessica’s family, which is why she advocates for patient self-awareness, mindfulness of dietary choices, and widespread CPR education. Jessica was the 2023 Philadelphia AHA’s Woman of Impact for raising the most money in support of women’s health. Jessica continues to work with the American Heart Association to raise funds and partner on educational events.
Due to its vast implications and eco-friendly attributes, Hemp is one of the Pennsylvania (PA) Foundation crops that Jessica believes will be part of its future. Hemp also has the ability to replace other commodities, such as plastic, cotton, and almonds.
In 2023, Jessica worked with the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council (PAHIC) on a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp Promotion Grant. The grant, which was for the promotion, education, and support of hemp hearts, aimed at the application of hemp in concrete, housing insulation, nutritive sources, and more. Jessica, along with a team of hemp professionals, created online content, cost models, and a cookbook. Their goal is to strengthen the crop infrastructure and build demand for Pennsylvania-based farmers and businesses.
Learn more!
ABOUT
Jessica
The Wellness Kitchenista, Jessica DeLuise, MHS, PA-C, CCMS, is a seasoned medical practioner, culinary medicine specialist, TV-chef and wellness entrepreneur.
Jessica’s mission is to make the road-to-wellness fun, easy to follow, budget friendly, and delicious! Jessica holds a Masters degree in Health Science from Drexel University and certification in Culinary Medicine from Tulane University’s acclaimed Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine. She has more than eleven years of clinical experience as a Physician Assistant.
Jessica’s passion for culinary medicine is rooted in her own life experience. As a teen and young adult, Jessica suffered from unexplained episodes of syncope (fainting), complex migraines, GERD, esophageal ulcers, and other intrusive health symptoms. At this time in her life, Jessica felt confused and frustrated with lack of guidance, prescription pushing, and cold bedside manner of many practitioners she visited with. As Jessica empowered herself and transformed her diet, she began to learned which foods triggered her symptoms. Now, due to her lifestyle and dietary modification, she is able to live symptom-free. While this isn’t the case for everyone, lifestyle and food, Jessica believes can have a considerable impact.
Inspired by her own experience, Jessica has made it her mission to bring to the forefront, the potentially transformative benefits of food and life balance. Whether with patients, in front of an audience, or engaging with her social media following,
Jessica can be counted on to demystify facts and science behind the food and share delicious meal ideas. Jessica is the host of “Eat Your Way to Wellness”, a cooking and lifestyle program streaming on Amazon Prime. You can also spot Jessica on one of her frequent TV appearances, include the Dr. Oz Show, Insider, Fox 29 and many others. She is a brand ambassador for several trusted national and local brands, including OXO, Calphalon, Tropical Fruit Box, Mooala, Hungry Harvest, and more.
Jessica’s social media content is relatable and easy to understand – plus, she makes everything fun! Her posts have encouraged me to try new recipes – and I’ve learned a lot about various wellness topics through the resources she recommends. I love seeing her posts and videos in my feeds!
Jennifer M.
Thank you so much for welcoming me into your kitchen. I believe that wellness shouldn’t feel overwhelming and complicated.
Whatever wellness means to you, I can’t wait to share my journey and inspire you to make the food that makes you feel your best.
COOK WELL, EAT WELL, BE WELL!
Jess
As a physician assistant, I’ve seen first hand how the nutritional choices people make on a day-to-day basis are powerful enough to change lives. For example, certain foods may decrease the risk of certain cancers, while others can lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Still others can be used as adjunct treatment for mental health. Knowing which foods are right for you given your health history and wellness goals, empowers you take an empowered and active role in your own health and wellness.
The field of culinary medicine has been steadily growing in popularity. There are various programs throughout the country geared to educating practitioners how best to support and guide patients through the choices they face at the grocery story and during meal time. In 2019, Jessica completed her certification as a culinary medicine specialist from the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University. culinarymedicine.org
Using this certification and more than 10+ of clinical practice as a physician assistant, Jessica educates and inspires individuals through The Wellness Kitchenista platform.
References:
You may have heard friends or colleagues state they are eating a “gluten free” diet … or have seen the entire grocery store sections or restaurant menus dedicated to gluten free items. And you may be wondering, ‘Should I be eating a gluten free diet’?
Here is what you need to know.
First, what heck is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in a variety of grains such as wheat or barley. Items that contain gluten include malt, breads, cakes, desserts, food thickeners or additives, protein bars, crackers, seasoning blends, condiments, and so
many others. Gluten may even be present by cross contamination with gluten containing items on restaurant work surfaces and deep fryers.
In my experience, elimination of gluten from the diet is usually due to one of two main reasons. First, in an effort to reduce or resolve symptoms someone may be experiencing. Or secondly, because there is a misunderstanding about gluten containing items and the effect they may have on weight gain or health status. I will explain both below in a little more detail and then offer some ways I can support you
Reactions to gluten are very real. For some people, gluten may trigger symptoms of bloating, upset stomach, migraine headaches, and even as severe as intestinal damage in those who have Celiac disease. If you are experiencing any symptoms you may believe are related to gluten or are otherwise unexplained, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. I have outlined three reactions you may experience to gluten below.
If you are not experiencing symptoms, but rather, have chosen to eliminate or are considering eliminating gluten – keep reading. In my experience, the protein gluten has become synonymous with “processed food”. To that end, many people believe that items without gluten are better for overall wellness. Additionally, many people assume because it is gluten free, it is also free from carbohydrates, additives, or sugar. This is not the case! Let’s look at gluten free pasta as an example. Per cup of standard, wheat spaghetti, there is 200 calories, 1g fat, 42g cabs, 2g fiber, 2g sugar, and 7g of protein. In the gluten free variety from the same company, where corn is used instead of wheat, there is 190 calories, 1g fat, 44g carbs, 2g fiber, 0 sugar, and 4g protein. You can see the nutrition profiles are quite similar. This tends to be similar with other gluten free items as well. Also, gluten free cookies, cakes, or snacks still contain refined fats and sugars. “Gluten free” does not necessarily equal “better for you”. But, if you decide to switch from refined pasta and bread to a whole grain variety in an attempt to include
more whole foods in your diet – WONDERFUL! According to an article by Harvard Health, as compared to refined grains, whole grains provide more fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants.
Harvard Health has a great article: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/whole-grains/ . Remember to always discuss food choices with your health care
Three Common Gluten- Related Reactions:
practitioner before making any changes.
Yes, absolutely ! Of course your individual choices should be discussed with your healthcare practitioner for your safety. To that end, here are a few tactics I use when eating at restaurants – whether for business or pleasure!
Definitely. Believe it or not, I encounter may people who complain about bloating. The tricky part is, though, that even though bloating is very common, it is not very specific. This means there are multiple causes for bloating, including potential fatal causes – keep reading!
I often recommend starting with a food diary. This exercise alone can sometimes help you tease out the cause for bloating. If you can’t discern the cause on your own, then you will at least have some information to bring to a dietitian or healthcare practitioner. In the diary, it is important to log EVERYTHING; food intake, chewing gum, drinks, sleep, stress level, bowel movements – everything! All of this will be pertinent to figuring out the cause of the bloating.
Some common food causes of bloating may be food intolerance or sensitivity, IBS, stress, irregular bowel movements, sleep disturbances, artificial sweeteners, menses, or eating processed foods. Bloating may also be a sign of something more severe than food intolerance, like inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, or even certain cancers. It is important never to brush off bloating as “no big deal”. If it is, in fact, no big deal, let a professional tell you so after a full evaluation and examination. SAFETY FIRST!
Get healthy living tips, yummy recipes, or just see what I’ve been up to!
Be the first to know about a new recipe creation, details for the next fun event or class and get your monthly dose of The Wellness Kitchenista!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.