A dermatologist walks into a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in Japan. It sounds like the start of a joke, but for Jonathan Carp, it was the beginning of a life-changing adventure.

Join Bora Celik as he chats with Dr. Jonathan Carp, the founder of Miracle Noodle.

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Jonathan had always been a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, starting businesses since his high school days. But it was a patient who healed herself of lupus that really piqued his interest in nutrition. "It led me down a rabbit hole," he recalls.

Then came that fateful trip to Japan in 2004. Amid the bustling aisles of Japanese grocery stores, Jonathan's eyes were opened to a world of innovative health foods. But it was in that quiet Buddhist restaurant where he had his "light bulb moment."

"I was served these noodles and told they had virtually no carbohydrates and no calories," Jonathan explains. "It was the feeling of having a comfort food experience of slurping noodles, realizing that this would be perfect for my patients who were trying to transition to a healthier diet."

And just like that, Miracle Noodle was born.

Fast forward nearly two decades, and Jonathan has seen the health food landscape transform. From the HCG diet to the keto craze, trends have come and gone. But one thing remains constant: people's desire for healthier alternatives to their favorite foods.

"Carb consciousness is always going to be something that people will be thinking about," Jonathan notes. "It basically takes its form in many different ways or trends."

But Jonathan's journey hasn't been just about noodles. It's been about empowering people to take control of their health. "When people get it, the empowerment of that is the greatest thing I've been able to be a part of in my practice," he says with passion. "They become their own authority and they become their own healer in a lot of ways."

This philosophy is driving Jonathan's vision for the future of Miracle Noodle. He's not content with just being a low-carb company anymore. He's dreaming bigger.

"We're really moving towards creating a lifestyle company," he reveals. "It will really sort of fuse my passion, which is health education, along with products that will help them."

From new product innovations like egg white noodles to plans for health coaching services, Jonathan is constantly looking for ways to expand Miracle Noodle's impact.

And how does he stay on top of new trends and opportunities? "Trade shows," he says with a laugh. "I attend more trade shows than I'd like to attend. It is tiring to travel to different cities."

But he remembers advice from Bob of Bob's Red Mill that keeps him going: "You're never ever going to have the opportunity to meet in such a short period of time such high-quality people as you do when you attend trade shows and just network."

As for the future, Jonathan's eyes light up when he talks about his plans. "I'd like to do proof of concept with a few educational programs of my own first," he says. "And then, of course, I would love to bring in people who have a special interest in certain topics to create content and programs."

From a dermatologist's office to the aisles of health food stores across the country, Jonathan Carp's journey with Miracle Noodle has been anything but ordinary. And if his passion is any indication, the best is yet to come.

"We're not a low-carb company," he says. "I want to broaden our line to not only include more nutrient-dense things, but also to provide some education for people."

It seems the doctor is still in – only now, his office is the world of health food innovation.

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