Amanda Bloom, RN

Amanda Bloom is a registered nurse at Kaiser Permanente in Colorado. She began her career in Austin, Texas. After a year-long stop in Tennessee, Amanda and her family moved to Boulder, Colorado — the perfect place for her family’s active lifestyle.

Amanda has been a nurse for 18 years, with 12 of those years spent in the controlled chaos of the emergency room. But, cardiology — her first love in medicine — proved too alluring to stay away forever.

In 2016, Amanda earned a spot on Kaiser Permanente’s cardiac rehab team in Lafayette, Colorado. Amanda believes it’s paramount to inspire patients to find their personal motivation for wellness. One way she encourages patients to find their reason for health is through a peer-to-peer support group. The group is for survivors of a cardiac event — and food lovers.

“I love to cook. It’s how I incorporate healthy foods into my family’s diet,” said Bloom. “I know we can control what goes into our bodies to keep us strong and help us live longer. I wanted to provide that same support for my patients, so I started this survivor’s group and I cook heart-healthy meals for each class.”

As a cardiac rehab nurse, Bloom sees that one of the biggest obstacles for her patients is the notion that healthy food isn’t tasty. When she shows them that healthy food isn’t boring and bland, they are more likely to explore it in their own kitchens. She also provides recipes and cooking tips to the support group attendees.

Amanda has always enjoyed cooking, but the birth of her daughter motivated her to focus more on nutrition. When cooking at home, she prepares primarily vegan and vegetarian dishes. 

Her cooking style is heavily influenced by the international cookbook authors, Anna Jones and Yotam Ottolenghi. Like them, she relies on creative flavor combinations and fresh, seasonal ingredients. She sees preparing nourishing food for others as simply another way to express love and healing.