RxFood Clinic for Chronic Disease Treatment and Prevention

Diet is a major risk factor for chronic disease, and more recently we have learned how food can improve mental health and cognition too.

Yet, nearly 70% of Canadians report not having a healthy diet (or access to healthy food). In addition, rising costs of food and a challenging economic climate are exacerbating the challenge of food insecurity.

Currently, the demand for medical nutrition therapy far exceeds supply. This is why the food as medicine clinic was developed.

Patients in Ontario can be referred to see Dr Alfonsi (in-person or virtually) by a doctor.

How to refer

To refer, please have a referral from your doctor faxed to (647) 689-7150. Any referral form works, but here is our clinic referral

You can also search for RxFood through Ocean eReferral

The Program

• Patients will be accessed by physicians specializing in internal medicine, nutrition sciences, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine

• Clinical pharmacology consults will be added to support medication tapering when appropriate

• Patients will also see nurses trained as health coaches to support behaviour change

• Patients typically will be seen 1-3 times, followed by maintenance check-ins as clinically warranted

• The program does not prescribe one specific diet, but rather focuses on encouraging sustainable and incremental improvements in diet quality

• Optional assessments with dietitians and food psychologists (for a fee) as requested by the patient

• All assessments can be done virtually, but in-person visits may be available in London, Toronto, and Mississauga