American Kidney Fund Partners with The Cooking Doc® to Promote Renal-Friendly Nutrition through AKF Kidney Kitchen™

ROCKVILLE, Md. (June 16, 2020)  — The American Kidney Fund (AKF) today announced a partnership with Dr. Blake Shusterman, a Greenville, South Carolina-based nephrologist and cooking enthusiast who, as The Cooking Doc®, produces cooking and nutrition videos to inspire his patients and others to enjoy healthier, kidney-friendly alternatives to foods that are traditionally laden with fat and sugar.

The Cooking Doc's videos and recipes will be featured on AKF's Kidney Kitchen™ website, an award-winning comprehensive nutrition education resource and one of the leading nutrition sources for people at all stages of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. In addition, "Dr. Blake" (as his patients call him) will participate in select AKF events, kicking off with a Facebook Live event on June 19 at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern) on AKF's Facebook page for a Q&A discussion about the challenges of renal nutrition.

"Dr. Blake's contagious enthusiasm for healthy eating and his deep knowledge of treating obesity, diabetes, and all stages of kidney disease are a powerful combination that complement our goal with Kidney Kitchen of putting the joy back into food for kidney patients," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF president and CEO. "We look forward to the positive impact of our collaboration with The Cooking Doc on kidney patients across the country."

In his practice with Carolina Nephrology, Dr. Blake observed that one of the greatest hurdles for patients to change their daily habits is in finding foods that taste as good as the fast and processed food they have grown accustomed to consuming. Knowing that his patients could not switch from eating burgers and fries to a healthy meal of rice and vegetables overnight, he decided to leverage his other passion--cooking — to help.

"Changing how patients think about food and experience it was the impetus behind The Cooking Doc and my #changeyourbuds movement," said Dr. Blake. "I am looking forward to collaborating with the American Kidney Fund to help people fall in love with food that doesn't just taste good but is good for them, while observing their health improve in the process."

AKF and The Cooking Doc will collaborate to produce new content for Kidney Kitchen and partner for virtual events including Facebook Live cooking demonstrations and nutrition webinars. As an "AKF Nutrition Ambassador," Dr. Blake will join the organization's team of subject matter experts who contribute and review Kidney Kitchen content to ensure it is accurate and appropriate to meet patient dietary and educational needs.

To explore Kidney Kitchen, visit Kitchen.KidneyFund.org. The website is intended for educational purposes only. Every individual's dietary needs are different, so all patient and caregiver questions should be directed to a health care professional.

About the American Kidney Fund

The American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nation's leading kidney nonprofit. AKF works on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease, and the millions more at risk, with an unmatched scope of programs that support people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease — from prevention through transplant. With programs that address early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical research, innovation and advocacy, no kidney organization impacts more lives than AKF.  AKF is one of the nation's top-rated nonprofits, investing 97 cents of every donated dollar in programs, and holds the highest 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator and the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About The Cooking Doc

Dr. Blake Shusterman, more commonly known by his patients as Dr. Blake and his cooking show fans as "The Cooking Doc," is a passionate nephrologist working at Carolina Nephrology in Greenville, South Carolina. A recognition of the shortcomings in nutritional training among doctors who often offer patients only vague guidance like "eat a healthier diet" or "eat less salt" gave birth to "The Cooking Doc": a multichannel platform powered by his original #changeyourbuds movement. Dr. Blake is on a mission to prevent and heal kidney disease and related conditions through tasty and nutritious recipes and entertaining content.