For medical students, there is a critical education gap in learning how diet can help promote wellbeing and prevent disease. In partnership with the UC Irvine School of Medicine, the Samueli Institute is filing that gap through the Culinary Medicine Elective.
The institute has seen great success with the program. As of this fiscal year, the Samueli Institute has educated over 300 medical students in the principles of evidence-informed, whole food nutrition through this course.
Students study the fundamentals of diet and nutrition, learning about food biochemistry, Mediterranean and anti-inflammatory diets, and more. Additionally, participants receive practical cooking lessons inside the Mussallem Nutrition Education Center, with state-of-the-art cooking stations and the latest in culinary tools. These sessions emphasize creating healthy, culturally appropriate dishes that utilize efficient food preparation methods.
Students also explore the foundations of mindful eating, to help patients make practical, sustainable changes to their diet.
Faculty include Nimisha Parekh, MD, MPH, director of culinary medicine at the Samueli Institute and clinical professor of medicine; Jessica VanRoo, CCMP, executive chef at the Samueli Institute; Karen Lindsay, PhD, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist at the Samueli Institute; and Sherry Schulman, RDN, MBA, registered dietitian nutritionist at the Samueli Institute.
“The culinary medicine elective is an innovative opportunity for our students to learn about nutrition from a multidisciplinary team early on in their educational journey,” said Parekh. “This benefits not only the patients but also allows the students to create healthy eating and culinary habits for themselves – providing to their patients their own practices, is so impactful.”
