Nutrition in medical education, with David Eisenberg, M.D.

David Eisenberg, M.D., director of culinary nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, founding co-director of the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference, and founder and former executive director of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, joins the show to talk about the importance of nutritional education for physicians.

"Proposed Nutrition Competencies for Medical Students and Physician Trainees: A Consensus Statement" in JAMA Network Open.

Don't miss our recent episodes on mental health in medicine, practice leadership, AI oversight and health equity and medical misinformation.

Music Credits:
Saxophonia by Offenbach Project - 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.

Introduction and Podcast Overview (00:00:00) Podcast introduction, host and guest introductions, and overview of the episode’s focus on nutrition in medical education.

Dr. Eisenberg’s Background and Motivation (00:01:34) Dr. Eisenberg shares his personal and professional background, and how he became interested in culinary medicine.

Defining Lifestyle Medicine and Teaching Kitchens (00:02:53) Explanation of lifestyle medicine, the concept of teaching kitchens and their role in health education.

Development and Impact of Teaching Kitchens (00:03:13) History and evolution of teaching kitchens, their integration into health care and ongoing research and collaborations.

Teaching Kitchens Collaborative and Clinical Integration (00:05:23) Formation of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, multi-site trials and the potential for primary care integration.

Clinical Resource Interlude (00:08:28) Brief mention of Patient Care Online as a clinical resource for primary care physicians.

Nutrition Competencies in Medical Education: Policy and Advocacy (00:08:58) Discussion of efforts to mandate nutrition education for physicians, including congressional action and policy changes.

Medical Education Response and Consensus Building (00:11:38) Medical education organizations’ response to policy pressure, the need for experiential learning and the rise of teaching kitchens in medical schools.

Developing and Publishing Nutrition Competencies (00:13:22) Process of creating consensus-based nutrition competencies for medical students and residents, and their publication.

Challenges in Nutrition Counseling and Social Determinants (00:16:17) Barriers to effective nutrition counseling, social determinants of health and the need for improved physician training.

Transformational Moment in Medical Education (00:18:10) Current momentum and transformation in nutrition education for primary care and the broader medical field.

Primary Care Practices and Teaching Kitchens (00:19:09) Adoption of teaching kitchens in primary care, benefits for patients and clinicians and impact on burnout.

P2 Management Minute Interlude (00:19:43) Short segment offering practice management tips and inviting listener contributions.

Ethnographic Food Life Questions in Patient Interviews (00:20:33) Introduction of ethnographic questions to improve patient communication about food and nutrition.

Building Trust and Non-Judgmental Nutrition Conversations (00:20:58) Strategies for empathetic, non-judgmental conversations about food and the importance of trust in patient care.

Practical Application and Referral Pathways (00:23:18) How to use food life questions to guide referrals and support patients in changing their relationship with food.

Historical Analogy and Value Proposition (00:24:46) Comparison to mental health screening, and the value of improving nutrition conversations in clinical practice.

Reimbursement and Policy for Nutrition Interventions (00:26:34) Discussion of insurance coverage for nutrition interventions, the Diabetes Prevention Program and future opportunities.

GLP-1 Drugs and Teaching Kitchens: Future Directions (00:27:45) Potential for combining medication with teaching kitchen interventions to improve outcomes and reduce costs.

Quality of Life, Prevention and Physician Burnout (00:31:01) Broader benefits of lifestyle interventions for patients and clinicians, including prevention and reduced burnout.

Final Thoughts and Message to Primary Care Physicians (00:32:16) Encouragement for primary care doctors to engage with teaching kitchens and lifestyle medicine for professional fulfillment.

Closing Remarks and Episode Wrap-Up (00:33:27) Final thanks, closing statements and information on subscribing to the podcast and newsletter.