Center for Integrative Nutrition

Center Base Path
nutrition

Avocado Black Bean Quesadillas

image
Prep Time
15
Cook Time
8
Course
Main Dishes
Dietary Choice
Vegetarian
Ingredients
  • ½ onion, sliced
  • ½ bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup black beans, drained
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 4 medium soft flour tortillas
  • 2 avocados, peeled, halved, seeded and sliced
  • ¼ cup minced cilantro
  • 1 lime, cut in half
  • 1 cup light Mexican, Cheddar or mozzarella cheese
  • Oil or cooking spray for grilling
Directions
  1. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, saute onion and bell pepper in 1 tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes or until tender. 
  2. Add the black beans and taco seasoning. Cook for another minute. Transfer mixture into a small bowl and set aside. 
  3. In a small bowl, lightly mash the avocados with a fork. 
  4. Stir in cilantro and juice of ½ lime, season with salt and pepper to taste. 
  5. Spread a quarter of mashed avocado onto half of a tortilla.
  6. Top with bean mixture and ¼th cup of cheese. Fold the tortilla closed over the veggies. 
  7. Repeat until all tortillas are filled and all fillings are used. 
  8. Cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side or until the outside is crispy and cheese has fully melted. 
  9. Serve with your favorite salsa or sour-cream, Enjoy!
English

Arame Sauté

image
Prep Time
15
Cook Time
12
Course
Side Dishes
Dietary Choice
Dairy-free
Nut-free
Vegan
Vegetarian
Ingredients
  • 1⁄4 cup arame (seaweed)
  • 1 cup leek, sliced thin
  • 2 cups zucchini, sliced in thin quarter moons
  • 1 Tbs shoyu
  • 1⁄4 cup tahini
  • sesame oil
Directions
  1. place arame in bowl of water to soak 10 min
  2. strain arame, set aside
  3. in a sauté pan over high heat warm a small amount of oil
  4. once oil is hot sauté leeks for 2 min, reduce heat to medium high
  5. add zucchini, sauté 5 min
  6. add arame sauté 5 min
  7. in a separate bowl combine shoyu and tahini, add to sauté, mix thoroughly
English

Arame & Corn

image
Prep Time
15
Cook Time
25
Course
Side Dishes
Dietary Choice
Dairy-free
Nut-free
Vegan
Vegetarian
Ingredients
  • 1⁄4 cup arame (seaweed)
  • 1 cup onion
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 Tbs shoyu/tamari
  • 2 scallions, sliced thin (optional)
Directions
  1. soak arame in a bowl of water until tender, 5 - 10 min
  2. strain arame, set aside
  3. in a saucepan layer onion, then corn, then arame on top
  4. add 1⁄2 cup water to the side of the pan, gently, not to disrupt the layering
  5. bring to a boil over high flame, reduce low, cover, simmer 20 min
  6. add shoyu/tamari, stir, cook a couple more minutes, done
  7. remove from heat, add scallions, toss
English

Recipe (Test)

image
Prep Time
99
Cook Time
99
Course
Breakfast & Brunch
Dietary Choice
Keto
Ingredients
  • 1 Chimkin
  • 5 Oranges
  • Etc
Directions

Cook the chimkin with 5 oranges

English

Tiffany Holt

First Name
Tiffany
Last Name
Holt
Credentials (Display)
MS, RD
Headshot Image
Titles
Integrative Registered Dietitian
Clinical Services
Administration
Integrative Nutrition
Find a Provider Profile URL
https://providers.ucsd.edu/details/1801398193/nutrition-counseling
Bio

Tiffany Holt is an integrative registered dietitian nutritionist (RD/RDN) and research dietitian with the Centers for Integrative Nutrition and Integrative Research at UC San Diego Health. In her current position, she splits her time between outpatient clinical care and nutrition research. In clinical practice she offers one on one counseling to help implement meaningful nutrition changes for shifting disease processes back towards wellness. As a research dietitian, she assists in all stages of a study including protocol development, intervention implementation, and data analysis. Previous or active research projects include whole food, plant-based, and anti-inflammatory diets in the setting of hormone-related conditions, cancer, digestive diseases, eye diseases, autoimmunity and mental health conditions.

Nutrition became a passion for Tiffany after applying "food as medicine" in her own life as a Division I soccer player facing injury. While she continues to compete in recreation soccer leagues today, she has become a professional in the nutrition world. She has also served as a board member and past-president with the San Diego District of the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a state affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Tiffany is a member of specialized Dietary Practice Groups including Dietitians in Integrative & Functional Medicine (DIFM), Research Nutrition, Cardiovascular Health and Well-being (CV-Well), and Sports and Human Performance Nutrition (SHPN).

Tiffany graduated with advanced nutrition training from Bastyr University master's degree program. While in practice, she has also completed functional nutrition training with the Institute of Functional Medicine, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and peer-to-peer mentorship with tenured RDNs. Her work experience with UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research, Bastyr Center for Natural Health (BCNH), and dietetic internship with UC San Diego Health, have been invaluable learning opportunities she uses daily as a dietitian.

Outside of work, Tiffany enjoys family time with her husband and kids, cooking, playing soccer, running and weight training. Reading, sunshine and tending to her plants, are her restoration essentials.

Show in directories
On
Areas of Expertise
Metabolic health (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, MAFLD), gastrointestinal conditions, women's health, eating disorders, food allergies/intolerances, weight management, autoimmune diseases, oncology, culinary medicine
Practice locations
Telehealth
Care Setting
Outpatient
Accepting New Patients
Accepting New Patients
Languages
English
Short Bio

Tiffany is an integrative registered dietitian nutritionist and research dietitian, passionate about using whole foods for healing and preventing disease. She specializes in metabolic health, gastrointestinal conditions, women's health, and eating disorders.

Clinical Philosophy

The Center for Integrative Nutrition (CIN) vision is to embrace food as the cornerstone of health and disease prevention, treatment, and recovery, for individuals, communities, and the entire planet. CIN supports a food first approach to nutrition-related care. Strategies including culinary medicine and behavior change counseling are integrated into nutrition goals to cultivate meaningful interventions for patients. This specialty practice allows the RDN to blend standard nutrition care with aspects of lifestyle, complementary, alternative, and functional medicine. All of these types of medicine encompass patient-centered, healing-oriented approaches that embraces conventional and complementary therapies. Overall, our RDNs apply the concept of Food as Medicine in a clinical setting and treat a wide variety of medical diagnoses ranging from chronic diseases to weight loss or weight gain to autoimmune and rheumatological conditions, as well as counseling for weight management and eating behaviors.

What to Expect

Patients can expect visits to focus is on collaboration between patient and provider to create patient centered, data-driven, safe, and customized nutrition and lifestyle recommendations. Nutrition visits at CIN allow time for developing a meaningful partnership and regular follow up care starting with review of diet journals and completed with detailed after visit goals. Food as medicine is for everyone in a situation where they are open to changes in their diet to better their health.

Anna Morrell

First Name
Anna
Last Name
Morrell
Credentials (Display)
MS, RDN
Headshot Image
Anna Morrell
Titles
Integrative Registered Dietitian
Clinical Services
Integrative Nutrition
Find a Provider Profile URL
https://providers.ucsd.edu/details/1467001149/nutrition-counseling
Bio

Anna Morrell, MS, RDN, is an integrative Registered Dietitian at UC San Diego Health, specializing in integrative and functional nutrition. She provides individualized medical nutrition therapy for gastrointestinal disorders, metabolic health, women’s health, and chronic disease prevention. In addition to clinical care, Anna is involved in culinary medicine education and inter/intradisciplinary teaching. She earned her Master of Science in Nutritional Science from San Diego State University and completed her dietetic internship at UC San Diego Health.

Show in directories
On
Areas of Expertise
Preventative care, weight management, digestive health, autoimmune conditions, and women's health
Practice locations
Telehealth
Care Setting
Outpatient
Accepting New Patients
Accepting New Patients
Languages
English
Short Bio

Anna is an integrative registered dietitian who takes a whole-person approach to nutrition, specializing in digestive health, disease prevention, and women's health. She also teaches culinary medicine courses that blend cooking with functional foods expertise.

Clinical Philosophy

Anna views food not only as medicine, but also as a meaningful form of self-care and an investment in your future health and well-being. Nutrition is the foundation! Anna takes an individualized and evidence-based approach; she considers the interconnected influences of lifestyle, stress, sleep, movement, environment, and relationship with food when developing nutrition interventions. She strives to empower patients with practical, sustainable strategies that support long-term healing, resilience, and overall wellness.

What to Expect

Patients can expect an individualized, patient-led approach during their initial visit, with their personal goals, health concerns, and priorities guiding the session. Before the appointment, patients will complete a detailed 3-day diet journal along with any medications or supplements they take. The first visit is designed not only to gather a comprehensive understanding of overall health and nutrition status, but also to provide meaningful education tailored to the patient’s needs. Equally important, the initial session serves as an opportunity to build rapport, establish trust, and develop a collaborative foundation that supports more personalized and effective follow-up care.

Lauray MacElhern

First Name
Lauray
Last Name
MacElhern
Credentials (Display)
MBA
Institution Affiliation
UC San Diego
REACH Roles
Leadership
Lead Administrator
UCSD REACH Team
Headshot Image
Lauray MacElhern, PhD
Titles
Managing Director, Centers for Integrative Health
Research Areas
Acupuncture, CIH outcomes, EMR-based research
Research Profile URL
https://profiles.ucsd.edu/lauray.macelhern
Organizational Roles
Instructor
Staff
Short Bio

Lauray has spent her career teaching healing cooking and building integrative nutrition programs — co-founding UC San Diego's Natural Healing & Cooking Program and training chefs, clinicians, and communities to put food at the center of health.

Bio

Lauray MacElhern has spent her career cooking, studying, and experimenting with healing foods — working alongside physicians, dietitians, and chefs to teach healing cooking classes at hospitals, cancer centers, universities, and academic health centers.

As Managing Director of the UC San Diego Centers for Integrative Health, she oversees the business administration, strategy, operations, marketing, finance, management, and development of its five Centers: the Center for Integrative Medicine, Center for Mindfulness, Krupp Center for Integrative Research, Center for Integrative Education, and Center for Integrative Nutrition. One of the founding members of the Centers for Integrative Health in 2011, Lauray has supported its growth from a 10-person micro-granted program into a nearly 100-person, multi-Center organization.

In her role co-directing the Center for Integrative Nutrition, Lauray brings deep expertise in curriculum development. She is co-founder, teacher, and trainer of the UC San Diego Natural Healing & Cooking Program and co-developer of the UC San Diego Certificate in Integrative Nutrition: Food As Medicine. She serves on the boards of the Krupp Endowed Fund and of the prestigious Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health.

Lauray joined UC San Diego after running The Cancer Project, a Washington, D.C.–based non-profit dedicated to nutrition education and research for cancer prevention and survival. There she worked with and trained more than 100 chefs around the world to teach the organization's award-winning cooking and nutrition courses, reaching millions through public outreach and within community centers, hospitals, and medical centers in more than 160 cities across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Panama, Jamaica, India, and Spain. For the prior decade, she held technology, management, marketing, and leadership roles contributing to the start-up and growth of three companies, earning formal recognition from NASA and the Telly Awards for her work.

From an early age, Lauray has been personally immersed in and passionate about healing cooking, natural medicine, Ayurveda, and Chinese medicine. She earned her bachelor's degree in communication and commerce through coursework in the Wharton School and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and pursued advanced coursework in nutrition sciences through extension programs at Harvard University, UC Berkeley, and American University. She earned her MBA from the Rady School of Management, where she was a recipient of the Pauline Foster MBA Fellowship.

Show in directories
On
Subscribe to CIN