For her second-year physiology research project conducted under the supervision of Chev. Prof. Renald Blundell from UM’s Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Courtney Ekezie focused on sustainable food systems and their impact on human health. The study briefly mentioned culinary medicine – an aspect that later inspired this article for THINK.
Obesity has reached pandemic proportions. It has been observed that the worldwide obese population has increased threefold since 1975. Today, around 13% of the world population is considered to be obese and, by 2030, this number is expected to rise to 18% reaching a staggering 1.02 billion.
Obesity is correlated with numerous adverse health events from cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes to cancer and depression. Healthcare professionals are taught about medical and surgical therapies to combat obesity with the first-line treatment being lifestyle modification: ‘Lose weight, exercise more’. However, is this broad advice sufficient to foster long-lasting change?
Undoubtedly, the scientific knowledge acquired in medical school on obesity and its associated diseases provides the foundation for quality clinical practice. Medical students are taught to advise patients to implement lifestyle changes but are rarely equipped with knowledge about how patients should bring about said changes. Research demonstrates that practical action taken following generic advice such as ‘eat healthy’ or ‘lose weight’ is often suboptimal. Patients may recognise the need for and wish for change but are left confused and unsupported as they are left to fend for themselves in their journey for better health. This reveals a critical gap between patients’ practical needs and clinicians’ knowledge.
This is where culinary medicine comes in – an innovative field that effectively bridges the gap between nutritional science and the culinary arts. In contrast to traditional nutrition education, which focuses on what to eat, culinary medicine emphasises the how: how to prepare healthy meals, how to plan balanced diets, and how to make nutritious eating accessible and enjoyable in real life.
What is Culinary Medicine?
Culinary medicine is a hands-on approach that marries evidence-based nutrition with practical cooking skills. It equips healthcare professionals with the knowledge and tools to guide patients in making dietary changes that are not only healthy but also realistic and sustainable. A practical example would be rather than simply advising a patient to ‘eat more vegetables’, a clinician trained in culinary medicine might teach them how to roast vegetables with simple spices, incorporate them into affordable meals, or adapt recipes to fit cultural preferences.
Programmes like the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University have successfully integrated culinary medicine into their curriculum. In this interdisciplinary approach, medical students and healthcare professionals are taught alongside chefs, learning to make nutrition both evidence-based and accessible.
Why Culinary Medicine Matters
The most common reason aspiring doctors give for entering medical school is the desire to help people and make a difference. Yet, when it comes to lifestyle-related diseases, many clinicians feel ill-equipped to provide detailed, meaningful guidance. Telling a patient to ‘eat better’ without offering concrete strategies is like prescribing a medication without explaining how to take it. Culinary medicine fills this gap, giving clinicians the opportunity to become active partners in their patients’ health journeys.
Incorporating culinary medicine into medical education would require a shift in priorities. Curricula would need to move beyond theoretical discussions of nutrients and metabolism to include practical workshops, case-based learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration. For instance, case studies in education settings could explore how to tailor dietary interventions for patients with diabetes, considering factors like budget, time constraints, and cultural preferences. This approach is especially relevant in today’s multicultural societies, where a one-size-fits-all solution is no longer adequate.
Beyond Individual Health: A Broader Impact
The innovative field of culinary medicine offers benefits beyond individual patient care. Promoting healthier, more sustainable diets has the potential to address broader public health challenges, including environmental sustainability. Diets rich in plant-based foods and low in processed meats not only improve health outcomes but also have a lower carbon footprint, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. In this way, culinary medicine aligns with the ‘one health’ approach which centres around the notion of the interconnectedness between human and planetary health.
The Future of Healthcare Education
As healthcare continues to evolve, so too must the training of its providers. The future of medicine lies not only in diagnosing and treating diseases but also in preventing them through well-rounded, patient-centred care. Culinary medicine is a goldmine in this aspect, equipping clinicians to inspire and empower patients to make meaningful, sustainable changes in their lives.
Integrating culinary medicine into medical education is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Medical students with culinary medicine training are much more comfortable and confident in providing nutrition advice to patients and additionally, patients receiving this personalised advice are more likely to adhere to it.
One of the main challenges is integrating culinary medicine into an already dense medical curriculum. Certainly, a discussion involving all the necessary stakeholders is warranted. By embracing culinary medicine, we can pave the way for a healthcare system that truly prioritises prevention, empowers patients, and addresses the root causes of chronic disease. The future of medicine and patient-centred care depends on it.
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