Testimonials

The Culinary Medicine Certificate Course far exceeds my expectation. She is giving us so much relevant information. I am so glad to be learning from her. P.N.

I have been really appreciating Bettina Zumdick’s classes at the Culinary Medicine School Certificate Course. For the first time I am beginning to get a better understanding of the five transformations and how to apply this understanding . Bettina has a great gift of patience which encourages one to ask questions. This study is very empowering and enables us to engage in health promoting conversations with our bodies. She is able to share her in depth knowledge of cooking and the way to health. S.N.

The Culinary Medicine Certificate training with Bettina was outstanding. I would recommend the Culinary Medicine Program to anyone desirous of enhancing one’s well being, be it physical, emotional or spiritual. Dr. B. M. Mark

"I had the pleasure of working with Bettina Zumdick during a Macrobiotic (holistic health) consultation. Just sitting in the presence of Bettina felt healing. Our session was informative and detailed. I left with lots of information on how to reverse a handful of health conditions and emotional issues. She also gave me great advice on energetic practices to incorporate as well. The special thing about Bettina is she looks at the whole person: from a physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual perspective. Her aim is to address all of these in the session.

After our initial consultation I followed up with Bettina multiple times, with both questions and the need for encouragement. Each time, her words landed straight into my heart... its like she knew exactly what I needed to hear. She was never pushy with her advice, but full of love and compassion.

She is a truly gifted practitioner and teacher. I'm 6 weeks into her recommendations and have felt huge shifts in my health, weight, and spiritually well being. If you're looking for a holistic approach to wellness and health, I cannot recommend Bettina highly enough." L. Finerman

"Great Information! I love these [classes] & it does help me be inspired!" M. Regenbrecht

"Thanks for a super presentation!" C. Albanese

"I loved the slides [of the powerpoint presentation]." S. MacKenzie

"Great presentation!" M. Marrero

"It gave me many ideas - I really enjoyed the class." C. Higel

"Bravo - thanks again for the awesome class!" P. Licht

"This was absolutely fabulous! I am so happy Bettina is doing these [online] cooking classes - very inspiring! I enjoyed it so much and got so much out of it. I am going to make all the dishes Bettina showed. I am looking forward to many more cooking classes. They keep me inspired to cook. And it makes me feel part of a community." E. Moreland

"I wanted to let you know you how informative and useful I found Bettina's presentation. I have had multiple Lyme exposures and spent many years suffering. I've researched and read and tried a variety of approaches. I also have studied macrobiotics many years and gone in and out with  the way I eat. Her webinar lined things up in a  unique way. Thank you so much!" KY

"I chose to study Culinary Medicine with Bettina Zumdick because I have been privileged to know Bettina for many years, having taken healing cooking classes with Bettina at the Kushi Institute and at the Reuner Cancer Support House for the Miso Happy Cooking Club.  I have always admired Bettina’s gracefulness, elegance and skills with food preparation, cooking and serving beautiful fresh organic foods that promote health.  I see Bettina as a creative artist with her food preparation and cooking.  Magically, back home, I found myself moving about my kitchen with more grace, focus and intention, just like Bettina.   Using Bettina’s recipes, my cooking at home became more focused, light hearted,  joyous and satisfying.   

There are several reasons that I enrolled in the Culinary Medicine program.  I was getting careless and reckless with my food consumption.  I had gained weight. My doctor told me that I had become obese. I knew that I was losing my focus and my ability to properly nurture myself.  I knew Bettina and admired her character, knowledge and skill.   Bettina offered a very flexible schedule for the modules.  I could put myself in full healing mode to spend Friday morning through Sunday afternoon with Bettina at her Culinary Medicine School.  We would prepare our meals and then enjoy beautiful, artfully served dishes, each dish so delicious.  Each meal so satisfying.  Bettina taught us how to prepare delicious guilt free desserts too.  I enjoyed fascinating conversations with Bettina and my fellow students while cutting vegetables and while eating our meals.  Each day we received take home dinners consisting of the fabulous dishes that we had cooked that day.  Class ended between 3 and 4 pm so there was was plenty of daylight for me to explore nearby Pittsfield and the shopping outlets in Lee.  I was overdue for a vacation and so attending the Culinary Medicine School gave me a much needed and refreshing change of scene and activity.  Staying at a nearby inn on a lake after a fascinating day at Culinary Medicine School and exploring the community made for a perfect vacation for me.

I attended Modules 1, 2 and 3 of the Level One program.  On the last Sunday afternoon Bettina presented me with a beautiful gold embossed Certificate of Completion of Level One of Culinary Medicine.  I wasn’t expecting the certificate.  My, it was beautiful, not ordinary, and a surprise too.  At that moment, I realized that I really did learn so much from Bettina about the macrobiotic approach to health.  I really did earn the Certificate of Completion." Barbara Stemke

"Thank you for your excellent webinar on Healthy Memory and Laser-like Focus... very interesting and I enjoyed it. I've appreciated workshops that I've taken with you in the past at the Kushi Institute, and look forward to taking more classes/webinars with you in the future." Ellen Harris (RDN, LDN, TLC)

"I so enjoyed the webinar.  It is great to be able to keep in touch with you, now that the KI has closed.  And the connection worked much better than I thought it would.  There was really no problem on my end.  I thought the webinar was very informative, and easy to follow.
[..] I am looking forward to more such events." Elizabeth Moreland

"We were all talking while we were cooking - we remembered how you not only taught us so many important macrobiotic principles and delicious food, but how to carry a calming, peaceful presence in the kitchen that really makes a difference with the food. I learned so much more than I ever anticipated from you! Thank you!" S.S.

“I am amazed – truly amazed.  The remedy – a Probiotic capsule- you recommended has healed every single sore in my mouth and every pain in my jaw.  It is truly remarkable.  I have tried countless over the counter remedies, over the counter vitamins, everything that is out there and only this remedy that you recommended actually worked.
This is no small feat.  I have received consultations from doctors at Dana Farber, Yale, and Sloan… and it is your thoughtful, warm hearted advice that is proving, for me at least,  to be life changing. Profound and whole hearted thanks.”
Kim Czepiga

“I met with Bettina for my first counseling session this summer while attending the Way to Health program at the Kushi Institute. I actually attended the workshop because I’d heard about Bettina from a good friend who knew of her skill in working with people who’ve had persistent Lyme disease. Her knowledge and experience of Macrobiotics and her personal experience with Lyme disease was my next step toward more fundamental healing, becoming more aware and conscious of food, and its potential healing and medicinal properties.   I’ve been very ill for many years with Lyme disease. I was first infected about ten years ago where I live in southern Vermont and since then my physical and emotional life have been compromised and I’ve been changed in many ways.

I’ve been to specialists of every kind, from rheumatologists, neurologists, orthopedists and naturopaths, physical therapist and more. This has been central in my life, to continue to search out healers who can help define and clarify my condition and symptoms, to find a way to heal myself and return to a more balanced way in my life.

I met with Bettina for my counseling session and was immediately at ease with her. She was warm and strong, and her confidence was comforting to me.   I knew that I was with someone who had a deep understanding of her work. She listened carefully as I told her of my illness with Lyme disease and all the related physical, emotional and spiritual challenges that go along with Lyme and other chronic, long term illnesses. She shared her own experience as it was relevant to mine and then gave me a very clear plan to follow within the Macrobiotic Way. Her counsel was thorough and empathic. She also had a lovely sense of humor, which I certainly needed at the time. It lightened me up and gave me hope that I would be allright and could heal and become healthier. I later had an Energy Healing session with Bettina and the time with her was profound. I could feel the compassion surrounding us and her touch was gentle and light. I had entered the session feeling confused and in a great deal of pain. When I left the pain was relieved, I could walk more easily without discomfort of any kind. Again, I felt some heavy burden lifted and cleared. I felt peaceful and calm and a door opened for me into a lighter and more gentle place; a door into more compassion, understanding and trust in myself. I was grateful. I also took away the strong image of the confidence that Bettina conveyed about the power of eating consciously and intentionally, and how it could change my life.” Evita Cobo – Singer, Teacher, Psychotherapist

“My sister created a cooking weekend with you on my 60th birthday one year ago in November 2014. Some grace occurred with you that changed my life. I had been trying to be vegetarian and that weekend committed me more fully: the way you arranged and cooked vegetables… Watching you cut with that knife so skillfully and artistically stayed with me. The next day your son helped me pick out a Japanese knife that has transformed my cooking. […] EVERY TIME I CUT MY VEGETA BLES I THINK OF YOU AND SEND YOU A THANK YOU!” Kathleen Dolan

“I got my extensive Lyme test results today.(…) You are a master diagnostician. You’ve always suspected that something else was at play. I cannot believe that all of these years, I never had an autoimmune disease.” M. Goldman

“I have attended several programs at the Kushi Institute and found Bettina to be extremely insightful and gifted in her ability to share her vast knowledge and so generous with addressing everyone’s individual concerns in classes.  Having recently done a private consultation and following her suggestions, however,  has brought me to a new level.  Her warmth and caring and dedication are unparalleled.” L. F. Miller

“You are the best of the best and I have seen many if not most of the cutting edge teachers in your field” E.T.

“You are an awesome teacher and amazing chef.” A.V.

“Thank you so much for everything, your wisdom and calmness will stay with me always.” W. S.

“I am sure you gave me the best teachings and wisdoms of my life ever!” J.L.

“Bettina, thank you for all that you do. It is appreciated in depth you may not always notice. (…) Your presence heals community and those within it in ways I don’t fully have words for.” K.T.