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].
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