Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC, is a board-certified preventive cardiologist who has spent more than 25 years helping patients prevent heart disease rather than simply treat it. She is the founder and president of the Preventive Cardiology Clinic in Edina, Minnesota, and the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Step One Foods.

Trained at the University of Toronto, Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins, Dr. Klodas spent the early part of her career in advanced cardiac imaging and research. But in her clinical practice, she saw the same pattern again and again: much of what she was treating with medication, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar, was driven by diet. Patients needed a food-based option that was practical, backed by evidence, and easy to stick with.

So she built one. Step One Foods delivers clinically meaningful amounts of soluble fiber, plant sterols, omega-3s, and antioxidants in everyday foods. Then she did something few food companies ever do. She put the food to a rigorous test: a double-blind, randomized crossover trial conducted at Mayo Clinic and the University of Manitoba, published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2022.

Dr. Klodas has been named a Top Doctor by Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine every year since 2010 and was featured on its July 2026 cover. She was the founding Editor-in-Chief of CardioSmart, the American College of Cardiology's patient education platform, and serves on the ACC's Nutrition and Lifestyle Work Group. She is the author of Slay the Giant: The Power of Prevention in Defeating Heart Disease.

"High cholesterol is not caused by a deficiency of Lipitor. It is caused by a deficiency of the right foods."

Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC

Current Positions

• Founder and President, Preventive Cardiology Clinic, Edina, Minnesota (1999–present)
• Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Step One Foods, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
• Member, Nutrition and Lifestyle Work Group, American College of Cardiology
• Invited Lecturer and Mentor, Emergence Program, Stanford University
• Courtesy Staff Cardiologist, Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina, Minnesota
• Founding Editor-in-Chief, CardioSmart.org, American College of Cardiology

Education and Training

• Doctor of Medicine, University of Toronto, graduated with top honors (1987)
• Internship, Toronto General Hospital
• Internal Medicine Residency, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
• Cardiovascular Diseases Fellowship, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
• Cardiovascular Diseases Fellowship (echocardiography research), Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
• Cardiac MRI Fellowship, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, England

Board Certification and Professional Societies

• Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine: Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease
• Diplomate, Certification Council of Nuclear Cardiology
• Testamur, American Society of Echocardiography
• Fellow, American College of Cardiology
• Member, American College of Lifestyle Medicine
• Member, American Heart Association
• Member, American Society of Echocardiography

Honors

• Top Doctor, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, every year since 2010; cover feature, July 2026
• Physician of the Year, St. Paul Heart Clinic (1997)
• Internal Medicine Outstanding Achievement Award, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine (1991)
• Outstanding Presentation Awards, American College of Chest Physicians (1993, 1994)
• Graduated with Top Honors, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (1987)

Selected Publications

1. Miller M, Aggarwal M, Allen K, et al., Klodas E, et al. A Clinician's Guide for Trending Cardiovascular Nutritional Controversies in 2026. JACC Advances. 2026.
2. Kopecky SL, Alias S, Klodas E, Jones PJH. Reduction in Serum LDL Cholesterol Using a Nutrient Compendium in Hyperlipidemic Adults Unable or Unwilling to Use Statin Therapy: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial. The Journal of Nutrition. 2022.
3. Reddy K, Freeman AM, Ostfeld R, et al., Klodas E, et al. Dietary Protein and Its Associations with Cardiovascular Health. International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention. 2022.
4. Dong I, Klodas E. Healthcare Cost Implications of Utilizing a Dietary Intervention to Lower LDL Cholesterol: Proof of Concept Actuarial Analysis and Recommendations. Current Cardiology Reports. 2020.
5. Walsh MN, Bove AA, et al., Klodas E, et al. ACCF 2012 Health Policy Statement on Patient-Centered Care in Cardiovascular Medicine. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2012.
6. Enriquez-Sarano M, Klodas E, et al. Secular Trends in Coronary Atherosclerosis: Analysis in Patients with Valvular Regurgitation. New England Journal of Medicine. 1996.
7. Klodas E, Enriquez-Sarano M, Tajik AJ, et al. Surgery for Aortic Regurgitation in Women: Contrasting Indications and Outcomes Compared with Men. Circulation. 1996.

See all of Dr. Klodas's publications on PubMed

Book

Slay the Giant: The Power of Prevention in Defeating Heart Disease. American College of Cardiology, 2008.

Recent Presentations

• Cardiometabolic Health in Law Enforcement Professionals: A Call to Action. American College of Cardiology Scientific Session, 2026.
• LDL-C Response to Portfolio Foods Containing High Levels of Phytosterols, Whole Food Fiber, and Alpha-Linolenic Acid in Statin Reluctant Patients. American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, 2018.
• Healthy Hearts for Heroes: A Worksite Nutrition Intervention. American College of Lifestyle Medicine, 2015.

In the News

• This Cardiologist Created a Food Brand To Make Eating for Heart Health and Longevity Fuss-Free, Well+Good, 2021
• Why a Cardiologist Became a 'Food-as-Medicine' Entrepreneur, Forbes, 2020
• One Cardiologist's Mission to Reduce Statin Use for Cholesterol, CNN, 2019
• Doctors Turning to Healthy Foods as Medicine, Chicago Tribune, 2016
• Cardiologist Building Better Snacks, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2014