Whilst International Hotel School offers a variety of intensive culinary courses nationally, there’s a new kind of culinary programme that’s becoming a firm favourite in the United States – and we think it may just catch on here. It’s a cooking class for doctors or medical students and it’s a very clever concept.

 

Why teach doctors how to cook?

It’s becoming more apparent as the months and years go by that many different types of medical conditions are caused as a direct or indirect result of poor diet or bad eating habits. Take for example the catastrophic rise in the number of diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease cases that are being reported annually the world over. Add to this the fact that adults (and children) are more obese than ever before, and you have a recipe for major health issues that can easily be addressed and largely reduced through helpful nutritional advice from doctors.

But doctors don’t offer this sort of advice to patients at the moment, and in no way has it ever been part of their medical training. However, at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans things are definitely changing. Would-be doctors at Tulane aren’t just learning about nutrition. They’re learning how to cook. The programme isn’t just about helping students understand nutrition. The focus is on practical talk about food as well. They are striving to teach doctors to be able to teach their patients everyday skills in how to cook, what to cook and why. “Physicians talk about nutrition and diet all the time, but they don’t talk about it in a way that communicates change to their patients,” says Executive Director at Tulane’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, Dr. Timothy Harlan. The students learn to make the most of low-cost ingredients, so they can cater to low-income communities. Their vision is to teach physicians about food: how to cook, what to eat, and how to help their patients improve their diet – and thereby, their health.

Will it work?

We think it’s a great idea and a way for doctors to be able to offer practical advice because they themselves not only understand the nutritional impact, but they can further explain how to prepare healthy meals because of the practical cooking classes they would have taken. Is there an opportunity here for South African culinary schools to get involved? We think so, and we wouldn’t be surprised if medical schools insisted on making it part of the curriculum for med students. We would love to collaborate with medical schools and universities on something like this, so watch this space and please give us your thoughts in the comments section below on whether or not you think this idea will work.

Before we go…

We would like to share with you some helpful hints and tips on how to prepare and cook in a healthier way when you’re at home.

Sauté a healthier way – A couple of tablespoons of low-sodium vegetable broth can be used instead of oil or butter in your stir-fry, or as the basis for a sauce.

Say no to chicken skin – Tasty as it might be, the skin contains mostly heart-unhealthy saturated fat. You can cook with the skin on to retain moisture but remove it before serving.

Don’t burn your meat – when meats are cooked too long at high temperatures, carcinogenic compounds are created which may promote certain cancers, including kidney, colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer, when consumed regularly and in high amounts.

Not all fats are bad – Your best options include coconut oil, avocado oil, butter, and ghee.

Change your cooking methods to help improve nutritional value in your meals:

We’re really inspired to teach others how to create healthy meals from simple ingredients using easy cooking methods. If you would like to know more about any of our courses or if you have any questions for our culinary lecturers, drop us a line below or email info@dev.brokenpony.club with your query.

(Sources and images: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/01/419167750/a-dose-of-culinary-medicine-sends-med-students-to-the-kitchen; http://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2015/12/cooking-class-aims-to-prepare-medical-students-for-better-patient-care/; http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/12/26/460803440/if-doctors-learned-to-cook-they-might-give-better-advice; http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/01/11/doctors-cooking-skills.aspx)