Effect Of Culinary Education Curriculum On Mediterranean Diet Adherence And Food Cost Savings In Families: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Objective:Diet-related diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the USA. While the critical aspects of a healthy diet are well known, the relationship between community-based, teaching kitchen education and dietary behaviours is unclear. We examined the effect of a novel culinary medicine education programme on Mediterranean diet adherence and food cost savings.Design:Families were randomised to a hands-on, teaching kitchen culinary education class (n = 18) or non-kitchen-based dietary counselling (n = 23) for 6 weeks. The primary outcome was adherence to the validated nine-point Mediterranean diet score, and the secondary outcome was food cost savings per family.Setting:The Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, a community teaching kitchen in New Orleans.Participants:Families (n = 41) of at least one child and one parent.Results:Compared with families receiving traditional dietary counselling, those participating in hands-on, kitchen-based nutrition education were nearly three times as likely to follow a Mediterranean dietary pattern (OR 2 center dot 93, 95% CI 1 center dot 73, 4 center dot 95; P < 0 center dot 001), experiencing a 0 center dot 43-point increase in Mediterranean diet adherence after 6 weeks (B = 0 center dot 43; P < 0 center dot 001). Kitchen-based nutrition education projects to save families $US 21 center dot 70 per week compared with standard dietary counselling by increasing the likelihood of consuming home-prepared v. commercially-prepared meals (OR 1 center dot 56, 95% CI 1 center dot 08, 2 center dot 25; P = 0 center dot 018).Conclusions:Community-based culinary medicine education improves Mediterranean diet adherence and associates with food cost savings among a diverse sample of families. Hands-on culinary medicine education may be a novel evidence-based tool to teach healthful dietary habits and prevent chronic disease.