Dr. Elizabeth Klodas Named a 2026 Top Doctor — and Made the Cover

Dr. Klodas usually writes our blogs. But this time, we decided to give her the week off. We thought she had earned it...

Every year, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine asks physicians across the Twin Cities to nominate the doctors they would send their own family to. No applications. No fees. Peers nominating peers, evaluated on clinical achievement and professional standing. The result is one of the most respected physician recognition programs in the region.

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas has been named to the Top Doctors list for 15 years in a row.  This year, she was not only named to the 2026 list (for the 16th time), but was also featured on the cover of the July issue, alongside a profile of Minnesota physicians leading the charge in cardiovascular prevention.

We couldn't be prouder. And we think it matters to you.

What Is the Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine Top Doctors List?

The Top Doctors list is a peer-nominated physician recognition program — doctors choosing the doctors they would trust with their own families, evaluated on clinical achievement and professional standing. It is not a self-nominated list, and it isn't a marketing award. Doctors cannot pay to be included.

For a physician to land on that list year after year says something about how the medical community views her work. For her to be featured on the cover of a regional publication with a 30-year history of this recognition says something more.

What Makes Dr. Klodas Unique?

Dr. Klodas practices preventive cardiology — focused on detecting and addressing heart disease before it happens, not just managing it after the fact.

The magazine profile captures what many of her patients already know: she spends time understanding not just your numbers, but your life. Her goal isn't to manage a condition with a prescription. It's to find the root cause, address it directly, and help people need fewer medications, not more.

At her practice, Preventive Cardiology Clinic, that means advanced diagnostics alongside personalized nutrition and lifestyle strategies — coronary calcium screening, advanced lipid testing, echocardiography, rhythm monitoring, and always a serious conversation about food.

Why Did Dr. Klodas Found Step One Foods?

Dr. Klodas founded Step One Foods because 30-plus years of clinical practice showed her that food is among the most powerful medicines available for cardiovascular health — and that no product on the market was delivering therapeutic nutrition with clinical rigor.

The magazine article says it plainly, and it's worth repeating here. It wasn't a business idea. It came from sitting across from patients and watching what happened when she started asking about their diets, and what happened when they changed them. Medications matter. But they have limits. Food, used consistently and with clinical intention, works on multiple cardiovascular risk factors at once and doesn't have an off switch.

Step One Foods was built to make that approach accessible to everyone, and a randomized controlled trial conducted with Mayo Clinic partners put clinical numbers behind it: measurable LDL reduction in 30 days, eating food that fits into a normal day.

What Does This Recognition Mean for Step One Foods Customers?

When you eat a Step One bar for breakfast or stir the smoothie mix into your morning routine, you're following a protocol designed by a practicing preventive cardiologist who sees patients every week, stays current on the evidence, and is recognized by her peers as one of the best in her field.

That's not a small thing. There is no shortage of food products making cardiovascular health claims. Very few of them were designed by someone who can also read your echocardiogram or interpret your LDL particle number and size distribution.

We're thrilled for Dr. Klodas and this recognition of her work.  We are also proud of the patients — both in Dr. Klodas' clinic and in the Step One community — who are taking their heart health seriously.

You're in good hands. 

Congratulations, Dr. Klodas!

Now get back to putting yourself out of work.