Dr. Jeffrey Mechanick and I met over a decade ago during the Juice Press years. I was speaking on a panel as the food guy, which is exactly how I thought of myself, and somehow I did not make a fool of myself. After the talk we shook hands, he gave me his number, and over a series of phone calls he amplified my understanding of nutrition science in ways that took years to fully absorb.
My first food father was Fred Bisci. When I met Jeffrey, I mentally elevated Fred to food guru and made Jeffrey my new food father. I am genuinely grateful to have had both of these men in my life at different stages and for different reasons. Fred gave me the philosophical and experiential foundation. Jeffrey gave me the molecular and clinical framework to build on top of it.
When I was developing Goodsugar, I called Jeffrey many times. This project required me to surpass everything I had built and communicated at Juice Press between 2010 and 2019, and I wanted to make sure my knowledge base was current, accurate, and defensible. Jeffrey made sure it was.
As I began raising money to build Goodsugar into what I always knew it could be, I asked Jeffrey to take a seat on my advisory board. He said yes, and that decision has meant more to the company than any single ingredient decision or marketing choice I have made. Jeffrey has been a focusing rod for me, not just in food science but in the business itself. He is a critical listening ear, a rigorous thinking partner, and an advisor who has helped me trudge through the genuine complexity of building a brand from scratch, one that I believe already far outperforms anything Juice Press ever was, in integrity, in science, and in vision.
His own words describe the relationship better than I can:
"I am looking forward to closely working with Marcus on his advisory board. My role will be to scientifically vet, directly with Marcus, important concepts related to health in the context of product development, marketing, and optimization. This fits squarely with my clinical and academic interests in lifestyle medicine, molecular nutrition, and prevention of metabolic disorders, as well as a keen interest in population health that overlaps with Marcus' dedication to wellness."
Jeffrey I. Mechanick, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.N., E.C.N.U., M.A.C.E.
Professor of Medicine
Medical Director, The Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Center for Clinical Cardiovascular Health at Mount Sinai Heart
Director, Metabolic Support, Divisions of Cardiology and Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Past President, American College of Endocrinology
Past President, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
Past President, American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists
Past Member, President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, Science Board
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Elevate Health
Chair, Board of Visitors, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland