Wanting to empower people to make more informed choices for optimal health and well-being, Drs. Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman joined forces with Whole Foods Market to develop the innovative Whole Foods Market Wellness Clubs, designed to educate, inspire and empower those looking to make positive lifestyle changes.
Dr. Pulde describes how the concept began: “The idea originated as the vision for our clinic. We envisioned a comprehensive approach, educating people in making nutrition and lifestyle changes. It’s fantastic to be a physician and truly make a difference, and to now see it disseminated to a wider audience.”
She and Dr. Lederman, along with nutrition expert Jeff Novick, MS, RD, expanded upon that vision with Whole Foods Market. Founded upon in-depth medical and nutritional research, the Wellness Clubs are intended to guide wise decision-making and support the transition to a healthier lifestyle.
Dr. Pulde describes the frustration felt in seeing patients become sicker over time, with little to offer except pills and procedures – treating the symptoms but not impacting the underlying disease. “We’ve been able to step away from this vicious and futile cycle and discover a practice of medicine that allows us to help people make dramatic changes in their lives” noting that patients have, through lifestyle change, successfully lost weight, lowered cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and other measures with marked improvement in diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and other diseases.
Former ACLM board member Dr. Matt Lederman points out, “We’re really advocating Lifestyle Medicine, with a focus on dietary and lifestyle changes that promote optimal health. This is not alternative medicine; it is evidence-based medicine founded on years of scientific research largely ignored by conventional practices. And, the beauty and strength of this approach is that it empowers individuals to take charge of their own health.” He goes on to describe that Wellness Club members learn not only “why” they need to make certain changes but “how” to do so in a way that works well for them, noting, “This approach empowers people to become their own best health advocate.”
Wellness Club programs include nutrition education, cooking classes, one-on-one coaching, weekly meetings, and practical skill-building activities aimed at promoting lifestyle change. The program moves members through distinct levels of engagement, from initial introductory classes to four-week immersion and experimental phases, and finally to a maintenance phase, sustaining lifestyle practices for life-long health and well-being. The programming aligns with Whole Foods Market core principles such as building a plant-strong™, whole food, healthy fat, and nutrient-dense diet.
Dr. Lederman shares that the lifestyle immersion programs were initially offered only to Whole Foods Market employees. “Whole Foods Market was already on track with the core value of teaching stakeholders about healthy eating, so it was a natural progression to create the Wellness Club concept and open it up to customers.”
Dr. Lederman and Dr. Pulde’s private practice, Exsalus Health & Wellness Center, was featured in the recent film Forks Over Knives. “We’re the doctors treating patients in the reality portion of the film,” Dr. Lederman explains. “Much of what you see in the film is offered in the Whole Foods Market Wellness Clubs, along with offerings such as discounts on thousands of healthier foods in the store, access to a growing partner network of like-minded practitioners and businesses in the community, and many more features that people will be excited to learn about.”
Over the past eighteen months, Whole Foods Market has launched Wellness Clubs in five pilot sites: Chicago, Oakland, New York, Princeton, and Dedham, Massachusetts. The initial response has been overwhelmingly positive, and Drs. Pulde and Lederman envision continued expansion to other locations.At this time, they’re actively seeking physician partners within driving distance of these locations. The majority of physician partners will be “external”, seeing members within their own offices. These physicians will operate within a contractual agreement requiring that they keep their own medical records and malpractice insurance. Physician partners will work as nutrition and lifestyle medicine consultants, aligned with Whole Foods Market core principles, and corresponding with members’ primary care providers as needed.
Dr. Lederman offers, “We would love to open more clubs and hope to do so in the future, but first we must look at the data from the initial five locations. We’re not actively planning additional Wellness Clubs at this point.” One location now has a physician working on-site. These “internal” partners also operate independently, keeping their own medical records and malpractice insurance, and are asked to provide super bills for members to submit to their health insurance plans. Both internal and external physician partners commit to provide on-going guest lectures as an integral part of the Wellness Club programming. We’re optimistic about the future, and open to exploring different models of practice and partnership.”
In addition to physician partners, Wellness Club teams are comprised of team leaders, educators, wellness chefs, and wellness specialists. And they’ve established partnerships with other wellness practitioners and community businesses such as yoga and fitness studios, offering a wide array of additional benefits to Wellness Club members.
As Global Medical Executives of Health and Wellness, Drs. Pulde and Lederman provide direction and work with contracted physician partners to offer guidance and to ensure that services provided align with the core values and medical guidelines set forth by the Global Whole Foods Market Wellness Club team and Science Advisory Board.
Dr. Lederman acknowledges that the physician interface is still in initial stages of implementation. “We’re building the network of physician partners in the five key regions, and we’re exploring different practice models.” He asserts, “Nutrition and lifestyle medicine must be the foundation. The physician partners help Wellness Club members sift through all the nutrition and health information out there today. There’s more information available than ever before, but also an abundance of misinformation. In our experience, the biggest impediment to losing weight, decreasing risk of disease, and regaining general health and vitality is confusion. Americans are spending more money, time, and energy on their health than ever before, yet they are still getting sicker. Our primary goal is to prevent our wellness club members from falling victim to misinformation so that they not only achieve optimum health but can sustain it for the rest of their lives.”
To learn more about the Whole Foods Market Wellness Clubs, go to: www.wholefoodsmarket.com/wellnessclub/
Alona Pulde, MD, Global Medical Executive of Health and Wellness at Whole Foods Market, is a Family Medicine physician specializing in Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, and a board-certified practitioner of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Dr. Pulde is lead author of the book, "Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole: Your Guide to Optimum Health." She also developed the Lifestyle Change Program used for patients in the film Forks Over Knives, as well as in her clinic, Exsalus Health & Wellness Center.
Matthew Lederman, MD, Global Medical Executive of Health and Wellness is a board-certified, Internal Medicine physician specializing in nutrition and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Lederman has participated in projects such as lecturing for the eCornell Certificate Program in Plant Based Nutrition, and in films such as Healing Cancer and Forks Over Knives. He also coauthored the popular new book, "Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole: Your Guide to Optimum Health."
Article by Kathleen Jones, MA
American College of Lifestyle Medicine
ACLM Disclaimer: Our Practice Spotlights are intended to provide examples of Lifestyle Medicine in practice.
We recognize that Lifestyle Medicine practices vary widely, and inclusion in Practice Spotlight is not intended
to imply official endorsement of individuals or practices.
