Food as medicine: UTSW advances clinical nutrition care
Innovative Culinary Medicine model supports healthy lifestyle changes by improving patient access to food counseling, cooking skills development
DALLAS – Sept. 18, 2025 – A novel clinical pilot program at UT Southwestern Medical Center is transforming the role of nutrition education in patient care.
UT Southwestern’s Culinary Medicine model – believed to be the first of its kind – blends hands-on culinary education and training with team-based clinical care to empower patients and enhance their health through affordable, nourishing food choices. A study by UTSW researchers published in NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery evaluated the program’s first two-and-a-half years and found it is delivering measurable benefits, with 92% of participants reporting they were very satisfied or satisfied with their experience and 63% saying they had used its resources.
“Food quality plays a significant role in disease prevention – especially with regard to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and many types of cancer – and is a necessary component of physical and mental well-being,” said Culinary Medicine Director and study lead author Jaclyn Albin, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine and in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern. “And yet, incorporating nutrition education and support into patient care has long been a challenge for clinicians. Our study suggests the multifaceted approach we are pioneering at UT Southwestern is an effective way of helping patients make healthy lifestyle changes that fit their cultural and budgetary preferences while supporting their medical goals.”
The Culinary Medicine Program offers three main components to support physicians and patients:
- eConsults through the UTSW patient portal to share general nutrition needs, tailored food resources, and recommended recipes
- In-person consultations with a culinary medicine physician and culinary registered dietitian nutritionist to develop individualized strategies
- Kitchen-based medical appointments in group settings focused on building practical cooking skills to support lifestyle changes
Patients are referred to the service through their primary care physician or other UTSW health care professionals. The three-pronged approach allows physicians and patients to choose the level of engagement they desire. Patients can also use eConsults for questions or follow-ups that don’t require a full appointment.
“It can be difficult for physicians to provide thorough nutritional counseling and training during routine office visits because of time constraints and the level of detail required,” said study contributor Milette Siler, M.B.A., RD, LD, a UTSW registered dietitian nutritionist who co-founded the Culinary Medicine pilot program. “Many patients need significant support to effectively change a lifetime of food behaviors. By creating a separate, dedicated service staffed by interprofessional experts in culinary medicine, we have the time and resources to work with patients on a personal level while supporting the referring physician’s care plan.”
Because the Culinary Medicine pilot is physician-led, services are generally covered by health insurers, with reimbursement levels approaching 100% – a key factor in the program’s accessibility and scalability. Traditionally, insurers haven’t covered visits to registered dietitian nutritionists for conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, or irritable bowel syndrome, limiting patient access to nutrition-focused care.
“There is growing awareness in the medical community that ‘food is medicine,’” Dr. Albin said. “If our program can provide a road map for overcoming the barriers to access and reimbursement that have been an issue in the past, that’s a major step forward for culinary medicine services everywhere.”
The study also found that referring physicians were pleased to have a multidisciplinary resource available to support their care.
“Many of our clinical partners have told us that gaining access to practical, evidence-based nutrition education is a significant challenge,” said study senior author Heather Kitzman, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the O’Donnell School of Public Health. “One of the recurring themes of the feedback from our physician referrals was the relative ease of getting their patients access to a registered dietitian through the Culinary Medicine clinic and the positive feedback from patients about their experience.”
Development of the Culinary Medicine model began in 2021 with the eConsult pilot and expanded with in-person clinic consultations in 2022 and the kitchen-based group appointments in 2024. The effort also includes a broader program that features community events and nutrition training for medical school students and residents.
“We are proud of the model we’ve built and the early success we’ve achieved in helping patients lead healthier lives,” Dr. Albin said. “We’re also excited about the future because our services provide a powerful platform for research, community engagement, and helping our physician partners promote wellness. Our goal is to continue research that can expand our outreach and increase access to funding for both clinical care and further study.”
Other UTSW researchers who contributed to this study are Michael Bowen, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.C.S., Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, and Willis Wong, M.D., M.B.A., M.S., Internal Medicine resident.
The Culinary Medicine Program is supported in part by the UTSW Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program. The William A. and Elizabeth B. Moncrief Foundation provides support for the purchase of perishable food supplies used in Culinary Medicine’s kitchen-based group appointments.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 23 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 140,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5.1 million outpatient visits a year.