Savor Health

By Meiqi Zheng, Dietetic Intern

This simple sushi – inspired recipe is a perfect dish for you to share as a meal with you and your loved one. It is basically sushi but in a casserole form that not only is well balanced and fits into a pescatarian diet, but it is also simple to make. This recipe incorporates salmon which is low in saturated fat and high in protein, making this dish ideal for one who wants to maintain a healthy weight and remain satiated. On top of that, salmon is a good source of vitamin D, iron and potassium, making this dish nutritiously dense and yummy [i]! This recipe is easily adjustable to suit your taste buds, because you can have as many (or as few) toppings as you like. Or, swap out the salmon with other protein options!

Ingredient Highlight: 

Salmon: Salmon is a good source of Omega 3, “healthy fat”, which serves as great anti-inflammatory properties that can help with decreasing cardiovascular risks, increase in kidney functions and many more [i]. 

Cucumber: This sweet and very aromatic fruit is filled with antioxidant properties by scavenging for free radicals  in our body and preventing oxidation which may lead to negative consequences. Cucumbers have a very high water content and high in vitamins K, C and B vitamins along with other trace minerals making an ideal supplement to include in waters [ii]. 


Nori seaweed: Nori is among a variety of seaweed and very common in the Japanese diet. It is high in iodine which plays an important role in the thyroid function. Nori Seaweed is also low in fat but contains small amounts of polyunsaturated fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids [iv].

Avocado: Avocado is a tropical fruit that contains many fat soluble vitamins that are not seen in other foods such as Vitamin A, B and small amounts of D and E. They are high in fiber which can aid in gut health [iii]. 

Recipe, Serves 6

Ingredients:

Sushi Rice

  • 1 cup sushi rice (or rice of choice) 
  • 1 ½ cup of water or as directed on the packaging instructions 
  • 4 tablespoon rice vinegar 

Salmon Mix 

  • 1 ½ pound salmon 
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce 
  • 2 tablespoon soft low fat cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoon japanese mayo (Kewpi mayo)
  • Salt and pepper to taste 

Toppings:

  • 1 avocado 
  • ½ cup thinly sliced Cucumber 
  • ½ cup thawed Corn kernels
  • 1 package Nori Seaweed

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash the rice until slightly clear then add in 1 ½ cup of water in a pot. Cook the pot with lid until boil then reduce heat and simmer. Cook until 15-25 minutes until water is absorbed. If equipment permits, use a rice cooker. 
  2. Once rice is done cooking, mix in the vinegar carefully to minimize the breakage of the rice grains. Set rice aside to cool
  3. Cut salmon into small cubes (ideally 1 inch) to make it easier to cook. In a separate bowl, season the salmon with salt and pepper.
  4. Add small amounts of oil onto a pan. You can use cooking spray as well. Add salmon onto the pan and use a spatula to mix the salmon to make sure it is fully cooked. Once fully cooked, turn off the stove and put the salmon in a large bowl. Break up the salmon into thin shreds. Add the cream cheese, soy sauce, and mayo into the shredded salmon. Mix thoroughly.
  5. Cut the cucumber and avocado into thin slice. Add the corn kernels on top.
  6. Spray a 9*9 inch cooking pan with oil. Evenly spread out the rice on the cooking pan. Evenly layer and spread out the salmon mix on top of the rice. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 F. Once 15 minutes is up, take out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes in room temperature. Once cooled down, layer on the cucumber, avocado and corn. Drizzle some soy sauce and mayonnaise on top. 
  7. Wrap it with Nori seaweed and enjoy!

Notes

  • Make use of old rice! This recipe calls for sushi rice, however you can use leftover rice or other rice such as jasmine, long grain rice, or brown rice. 
  • Make it vegan! You can swap salmon for thinly cubed tofu or mushrooms.
  • If you don’t have Nori seaweed, that is ok! You can use a lettuce wrap.

References:

[i] Zivkovic, A. M., Telis, N., German, J. B., & Hammock, B. D. (2011). Dietary omega-3 fatty acids aid in the modulation of inflammation and metabolic health. California agriculture, 65(3), 106–111. https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.v065n03p106

[ii] Evaluating the Potential Benefits of Cucumbers for Improved Health and Skin Care. (n.d.). JAR Life. https://doi.org/10.14283/jarcp.2016.108

[iii] Duarte, P. F., Chaves, M. A., Borges, C. D., & Mendonça, C. R. B. (2016). Avocado: characteristics, health benefits and uses. Ciência Rural, 46(4), 747–754. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20141516[iv] Seaweed. (2024, May 9). The Nutrition Soure. https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/seaweed/

Susan started Savor Health after losing a close friend to a brain tumor and, through that experience, becoming aware of the significant unmet nutritional needs of people with cancer.  Struck by the fact that her friend was told “nutrition doesn’t matter” and “eat whatever you want,” Susan read the evidence-based literature on the subject, interviewed oncologists, oncology nurses and oncology dietitians, as well as patients and caregivers, and found that, in fact, nutrition does matter in oncology. Armed with solid scientific evidence supporting the clinical and quality of life benefits of proper nutrition, Susan left Wall Street and created Savor Health, an AI-based provider of personalized and clinically appropriate nutrition solutions for cancer patients, their caregivers and health enterprises. Susan brings to Savor Health over 25 years of industry experience in healthcare and business as well as expertise in strategy, finance and management.

Susan is an outspoken and tireless advocate for cancer patients receiving proper nutrition and nutrition support before, during and after treatment. She strongly believes that the U. S. healthcare system requires new innovation to transform it into a more holistic and integrated system of care whereby multiple disciplines coordinate care together for the benefit of the whole patient. As part of this, her goal is for nutrition to be an integral component of such an integrated cancer care delivery system.  Susan’s commitment to the field of oncology extends beyond Savor Health to volunteer work at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in pediatrics and as a runner for Fred’s Team to raise money for research at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Susan participated in the Cancer Moonshot in June of 2016 where she was a breakout session group “igniter” tasked with starting and leading discussion. Susan’s first book, the Meals to Heal Cancer Cookbook, was published in March 2016.

In addition to her role as CEO of Savor Health, Susan speaks nationally about the importance of ensuring proper nutrition in the cancer patient and on topics including leadership and startups. She has been a speaker at the Harvard Medical School’s Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Healthcare, ESMO World Congress on GI Cancer, BioPharm America, AARP Live @50+, Lake Nona Impact Forum, and IIR ePharma Summit.

Prior to starting Savor Health, Susan had a successful career on Wall Street as a healthcare services investment banker working at prestigious firms including Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Wasserstein Perella and Robertson Stephens. Susan earned a B.A. from Duke University and M.B.A. from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business.

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Marissa Buchan is a registered dietitian, with advanced practice certifications in Oncology Nutrition (CSO) and Clinical Research (CCRP). She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Duke University, and Master’s of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University. Marissa worked for 10 years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in both the clinical research and nutrition departments.  In addition to counseling patients before, during, and after cancer therapy, she spearheaded nutrition-research efforts for the bone marrow transplant service. She has co-authored over 20 articles and has a particular interest in the role of nutrition on the intestinal microbiota and its impact on patient outcomes. When Marissa’s not wearing her lab coat, she’s in her apron whipping up healthy and delicious recipes that you can find on her blog, Get Off Your Tush and Cook.

Marissa is Chief Operating Officer of Savor Health where she leads operations working with the technology, clinical, and business development teams and management. Prior to assuming the role of COO in March 2020, Marissa was Vice President, Clinical Research and Operations at Savor Health where she worked closely with Savor Health’s Chief Medical Advisor, Scientific Advisory Board, and Clinical Operations Team to evaluate, design and conduct clinical research.  She also counsels patients on oncology nutrition issues and contributes to the Company website’s clinical content.

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Dr. DeFrance has a unique background including clinical interventional cardiologist, chief medical officer, educator, outcomes researcher and entrepreneur. He has expertise in Lifestyle medicine in which he was board certified in 2020 and is highly interested in the prevention and reversal of chronic disease. Dr. DeFrance also has expertise in appropriate utilization of technology in medicine, healthcare economics, value-based metrics, and educational design and delivery. He worked as Chief Medical Officer for HealthHelp, one of the largest specialty benefit managers in the US, and led large teams of healthcare professionals in writing evidence based appropriate care guidelines and rule sets which improve the quality and safety of medicine for over 20 million people in the US while also creating sustained savings in healthcare. He has also designed clinical decision support systems that are currently in use helping to improve patient care.

In 2018 Dr. DeFrance founded MedMentor Education, a company that provides state of the art CME content using the latest in eLearning science and online delivery platforms. Dr. DeFrance is also the founder and President of Digimedica, a consulting and educational design and delivery company for healthcare professionals, hospitals, and universities. He is passionate about creating systems to optimize knowledge transfer and has won numerous awards for teaching excellence during his career. He is an expert in cardiovascular CT imaging and has taught more than 3,000 physicians how to perform and interpret cardiac CT nationally and internationally and has lectured extensively on this subject.

Dr. DeFrance has a stellar reputation in the medical field and continues work to improve the quality and safety of patient care in the US.

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Alyson is a registered nurse and is certified in oncology nursing (OCN) through the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS). She also has her certification as an ONS Biotherapy and Chemotherapy Provider. Alyson studied nursing at Thomas Jefferson University where she obtained her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN). Since starting her nursing career in 2004, Alyson has had a strong dedication and commitment to oncology patients. She has worked inpatient specializing in Bone Marrow and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation. Alyson currently works in outpatient oncology at the North Shore-LIJ Monter Cancer Center. Alyson is part of the clinical team at Savor Health where she counsels patients on oncology and oncology nutrition issues and contributes to website and other Savor Health content.

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Chelsey is a Registered Dietitian and Board Certified Specialist in Oncology nutrition (CSO). She completed her Dietetic Internship at Northwell Health, received her BS in Dietetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her MS in Nutrition at Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine. Chelsey works as an outpatient dietitian at Mount Sinai covering all of the downtown cancer services at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Philips Ambulatory Care Center. Chelsey works with patients and families before, during and after treatment to optimize their nutrition through dietary counseling and support. Chelsey has experience counseling clients with a variety of diagnoses including breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, head & neck cancer, and more. Chelsey also enjoys sharing nutrition knowledge with her peers by running a monthly Employee Wellness program that showcases healthy topics, recipes and food demos.

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Michelle is a Registered Dietitian specializing in oncology. She works as a clinical dietitian at an ambulatory cancer center in New York City and is a consultant for Savor Health. She is passionate about educating oncology patients on the importance of nutrition during their fight against cancer and helping them to optimize their nutrition through all phases of treatment. Michelle received her Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Master of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University.

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Denise Sievering is a Registered Dietitian who is board certified in Oncology Nutrition as well as Nutrition Support. A fluent Spanish speaker, Denise joined the Savor Health team to support Spanish speaking cancer patients and to continue to expand the Platform’s nutritional strategies and recommendations in Spanish. Denise holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University, and completed her internship at New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYP). Denise started her career as a registered dietitian at NYP-Columbia University Medical Center, primarily covering inpatient Oncology units. Denise also holds a Master of Arts degree in Mental Health Counseling from New York University, and incorporates her advanced training in motivational interviewing and empathic listening in her patient encounters, particularly those whose lives have been forever changed by a cancer diagnosis. A New Jersey native, Denise now resides in sunny San Diego, CA where she works as a part-time outpatient Oncology dietitian at Scripps Health-MD Anderson Cancer Center, and also works as an inpatient dietitian at Kaiser Permanente. In her spare time, Denise can be found at a mom-and-pop taco shop, one of the many local craft breweries, and exploring her new city of San Diego with her husband and her rescue pup, Ripley.

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Karen is a Registered Dietitian, Board Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition and registered in New York as a Certified Dietitian Nutritionist. Fluent in Spanish, Karen joined the Savor Health team to support Spanish speaking cancer patients and to continue to expand the Platform’s nutritional strategies and recommendations in Spanish. Karen received her Bachelor of Science degree from Ithaca College and her Master of Science degree from Hunter College. She works as an outpatient oncology dietitian in New York. Karen often works with local community centers to host nutrition programs for cancer survivors and their families, leading classes on how to live healthier lifestyles throughout their continuum of care. The American Institute of Cancer Research selected to showcase one of her many programs at their conference in 2019. Karen has written for and lent commentary to various publications and truly enjoys teaching people how to eat better. She loves to cook and strongly feels that healthy food doesn’t have to taste bad.

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Allie is a Registered Dietitian and a Certified Specialist in Oncology (CSO). She joins Savor in 2023, bringing years of experience from the John Theurer Cancer Center in New Jersey, where she worked with patients with a variety of cancers. Her goal is to help people feel their best, both mentally and physically, when physical health challenges arise. She believes in the power of nutrition ever since the impact it made on her athletic career as a volleyball player during college. Allie graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Maryland-Baltimore County and has her Master’s degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Wisconsin Stout. She enjoys travelling, enjoying different cuisines, cooking, and hiking and other outdoor activities with her family and dog.

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Julia Penberg is a seasoned healthcare professional with more than 30 years of experience focusing on maximizing operational excellence, leading clinical program development and building strong cross-functional teams. Her previous roles include overseeing the performance of clinical managers and nurse practitioners across multiple markets within United Healthcare-Optum’s Medicare Advantage and dual-eligible special needs populations, payer outreach and program development at Mayo Clinic, ground level specialty hospital development and direct patient care as a family and dermatology nurse practitioner. Julia volunteered as an operating room nurse and nurse practitioner on several mission trips to Romania and was a support group leader for the Kansas City chapter of the International Myeloma Foundation. Her motivation throughout her career has been with wellness promotion, disease risk modification and ensuring the best patient experience across the health continuum. Ms. Penberg received an MBA from the University of Dallas; a MS in Nursing from the University of Kansas and a BS in Nursing from the University of Texas-Austin. She is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

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Alicia is a Registered Dietitian and Board-Certified Specialist in Oncology. She works as a clinical dietitian at an ambulatory cancer center in New York City and is a consultant for Savor Health. She received her BA in English from The George Washington University and MS in Nutrition from Brooklyn College. Alicia provides individualized nutrition counseling for patients during their medical, radiation and/or surgical cancer treatment and knows that it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.

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Allie Werner is a Registered Dietitian at Fresenius Kidney Care where she provides medical nutrition therapy diet counseling to patients on Dialysis. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in nutrition from Indiana University and completed her Master’s Degree and dietetic internship at Loyola University Chicago. In her free time she enjoys spending time with friends and family, checking out the amazing food scene in downtown Chicago, and exercising on her Peloton bike.

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Immersed in the tech world for a decade, I've coded, led teams, and honed my skills in architecture and design. As a tech enthusiast, I've seamlessly woven through full-stack projects, fusing my love for code with the art of leadership.

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