1st Annual Food As Medicine CME-On-Demand Live Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The conference opened with PCOM leaders and clinicians emphasizing that “food is medicine” is an old idea with modern urgency. Jay Feldstein noted that nutrition is central to preventing and treating chronic disease, especially diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. He described PCOM’s culinary medicine program, which teaches medical students both nutrition science and practical cooking skills so they can counsel patients more effectively and respectfully across cultures.<br /><br />Dr. Farzana DeGee and Dr. Joanne Kikady-Manzo explained how the course combines basic science, team-based learning, and hands-on cooking. Students learn to identify barriers to healthy eating such as cost, time, food deserts, and cultural differences, and they practice giving realistic, sustainable dietary advice. They highlighted Mediterranean and DASH-style eating, hydration, portion control, label reading, and the importance of mental health and patient trust.<br /><br />Dr. Monique Gary focused on oncology, warning against social-media misinformation and “miracle” diets. She stressed that no single food cures cancer, but diet can reduce risk, support treatment, and improve survivorship. Her talk covered anti-inflammatory eating, the value of whole foods, caution with supplements, fasting during treatment only with supervision, and the need to address food insecurity and emotional stress. She also described using technology and an AI-based app to tailor nutrition and lifestyle guidance for cancer patients.<br /><br />Dr. Andrea DiDomenico connected nutrition to psychiatry through the gut-brain axis. She reviewed evidence showing that Mediterranean-style diets, omega-3s, B vitamins, and stable blood sugar can improve depression, anxiety, cognition, and GI symptoms. She encouraged nonjudgmental diet screening in mental health care.<br /><br />Finally, Dr. Autumn Dai discussed pediatric obesity as a public health crisis, linking it to family habits, screen time, and social determinants of health. She promoted early, positive, family-centered intervention and warned about the long-term risk of diabetes and other complications.<br /><br />The day closed with a presentation from MANA on medically tailored meals, showing strong evidence that food-based interventions improve outcomes and reduce costs.

Asset Caption

Food As Medicine On-Demand Live Recording

Keywords

food is medicine

culinary medicine

nutrition science

chronic disease prevention

diabetes

obesity

cardiovascular disease

cancer nutrition

Mediterranean diet

DASH diet

gut-brain axis

medically tailored meals

food insecurity

patient counseling

pediatric obesity