Location
Philadelphia, PA
Start Date
17-4-2026 1:30 PM
End Date
17-4-2026 2:30 PM
Description
Introduction
Metabolic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia are highly prevalent and strongly influenced by diet. While lifestyle modifications are a cornerstone to management of metabolic conditions, along with pharmacologic interventions, patients often face barriers to meaningful dietary changes, including difficulty in modifying traditional recipes. This culinary medicine intervention aims to bridge the gap between preserving cultural authenticity in meals, while promoting healthier food choices and preparations through the Mediterranean diet, in hopes of increasing sustainable dietary changes and increasing patients’ willingness to adapt home cooking practices. Age will be explored as a potential modifier of adaptation behaviors in this pilot project.
Methods
Implementation of this pilot project will be conducted across PCOM-affiliated primary care outpatient clinics. Adult patients will be provided access to a virtual cookbook featuring modified Latin recipes that are designed to reduce sodium intake, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, with emphasis on increasing fiber, protein, and alternative cooking techniques. Recipes will maintain traditional flavor profiles as well as include educational components addressing ingredient substitutions, interpreting nutrition labels, as well as healthier cooking techniques.
Patients will complete an electronic survey one month after access to the virtual cookbook. The primary outcome will be self-reported addressing recipe adaptation, which is defined by participants implementing the ingredient substitutions, portion sizes, spice changes, and cooking method changes. Secondary outcomes will include behavioral spillover, such as application of techniques into other recipes, frequency of home-cooked meals compared to takeout, and overall satisfaction with the recipes. Age groups will be compared to assess differences in adaptation and behavioral change.
Results
Primary analyses will evaluate the proportion of patients reporting recipe adaptations and categorize them into types of modifications. Secondary analysis will assess changes in home cooking frequency, reported use of techniques in other meals, and satisfaction levels. Comparison across age groups will examine whether younger and middle-aged adults demonstrate higher rates of adaptation and behavioral spillover compared to older adults. It is anticipated that younger and middle-age adults will report more positive outcomes, such as adaptation to recipes and behavioral spillover, when compared to older adults.
Discussion
Culturally mindful culinary medicine interventions may offer a practical strategy in combating and preventing various metabolic conditions in a primary care setting. By emphasizing flexibility and compatibility with cultural recipes instead of a restrictive elimination diet, this approach could improve adherence to dietary changes. If well received by patients, integration of structured cookbooks in clinic-based care settings may represent a model for enhancing nutrition education and patient engagement in the management of metabolic diseases. This also leaves more opportunity to explore these changes in future studies by looking at measurable health outcomes, such as A1C, blood pressure measurements, and lipid profiles with implemented culinary changes. Additionally, the project itself has much room to expand to include a variety of other ethnic cuisines, with the goal to improve health outcomes in a wider demographic range.
Embargo Period
10-17-2026
Culinary Medicine Intervention to Bridge the Gap Between Cultural Authenticity and the Mediterranean Diet
Philadelphia, PA
Introduction
Metabolic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia are highly prevalent and strongly influenced by diet. While lifestyle modifications are a cornerstone to management of metabolic conditions, along with pharmacologic interventions, patients often face barriers to meaningful dietary changes, including difficulty in modifying traditional recipes. This culinary medicine intervention aims to bridge the gap between preserving cultural authenticity in meals, while promoting healthier food choices and preparations through the Mediterranean diet, in hopes of increasing sustainable dietary changes and increasing patients’ willingness to adapt home cooking practices. Age will be explored as a potential modifier of adaptation behaviors in this pilot project.
Methods
Implementation of this pilot project will be conducted across PCOM-affiliated primary care outpatient clinics. Adult patients will be provided access to a virtual cookbook featuring modified Latin recipes that are designed to reduce sodium intake, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, with emphasis on increasing fiber, protein, and alternative cooking techniques. Recipes will maintain traditional flavor profiles as well as include educational components addressing ingredient substitutions, interpreting nutrition labels, as well as healthier cooking techniques.
Patients will complete an electronic survey one month after access to the virtual cookbook. The primary outcome will be self-reported addressing recipe adaptation, which is defined by participants implementing the ingredient substitutions, portion sizes, spice changes, and cooking method changes. Secondary outcomes will include behavioral spillover, such as application of techniques into other recipes, frequency of home-cooked meals compared to takeout, and overall satisfaction with the recipes. Age groups will be compared to assess differences in adaptation and behavioral change.
Results
Primary analyses will evaluate the proportion of patients reporting recipe adaptations and categorize them into types of modifications. Secondary analysis will assess changes in home cooking frequency, reported use of techniques in other meals, and satisfaction levels. Comparison across age groups will examine whether younger and middle-aged adults demonstrate higher rates of adaptation and behavioral spillover compared to older adults. It is anticipated that younger and middle-age adults will report more positive outcomes, such as adaptation to recipes and behavioral spillover, when compared to older adults.
Discussion
Culturally mindful culinary medicine interventions may offer a practical strategy in combating and preventing various metabolic conditions in a primary care setting. By emphasizing flexibility and compatibility with cultural recipes instead of a restrictive elimination diet, this approach could improve adherence to dietary changes. If well received by patients, integration of structured cookbooks in clinic-based care settings may represent a model for enhancing nutrition education and patient engagement in the management of metabolic diseases. This also leaves more opportunity to explore these changes in future studies by looking at measurable health outcomes, such as A1C, blood pressure measurements, and lipid profiles with implemented culinary changes. Additionally, the project itself has much room to expand to include a variety of other ethnic cuisines, with the goal to improve health outcomes in a wider demographic range.