Inspiring Conversations with Dr. Alexis McNeil, NMD of North Valley Medical Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Alexis McNeil, NMD.

Hi Dr. McNeil, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a physician in the valley since 2009 and a health obsessed baker for as long as I can remember. As a way of decompressing from heavy patient loads and the day-to-day stress of running a medical practice, I baked! I would spend hours upon hours in the kitchen, all weekend and most evenings. If I wasn’t at work, I was in my kitchen playing. I loved modernizing the old school, traditional, Betty Crocker style recipes into clean versions of the original. Over the years, I developed my own little baking system that easily allowed me to use these traditional recipes to create nutrient-dense, healthy replicas of my family’s favorite sweets. I come from a family of severe diabetics who were downright opposed to anything healthy (they could sniff it out, lol!). They were a tough crowd of critics, but I knew if I could fool my sugar obsessed family (especially the kids), I had something.

In 2022, I was at a point in my career where I knew I needed a change. I was run-down, stressed out and my own health was suffering. All I knew was baking brought me more joy than anything else, it lit me up and brought excitement…something I hadn’t felt in years. I loved the entire process; the nutrition science, the baking chemistry, and the end result of nourishing people.

As a physician, I was really interested in how my ingredients functioned in the body; because healthy ingredients and a hypothesis were’t good enough, I wanted proof! I worked with ASU’s Dr. Morgan Braxton, PhD to co-author a clinical study on the desserts to evaluate blood sugar and insulin response. As I suspected, we found the desserts kept both blood sugar and insulin levels low. I was really excited about the insulin response because insulin is a hormone (when high) tells your body to store food as fat vs. burning it as fuel. No wonder I could eat massive amounts of these desserts without gaining a pound (yes, I am a sweet-aholic)! Interestingly enough, our study participants also reported improved digestion, satiety and energy for hours after eating our desserts (vs. regular white flour/sugar desserts). This is something our bakery customers often remark upon.

In 2023 I launched the Detox Desserts ingredient line I call the “Sweet Swaps” as an e-commerce store. As a lifelong baker I know how complicated healthy baking can be, plus, the end results are usually disappointing because healthy desserts are typically terrible! My intention was to help people simplify healthy baking in their own kitchen by offering easy, cup-for-cup substitutes for Flour, Sugar, Eggs and Butter. These 4 ingredients are the foundation of traditional desserts and unfortunately the ingredients that cause problems for many people (blood sugar issues, weight gain, digestive upset, food allergies, sensitivities, etc.). These ingredient “Swaps” can easily be substituted in favorite recipes to create an allergy friendly, healthy replica that even the kids and health-adverse family members will enjoy. All desserts made with the “Sweet Swaps” become gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan, high fiber and low carb. Plus, our ingredients are foundational in the Mediterranean Diet, the diet most recognized for disease prevention and to promote longevity.

I actually NEVER intended to start a bakery. But in 2024, (after 1 year of running my small e-com store), the overall sentiment was unanimous. My ingredient line concept was well-received, but people wanted me to do the baking. The Detox Desserts bakery was born in the fall of 2024. I began selling at a couple local farmer’s markets and quickly built a grass-roots following. People were shocked at how good they tasted (and how good they felt after eating them), they kept returning, bringing their friends and sharing with their family. I can’t believe how quickly the bakery took off! Within one farmers market season, I went from baking a few hours per week in a shared commercial kitchen, to building my own commercial kitchen space in Cave Creek where I employ a full-time baker plus some other part-time teammates. Now, we’re wholesaling desserts out of multiple locations in the valley and shipping nationwide. We’re also expanding our farmer’s market locations when the season starts in October. I’ll be hiring another full time employee next month.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve worked 2 full time jobs for 3 years and it definitely hasn’t been smooth! Without outside investors, I’ve worked so hard to finance the company by myself. I’ve worked day and night for years to make this possible. My mission of improving health with outrageously delicious desserts has always been my guiding light. It’s what gets me through the road blocks and drives me forward every day. The beautiful emails, testimonials and consistent 5-star reviews from customers reporting life changing effects are also SO helpful.

The biggest challenge for me was realizing that my initial concept of manufacturing ingredients wasn’t going to work. I went from figuring out product manufacturing and e-commerce to starting a food business all within 2 years. Most people don’t know how competitive the food business is overall, plus, the margins are very low especially when using high quality ingredients. It’s also extremely hard to secure spots at the busier local farmers markets and it often takes years of applying before (if ever) getting accepted. For example, I was offered a “pop-in” spot on a random Tuesday afternoon for the very next day of a Wednesday Uptown Farmers Market (the Saturday Uptown Market is the most coveted, best market in the entire Phoenix valley). I had to drop everything, reschedule all my Wednesday patients at my medical office and bake until 3am to be able to show up for this opportunity. I continued “popping in” last minute at the Uptown Market both Wednesdays and Saturdays for months until I was offered a full time spot. I was doing 80-100 hour weeks just to make things happen. Crazy enough, it was all with a ton of joy, excitement and immense gratitude for every opportunity.

We’ve been impressed with North Valley Medical Center, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My husband and I started our medical practice together in 2009 specializing in integrative primary care. He handled all the mens health and I took on the women. We always focused on optimizing health; diving deep with patients on diet, lifestyle and proper supplementation. Although we prescribe medications when necessary, we help to minimize and eliminate unnecessary meds while getting people on a healthier track. Through working with patients for over 16 years, I’ve seen how many people struggle with their weight, digestive problems, food allergies, food sensitivities, heart disease, blood sugar problems…the list is never ending. Humans are also wired to like sweet tasting foods and most people struggle with this too. Detox Desserts was born from me witnessing these same issues over and over…knowing I held at least a part of the solution.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I could have never done this without the unwavering support of my husband who even in the darkest moments would remind me to keep moving forward, always trusting in my ability to find solutions and work through road blocks. He willingly leaned into the medical practice while I had to lean out to make this all happen.

There is also Jeri, my patient of 13 years, turned dear friend and sister. This powerhouse of a woman has believed in my vision and has been willing to step in at every pivotal moment. She has been instrumental in the success of the bakery and scaling that side of the business. I always tell her that working with her is like working with Michael Jordan:) There’s nothing she can’t do or figure out how to do, plus she does it all with enthusiasm, positivity, and grace.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.detoxdesserts.com
• Instagram: @detox.desserts

Image Credits
Bridget Breier (all photos except farmers market photo which was taken by unknown customer)