Why is Food Education Important? How Do Culinary Nutritionists Help Teach About Food?

Benjamin Franklin is famously quoted for saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” He may have said these words over 300 years ago, they still have major implications for today’s society. This is because in the United States alone, six out of every ten Americans is living with a preventable, chronic condition like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or renal disease.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, one out of every 11 people in the Hampton Roads region has type 2 diabetes. More than 2 million Virginia residents suffer from prediabetes, or abnormally high blood sugar, and they don’t even know it. This all adds up to more than a 50% increased risk of death for our fellow Virginia neighbors and the CDC now acknowledges that these conditions are largely preventable with the right dietary and lifestyle changes.

There is no better time than now for people to learn how to take back their health by cultivating better dietary habits. However, knowing we should be eating more veggies and less processed foods and actually doing it are two completely separate aspects. Throw in the fact that nutrition misinformation is now available at the click of a mouse and we have many more questions than answers when it comes to fighting diseases with food.

Food Education is Critical for Everyone

This is why the role of the culinary nutritionist is so important. There is no other part of the healthcare team that can create individualized nutritional support that can speak to the specific complexities of each person. At the same time, these professionals can produce decadent, yet healing foods thanks to their culinary talents.

However, the true beauty of a culinary nutritionist is their ability to educate people about the food they are eating. Since these professionals can work in any number of settings, food education can happen anywhere, including:

• A community event or church meeting.
• Cooking demonstrations.
• Schools.
• Hospitals where Certified Dietary Managers are part of the healthcare team.
• The private sector as a personal chef/dietary manager.
• Restaurants.
• Fitness centers/gyms.
• Corporate wellness.

Formal Training is a Must for Aspiring Culinary Nutritionists

The benefits of learning about culinary nutrition are endless. Especially when considering the vital information you could be able to share with others regarding cooking techniques that promote the most nutrient absorption. You could also be able to share the best ‘super foods’ for diabetes at the drop of a hat!

Some other life-changing education you can provide to a hungry public is how to restore optimal blood sugar levels through food, and how to replace salt with even more flavorful herbs, spices and seasonings that can heal the body from the inside out. Nutrition education remains the only true sustainable form of prevention that can give people the support they need to take back their health and to start using food as a solution.

How Could I Help Educate People about Culinary Nutrition?

How can you gain the knowledge you need to inspire people to make changes through nutrition? It all starts with the right formal education, so that you can help people navigate through all of the misinformation that can derail progress and limit a person’s perspective on their full picture of health. Formal education helps culinary nutritionists should provide reliable, evidence-based nutritional research as a foundational tool in eliciting change.

Are you ready to start helping people utilize food as information to generate health solutions? If so, ECPI University’s Culinary Institute of Virginia may be the perfect place to start, by earning an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts and Applied Nutrition Degree. Call today to speak to a knowledgeable admissions counselor and tomorrow, you may find yourself starting a brand-new career in prevention education through culinary nutrition!

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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