New lessons in lifestyle medicine, with Jennifer Trilk, Ph.D., FACSM, DipACLM

Jennifer Trilk, Ph.D., FACSM, DipACLM, professor of biomedical sciences and director of lifestyle medicine programs at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, joins the show to discuss how her program is reshaping physician education through lifestyle medicine.

Trilk explains how training future doctors in nutrition, physical activity, behavior change and self-care is key to preventing chronic disease — and why prevention needs to be valued as highly as treatment. She also shares how the school’s hands-on approach, including culinary and teaching kitchens, helps students translate science into real-world patient care.

The discussion covers the evolution of nutrition education in medical schools, national policy efforts to prioritize “food as medicine,” and what it will take for lifestyle medicine to become a standard part of every physician’s toolkit.

Trilk is a co-author of “Proposed Nutrition Competencies for Medical Students and Physician Trainees: A Consensus Statement,” published in JAMA Network Open.

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Music Credits:
Paper Cranes by Buurd - stock.adobe.com
Relaxing Lounge by Classy Call me Man - stock.adobe.com
A Textbook Example by Skip Peck - stock.adobe.com

Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.

0:00 – Cold open
Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” If that was said so long ago — how did we miss that in treating our patients?

0:20 – Introduction
Austin Littrell introduces Off the Chart and previews the conversation between Richard Payerchin and Dr. Jennifer Trilk, professor and director of lifestyle medicine programs at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville.

1:30 – Why nutrition belongs in medical education
Dr. Trilk explains why future physicians need formal training in nutrition, exercise, and behavior change to help patients prevent and reverse chronic disease.

2:23 – Lifestyle medicine vs. conventional medicine
She describes how lifestyle medicine focuses on root causes of illness, shared decision-making, and long-term patient partnerships — not just symptom management.

7:13 – Why doctors weren’t taught nutrition
Dr. Trilk traces the history of medical education, from the Nutrition Academic Award in the 1990s to why most schools still lack meaningful nutrition training.

11:55 – Sorting fact from fad
How physicians can navigate conflicting diet advice, dispel misinformation, and focus on evidence-based nutrition — starting with the Mediterranean diet.

17:14 – Reimbursement for prevention
Dr. Trilk calls for Medicare, Medicaid, and private payers to reimburse physicians for lifestyle and nutrition counseling to make prevention financially sustainable.

20:12 – Inside the teaching kitchen
She describes Greenville’s hands-on culinary medicine program — where medical students and patients cook together — and how it’s changing health outcomes.

25:06 – Cooking as CME
How practicing physicians and fellows are returning to the kitchen to earn CME credit and rediscover the joy of learning through food and connection.

26:22 – Creating national nutrition competencies
Dr. Trilk explains how the new consensus statement, “Proposed Nutrition Competencies for Medical Students and Physician Trainees,” is shaping the future of medical education.

30:09 – The ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative
A look at current federal efforts to promote prevention, lifestyle medicine, and nutrition under HHS and CMS.

32:34 – A message to primary care physicians
Dr. Trilk thanks primary care clinicians for their foundational role in patient wellness and encourages them to explore lifestyle medicine in their own practices.

34:29 – Closing
Austin Littrell wraps up the episode with production credits and links to subscribe and learn more at MedicalEconomics.com and PhysiciansPractice.com.