Dr. Dungan & Culinary Medicine
“Culinary Medicine blends the education of patients about healthier food along with direct instruction on how to apply that knowledge in everyday life.”
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David Dungan MD, FACP, FAAP, CCMS
As the Covid pandemic unfolded 4 years ago I, like many, began to observe how poor metabolic health affected my patients’ outcomes with COVID.
Compounding this was the added effects of related high intensity work environments on health care providers including myself. I admit that burnout was present and significant, adding to my frustration of trying to improve my patients’ conditions.
Over the previous decades of taking care of patients one unifying theme was consistently evident; that when patients made the changes in lifestyle that I was advising them to do the results were often incredibly positive. However, with the pandemic patients were struggling to make these changes and it was becoming clearer that just telling them what to do would not suffice, I needed to TEACH them how to effect change in their health.
Dr. Dungan's BackgroundHealthy lifestyles comprise many aspects of everyday living be it activity, sleep, stress management among others.
However, what was most impactful in my patients were the results of healthier food choices.
Culinary Medicine blends the education of patients about healthier food along with direct instruction on how to apply that knowledge in everyday life.
I, along with my colleagues and team at Duly Health and Care, have been able to implement our Culinary Medicine patient program using a group medical visit format. It is based at a retail teaching kitchen, utilizing their chef and support team for food procurement, storage, and preparation.
The community that results from these gatherings in the kitchen has been invigorating and has re-energized my career.
The Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist (CCMS) designation identifies clinicians who have a unique foundation for incorporating healthy eating into patients’ diets: comprehensive knowledge of nutrition and the culinary techniques to prepare food that is consistent with real-world budgets, time constraints, and nutritional ideals.
The obesity and cardiometabolic risk epidemics are running rampant in the United States. With 69% of adults identified as overweight or obese and the typical American diet exceeding the recommended intake levels for fat, sugar, refined grains, and sodium2, the need for healthcare practitioners to actively engage patients on issues related to diet is greater than ever.
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The community that results from this most basic gathering around the table has been invigorating and has re-energized my career.
The ability to spend longer time with patients, sharing successes and failures, while helping them gather confidence and ability to improve their health has reawakened my most basic tenets as a physician, a teacher and a healer.
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