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New Paper Says Dietetics, Cultural Knowledge of Culinary Medicine Overlooked by Medical Profession
July 4, 2026
Culinary medicine is often described as a new way to help patients improve their health through food. But a new paper in the journal Health authored by Kate Burt, associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Nutrition Sciences, examines how the approach to food as medicine lately recognized by the medical profession has been standard practice for a long time outside the establishment.
“Culinary medicine is often presented as medicine's innovative response to the long-neglected role of nutrition in health,” Burt said. “But my research argues that much of what is being celebrated as innovation—teaching future clinicians about nutrition, providing food-based care, and helping patients get access to ‘medically tailored’ meals and groceries—has been the work of dietitians and community organizations for generations.”
As physician-led culinary medicine gains attention, some culinary medicine programs may unintentionally leave out cultural food traditions or create barriers to participation for some patients, the paper warned. To improve people’s health in a more inclusive, effective, and lasting way, it contends that culinary medicine should build on the knowledge and experience of dietitians, community organizations, and community members who have long worked to support nutrition and health one meal at a time.
Read the article here.