Healthy Outlook Blog

This is the goal of Dr. David Eisenberg, the head of complementary and integrative medicine division at Harvard Medical Schools, who believes doctors have great potential to transform the way Americans eat. Partnering with the Culinary Institute of America, Dr. Eisenberg now hosts conferences teaching physicians how to select, purchase and cook healthy food.

Once doctors have developed adequate culinary knowledge and skills, they can then teach their patients how to cook and eat healthy. According to Dr. Eisenberg, “A physician’s own behavior is one of the strongest predictors of how they’ll counsel their patients.”

Studies show that people who cook at home are at lower risk for obesity and chronic disease. And since many people lack the time and skills to cook, culinary literacy has decreased dramatically. Today, people are more likely to order in fast food, microwave frozen food or buy prepared meals.

The move back towards home cooking needs to begin somewhere, and the doctor’s office is a great place to start.