In a groundbreaking initiative, East Carolina University’s Department of Nutrition Science is paving the way for future healthcare providers to incorporate culinary medicine into their practices. This innovative program, aimed at physician assistant (PA) students, is designed to merge the art of cooking with the science of nutrition, equipping healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to foster healthier eating habits among their patients. As chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension continue to rise, this new approach offers a vital opportunity to address the root causes of these conditions and promote health through food.
The culinary medicine initiative stems from a growing recognition that many healthcare students, even those well-versed in clinical nutrition, lack practical knowledge about macro- and micronutrients and how to prepare nutritious meals on a budget. Dr. Lauren Sastre, the program’s spearhead, was inspired by a public health conference nearly a decade ago, where she encountered the emerging concept of culinary medicine, which was already being incorporated into some medical school curricula. However, this approach had yet to be extended to PA and nurse practitioner students, which motivated Sastre and her team to develop a pilot program tailored specifically for these groups.
One of the program’s central tenets is ensuring healthcare providers understand not only the science behind nutrition but also the practical tools for incorporating it into everyday life. By teaching simple cooking techniques and cost-effective meal planning, the initiative strives to close the skills gap created by the decline of home economics education in schools, which left many adults without the necessary skills to make healthy food choices.
Through the Farm2Clinic program, the initiative also reaches communities in need of nutrition education, emphasizing that healthy food can be both accessible and enjoyable. PA students engage in hands-on cooking classes where they prepare easy-to-make, nutritious meals, such as a cabbage and turkey casserole, to demonstrate that healthful meals need not be complicated or expensive. This real-world approach underscores the importance of food literacy, particularly for populations who may struggle with food insecurity or a lack of access to fresh produce.
The program has gained widespread support among students, including Kendra Brent, a second-year PA student, who sees great potential in applying culinary medicine in her future practice. “It’s been awesome working with them,” Brent says of the experience, “You see a whole new side of medicine that I never even knew existed.” Her sentiments reflect the growing enthusiasm for this integrative approach, which helps students bridge the gap between traditional medical education and preventative health.
This shift in healthcare education is particularly important in the context of the cultural and socioeconomic challenges faced by many communities in the United States. As Raven Breinholt, a research assistant in the Farm2Clinic program, notes, understanding the diverse socio-economic backgrounds of patients is key to offering practical dietary advice. “It’s really hard to buy fruits and vegetables,” Breinholt observes, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of food accessibility when advising patients.
By introducing culinary medicine into PA programs, ECU is helping to train a generation of healthcare providers who are not only knowledgeable about nutrition but are also equipped with the skills to educate their patients about the importance of food in maintaining overall health. As the program expands, it holds the potential to reshape the way we think about medicine—turning food into a powerful tool for disease prevention and management.
For more on this innovative approach to healthcare education, visit East Carolina University’s website..
