Bringing the “Joy of Healthy Eating” to Advanced Medical Students: Utilizing a Remote Learning Platform to Teach Culinary Medicine: Findings from the First Online Course Based on the ACLM’s Whole-Food Plant-Based Culinary Medicine Curriculum

Abstract

Over 80% of chronic disease is caused by lifestyle practices, including an unhealthy diet. Despite this, most medical students in the United States graduate having received minimal nutrition education, guidance towards improving their nutrition, or skills needed to coach patients to adopt a healthier diet. This study aimed to educate fourth-year medical students in evidence-based knowledge regarding a delicious, whole-food plant-based diet while introducing practical culinary skills and patient coaching skills. We adapted an open-source culinary medicine curriculum designed for in-person teaching of pre-clinical medical students to provide a novel 1-month online elective to fourth-year medical students. We used a 26-item pre/post questionnaire to assess change in evidence-based knowledge regarding nutrition, culinary skills, patient coaching skills, and attitudes toward a whole-food plant-based diet. In addition, we reviewed narrative comments by the student participants, course directors, and medical-school administrators. Scores in all 4 domains were tested, and for all individual questions, they showed statistically significant improvement following the course. Most narrative responses were positive, and areas for improvement were also identified. We successfully adapted an open-source whole-food plant-based culinary medicine curriculum for advanced medical students into a 1-month elective taught on a virtual platform. This course filled a need for training in nutrition and counseling for these students as they start their professional careers.

Uncovering culinary medicine research themes: Current status and future direction

“…In 2022, 14 new publications evaluated the viability of using CMC in medical/nutritional education. 13 , 21 , 41 , 50 – 52 Studies have also evaluated knowledge and confidence in counselling. 31 , 35 …”

“…Of 47, 29 articles were published during this period. Researchers advanced the CM knowledge base by studying the impact of CM education, 50 , 51 , 59 barriers to implementing CMC, 48 , 60 remote learning of CM, 41 , 47 , 52 and the impact of CM training on patients’ health. 61 Our findings also revealed that most of these studies had been published over the last five years.…”

“…In 2022, 14 new publications evaluated the viability of using CMC in medical/nutritional education. 13,21,41,[50][51][52] Studies have also evaluated knowledge and confidence in counselling. 31,35 Based on the years of growth of the CM literature, we have identified three stages of literature development: Early stage (1992-2016), modest growth stage (2017-2019) and emerging stage (2020-2022).…”

Evaluation of the reach and utilization of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s Culinary Medicine Curriculum

“…The CMC continues to be offered and has been utilized in the form of a teaching kitchen elective course for medical and physician assistant students at Stanford University School of Medicine and showed significant improvements in attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors around healthy cooking and meal planning (4). Other studies on CM educational programs for health care professionals in training have demonstrated significant and positive impacts on medical students' attitudes, knowledge, and competencies with practical, hands-on culinary skills and nutrition knowledge (12,(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27).…”

Development of a Culinary Medicine Curriculum to Support Nutrition Knowledge for Gastroenterology Fellows and Faculty

“…While culinary medicine classes are traditionally taught in-person in a kitchen setting, virtual adaptations of culinary medicine have been successfully delivered in medical schools, with evidence of feasibility and a comparable impact to in-person classes [12][13][14]. We piloted a remotely delivered culinary medicine course for the GI fellowship training program at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).…”