Culinary Medicine | New Ways to Help Patients Adopt and Embrace Healthy Eating Habits

Описание: Culinary medicine is an emerging, evidence-based field that equips patients with knowledge and skills to successfully incorporate sustainable healthy eating habits into their lives. It is vital to the management of lipedema, Dercum’s Disease, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and mast cell disorders, and indirectly Madelung’s disease, FML, and other comorbidities.

The process of adopting healthier eating habits is fraught with obstacles. Confronted with a wide variety of enticing ultra-processed foods, many people struggle to make healthy food choices and to accept that healthy foods can taste just as good, if not better. Many labor under the misconception that healthy food is not affordable. Study after study demonstrates that no matter what someone orders at a restaurant, if they cook it at home, it will be healthier and less expensive. However, it is difficult to persuade people to cook at home because they perceive that they don’t have time to plan, shop for, and prepare food, they don’t know how to effectively store and reuse cooked food, and/or they lack the basic culinary skills and knowledge needed to cook simple meals based on healthy recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, affordable, and perhaps, most importantly, appeal to that individual.

Culinary medicine is perhaps most effective when it involves a team including a physician, nutritionist or registered dietician, and a board-certified health and wellness coach trained in culinary medicine.