When Tara Kay, MMS, PA-C, slips out of her white coat after a day of seeing patients at Beaufort Memorial Heart Specialists, you’ll most often find her outside walking her three rescue dogs (and getting in some steps), working in her garden harvesting veggies and herbs for the healthy meals she and her fiancé, Michael, love to prepare together, or heading over the creek and through the marsh to visit her parents on St. Helena Island to soak up some Lowcountry sun and sea air on their boat.
Basically, when she’s not inside helping her cardiology patients learn how to live heart healthier and happier lives, Tara is happiest and her heart most full when she’s outside and moving.
This is nothing new. The board-certified physician assistant and latest member of the cardiology team at Beaufort Memorial comes from her love of exercise, heart-healthy eating and the South Carolina Lowcountry honestly — and early. Growing up an only child in the tiny town of Dover, Delaware, Tara chose a career in cardiology, inspired by her active and athletic parents and summer vacations at Myrtle Beach.
“I knew from a young age that I wanted to live in coastal South Carolina one day. I had my heart set on it,” Tara says. “Being able to do the work I love and live in a place I love is a dream come true.”
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A Brain for Science, a Heart for Healthy Living
Growing up, she loved watching football and basketball with her dad but discovered volleyball in high school, and that pretty much became her life. She excelled at the sport, which led to summer camps where she met professional trainers, watched them work, and started thinking about a career in exercise science and sports medicine.
“I had a science brain to begin with, and the thought of combining science and sports was cool,” she says.
When she arrived two years later at the College of Charleston — she applied only to South Carolina and North Carolina schools, always chasing that Southern Living dream — Tara had her mind set on a career in sports medicine. After earning her bachelor’s degree in exercise science, she headed back to Delaware to pursue her master’s degree in physician assistant studies.
And that’s when Tara had a change of heart.
One of her clinical rotations was in cardiology and, much to her surprise, Tara fell in love with it.
“The cardiologist I followed was a very holistic practitioner, and watching him talk to his patients about nutrition and fitness (as it related to heart health) just made so much sense to me,” she says. “I realized that sports medicine was more than muscles and bones. Cardiovascular health is vital. It all begins with a healthy heart. And that requires more than medicine: aerobics, nutrition, a balanced lifestyle. Basically, exercise science!”
Read More: 5 Surprising Ways to Improve Your Heart Health
Life in the Lowcountry
After graduating and working with her cardiology mentor for a few years, Tara and Michael, who recently completed seven years in the Air Force, decided it was time to follow her dream — and her parents, who had already relocated — to the South Carolina Lowcountry.
“The stars just aligned from there,” she recalls. “I started a job search a year ago this month, and immediately saw the posting at Beaufort Memorial. I applied, came down to interview while Michael looked at houses, was offered the job, and we made an offer on our house that week.”
It was a perfect fit.
“I love the hospital and the people I work with — it’s a real family feel,” she says. “It’s just everything I was looking for personally and professionally.”
‘Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine and Thy Medicine Be Thy Food’
The above quote by Hippocrates, the ancient Greek father of medicine, is one of Tara’s favorites and one she consciously lives by. When she’s not enjoying the great outdoors, you’re apt to find Tara in the kitchen with Michael, whipping up something fresh and heart-healthy with ingredients from their garden or a local farmers market.
Inspired by the nutrition courses required in her undergraduate and graduate degree programs, Tara is fascinated by how nutrients and minerals can fuel and heal the body.
“Let thy food be thy medicine,” she says. “I love that. And it’s so true when it comes to cardiology and heart health. I like to incorporate as many plants and herbs as possible when I’m creating a recipe, both for the nutritional benefits and to enhance flavor. Eating well should taste good, too!”
Read More: Diet and Heart Disease: Good (and Bad) Eats
Need help making a plan to prevent or manage heart disease? Schedule an appointment with a member of our heart care team in Beaufort or Okatie.
Tara’s Heart-Healthy Recipes
Here are two healthy, tasty and Lowcountry-inspired recipes from Tara’s kitchen.
Butternut Squash Soup
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
3-4 cups vegetable broth (depending on desired consistency)
5 cups butternut squash, diced
2 large carrots, diced
½ can organic coconut milk
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ cup fresh cilantro (for serving)
Directions
1. Sauté chopped onion and garlic in a large pot with a pinch of sea salt until translucent (approx. 3-5 minutes).
2. Add in the ginger and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the broth, squash and carrots to the pot.
4. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 35 minutes (or until squash and carrots are cooked through).
5. Add coconut milk.
6. Allow to cool slightly, then purée in the pot with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Or, place in blender.
7. Add lime juice and top with cilantro for serving!
Arugula Balsamic Salad
Ingredients
Balsamic Dressing
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
Salad
4 cups arugula
½ cup blueberries
1 handful broccoli sprouts
2 tablespoons walnuts
Directions
1. Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Mix all salad ingredients in a bowl. Top with dressing and toss to combine.
