The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society Med Journal July 2019 Final 2 | Page 14

by Casey L. Penn Culinary Medicine: Transforming Sick Care Into Health Care Presenter: Gina Drobena, MD G ina Drobena, MD, is an as- sociate professor of pathol- ogy at the UAMS College of Medicine and part of the culinary medicine team that is be- ing established at UAMS. Using the Health Meets Food curriculum, she is working to teach culinary medicine, or “an evidence-based field in medicine that blends the art of food and cooking with the science of medicine.” Dr. Drobena shared information about the topic at this year’s annual membership meeting. In looking at Arkansas’s adult overweight and obesity rates, Dr. Drobena shared concern that 68% of Arkansans are either overweight or obese. “I propose that it’s as much from what we’re not eating as what we are eating,” she said. “About 18-19% are consuming vegetables less than once a day and a higher percentage consume fruit less than once a day. “If we’re not eating fruits and vegetables, what are we eating? Most of our diet is calorie-rich and processed. This results in a high rate of mortality from total cardiovascular disease. I want us to fight chronic disease by making healthy food palatable, affordable, easy to prepare, and accessible. I want culinary medicine to be the first tool clinicians think of for themselves and their patients.” The diet outlined in the curriculum most closely resembles the Mediterranean Diet and/or Dash Diet (similar, less sodium, differing serving sizes), which consists of the following: Sharing more information about the current state of patients in Arkansas, Dr. Drobena said, “During regular exams, only 36% of obese patients are encouraged to lose weight. Why is this? Clini- cians report a lack of skill to counsel patients in this area. By starting with medical students, we are hoping to change this culture and make our young physicians more confident in not only talking about nutrition, but also keeping themselves healthier. It’s well known that what we do in our own lives affects what we counsel our patients to do.” • Vegetables: 2-3 cups per day • Fruits/Nuts: 1-1.5 cups per day/ ¼ cup per day • Whole grains: 1.5 cups per day • Legumes: 2 cups per week • Fish: 2 servings (4oz) per week • Dairy: Less than 1 cup/day • Oils/Fats: Plant based rather than animal • Meat: 1 serving per day (3-4 oz) • Alcohol: 1 drink per day for women, 2 for men It’s easy to see a correlation between diet and disease. According to Dr. Drobena, we can improve the situation by using dietary change and culinary medicine. The Curriculum Health Meets Food curriculum is module- based instruction that includes video lectures followed by three hours of practical education in the kitchen. During that time, students are taught from case studies that focus on conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Students also spend time cooking and eating meals related to the study material. Gina Drobena, MD To help listeners picture what this looks like, Dr. Drobena outlined her own typical diet and recommended sample menus and additional tools found at myplate.gov. Other resources she shared include Nutritionfacts.org, UAMS.edu/cu- 14 • THE JOURNAL OF THE ARKANSAS MEDICAL SOCIETY linary medicine, Culinarymedicine.org, CDC.gov, TheMedChefs.com, Whatscooking.fns.usda.gov, and your local county extension office. Incorporating Culinary Medicine into Your Practice There are several methods for incorporating culinary medicine and its benefits into the lives of your chronic disease patients. Dr. Drobena recom- mended several including having them perform a 24-hour food recall, referring them to a registered dietician if you don’t have time to work with them, and promoting local food events. To help these pa- tients get on board with the idea of healthy eating, she also recommends motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral strategies. For help and further information about culinary medicine, con- tact Dr. Drobena at [email protected]. VOLUME 116