The Members
The members of Suppers include people who have chosen to make diet and lifestyle changes to address their health, mental
health or recovery issues. Most, but not all of us, are women. Most, but not all of us, have preventable health problems
related to blood sugar and mood chemistry. This includes depression, anxiety, learning issues, obesity, diabetes, or
problems with alcohol. We understand that to deal with most of our problems we must look to how we lead our lives, not
to medicine, to find solutions.
The changes we are making are simple but not easy to establish because what we are up against is a fundamentally
addictive food supply.
The Founder
The research that led to the design of the Suppers programs was originally done by me,
Dor, a holistic practitioner in
central New Jersey . I was fueled by my conviction that conventional treatments for health and mental health problems and
addiction can hurt people when they leave the nutritional status of the physical body out of the recovery equation. I
conceived of the program while working on a masters degree in counseling at The College of New Jersey and ultimately came
up with a program design that included counseling strategies with whole food preparation, elements of the 12 step process,
and basic nutrition. Early on, it became clear that anyone whose health, mental health or recovery issues required blood
sugar and mood chemistry stabilization could benefit from a support group based on whole food preparation. So to
simultaneously meet nutritional needs and emotional and psychological needs, I added several components: restoration of
the family table, avoidance of commercial messages, and the active practice of non-judgment. The latter was absolutely
necessary in order to create safe settings where it was possible for members to do their own experiments with food and
learn what makes them feel and function best.
The Co-Founders
The program I envisioned was best suited to diabetics and sugar addicts as well as recovering alcoholics. But I reasoned that
because alcoholics in recovery were already accustomed to working a program, it made the most sense to work with that population
first. So the first Suppers program was Suppers for Sobriety. In 2005, while still in graduation school, I met
Cindy a devoted member of AA and a body
psychotherapist. Together we ran the first Suppers pilot program, Suppers for Sobriety. Our experience together taught us
that the program, like AA, would have to preserve anonymity.
As I ran more and more pilot programs, it become clear that Suppers didn’t need to focus on the recovery population to attract
members. We started running meetings for diabetics, families with ADHD, and general meetings for anyone who needed support
developing a taste for and establishing the habits of eating whole foods for their own health’s sake and that of their families.
In 2008, Karen emerged as an energetic
advocate for type 1 and type 2 diabetics. Together we started running pilots for Suppers for Stable Blood Sugar, providing
separate meetings for type 1 diabetics and type 2s and others who feel they have a drug-like relationship with food. Now
Cindy, Karen and I run meetings along with others who facilitate meetings in their homes or conduct meetings in the workplace.
If you would like to become one of us, joining is easy. The only requirement for membership is the desire to lead a healthier
life.
Advisory Board
Dr. Michael B. Schachter's Message to Physicians and the Public
Message to Counselors and the Public from Mark S. Woodford, Ph.D., LPC, MAC
Chair, Department of Counselor Education, The College of New Jersey
Message from Dr. Ron Hoffman
Bonnie Camo, M.D. - Brain Health
W. George McAuliffe, D.C., C.C.N. - Nutritional Protocol To Follow When
Eliminating Coffee
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