Westporters do good around town in countless ways, but much of their work is invisible to the larger community. The Profiles in Compassion series, launching today on HamletHub, will bring to light the efforts of your neighbors to make our corner of the world a better place. First up is Robin Polin of Robin's Healing Kitchen. I'll let Chris Chagaris, who interviewed Robin and wrote the article, tell you her story.
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Cooking healthy meals for those in need is a labor of love for Westport resident Robin Polin, B.S., C.H.H.C. Polin, the founder of Robin's Healing Kitchen which she runs out of her home, has made it her mission to provide cancer patients with meals that are not only healthy but taste good. The business, which she runs herself, turns a year old in February. Polin's impetus for starting Robin's Healing Kitchen has a personal back story.
"My background was in pediatric ophthalmology," she said. "However, in 2010 my brother, who was 37 at the time, got the news that he had stage 3 colon cancer." (Polin said that currently, he is doing well.) This devastating diagnosis spurred Polin to return to roots in healthy and holistic cooking spanning four generations on her mother's side. She received extensive training and a certificate in this discipline from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and was then on her way to putting her love of healthy cooking into practice.
"I started out doing nutritional counseling for cancer patients, with whom I connected through St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport," she said. "I then realized that people needed specifics with food. So, instead of nutritional counseling, I began to formulate diet plans. Patients would tell me what their oncologists said – for example, that their diets needed to be high in protein – yet they wanted their food to be healthy and taste good, too. I'd add an alternative flair to the meals, like ginger, which helps to combat the nausea that is often is a side effect that these patients get from treatment."
Polin cooks from two to 35 meals a day. They vary from hearty soups, protein smoothies, protein bars (her own recipe), vegetables such as sweet potatoes to chicken and protein muffins with fresh fruit. "A lot of what I cook involves trial and error, because I have to get it right for my clients," she said. "Many times, because of their illness their taste buds might be off so I tweak the recipes a bit." She also finds the time to teach kids ranging in age from six to 16 the joys of healthy cooking. "They end up liking veggies, for example, because we find a creative yet healthy way to cook them, such as vegetable quiche," she said.
Polin, mom to two teens, makes balancing her business with family a priority. "We truly believe in family dinners, and I cherish talking with my family at the dinner table where we reconnect," she said. "I want my kids to realize that it's important to help people in need." Polin's warm, engaging personality especially shined through when she talked about her clients. "I am so impressed with their strength. That, in turn, uplifts me and gives me strength as well."
Polin is a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, the International Health Coach Association, LLC, and the Westport Chamber of Commerce. Visit her Web site at www.Robinshealingkitchen.com.