Bridge the Gap Between Traditional Medical Care and Nutrition

Culinary medicine education bridges the gap between nutrition science and culinary skills, empowering individuals to make informed dietary choices for better health. This interdisciplinary field combines evidence-based medical knowledge with practical cooking techniques, aiming to prevent and manage chronic diseases through nutrition. 

The objectives for our culinary medicine education initiative are:

1) to improve evidence-based nutrition knowledge, including diets for specific chronic diseases and how dietary changes can both improve disease outcomes; 

2) to improve a student’s confidence in counseling patients about nutrition, including helping them overcome barriers to healthy eating; 

3) to improve personal confidence in cooking nutritious recipes. 

By understanding how to prepare healthy, delicious meals, healthcare providers can better support their patients in making sustainable lifestyle changes. Students enter a lottery for the culinary medicine SER week. If selected, they will have both didactic-based nutrition education via the Health meets Food® Culinary Medicine online curriculum as well as hands-on cooking experience in the KUMC teaching kitchen led by a trained chef. 

The online modules will focus on the curriculum’s foundational topics: introduction to culinary medicine, food safety, food allergy, diets to treat chronic illnesses (anti-inflammatory diet, low sodium diet, diabetic diet) and food insecurity. The curriculum includes reading assignments and quizzes which students will complete on their own. This knowledge will then be used in the hands-on teaching kitchen where students will participate in a 3-4 hour live cooking and tasting experience. These live sessions include interactive case-based discussions which are led by designated physician faculty with assistance of a chef and/or dietitian. 

Your support will allow us to continue providing this educational experience for medical students initially and eventually teach KUMC healthcare students and professionals how to use food as a tool for disease prevention and health promotion.