Culinary Nutrition and Mental Health (Adult Population)

This 2021 study examines whether medical students would benefit from additional education on culinary medicine. This article aimed to address the little to no training that physicians receive on dietary interventions despite poor diet being rated as the top risk factor for early death globally. Therefore, this experiment added a culinary medicine elective to the course at an undergraduate medical school. These medical students who took part in the elective were surveyed before and after completing the culinary medicine course. Compared to before the elective, students participating in culinary medicine were more likely to feel confident discussing nutrition with patients, to feel familiar with the Mediterranean diet, and to understand the role of dietitians in patient care. Before signing up for the culinary medicine lectures, 29% of students felt confident discussing nutrition with patients, compared with a 92% confidence rate after taking the elective. In conclusion, culinary medicine lectures are promising as an educational strategy among first-year medical students to enhance their counseling confidence and improve their understanding of their future role in addressing lifestyle-related disease.