Most of the large clinical trials related to nutrition take place in Western Europe and the U.S., which means that many of the foods studied and ultimately recommended are common in those areas.
Updates to the Gaples Institute course, “Nutrition Science for Health and Longevity: What Every Physicians Needs to Know,” on the AMA Ed Hub™ include a new section on cultural adaptations. The new material identifies principles gleaned from the best nutrition trials, and how those principles can be applied to traditional diets of other cultures, called “heritage diets.”
One literature review that guided updates to the course examined the key elements of traditional Latin American, Asian and African heritage diets, and found that all three focused on healthy foods such as whole grains, dark green and orange vegetables, and legumes.
“Food is deeply personal,” said Stephen Devries, MD, a preventive cardiologist and executive director of the nonprofit Gaples Institute in Chicago. “Dietary recommendations should honor an individual’s preferences including their cultural heritage.”
The aim of the course update is to help physicians and other health professionals apply the most important principles of nutrition science to a wide range of heritage diets and traditions.
Heritage diets underscore the ancient wisdom in many traditional ways of eating, said Dr. Devries, an AMA member. For example, the active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, has potent anti-inflammatory properties but is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract.
“What’s fascinating is that black pepper, often combined with turmeric in traditional curry dishes, boosts the absorption of turmeric by over 20-fold,” he said. “More than simply a pleasing taste, it seems likely that ancient wisdom recognized that the combination of turmeric and black pepper has some beneficial effect.”
The updated course also includes new content on dietary considerations in the era of high-potency weight loss drugs and health concerns surrounding alcohol.
“We continually work to add timely new topics to the course every year so that clinicians can expand the reach and impact of their dietary interventions,” said Dr. Devries.
A focus on greens and whole grains
The Gaples Institute expanded the course’s dietary recommendations to align with different cultural food traditions in several key areas. For example, green leafy vegetables, which have an abundance of health-promoting properties, are central to many heritage diets. But physicians and other health professionals may miss an important opportunity if they focus only on more broadly known varieties such as spinach and kale.
“Spinach and kale are great options, but there are several others that, depending on the patient, might be more culturally relevant and easier to embrace,” said Dr. Devries. As an example, mustard or collard greens could be recommended for those whose familiarity and preferences align with an African heritage diet. Napa cabbage, bok choy, or green seaweed might be good options for those who follow an Asian heritage diet.
The Gaples Institute also updated its recommendations on whole grains—a category of food with well documented health benefits, especially in comparison to refined grains.
“The course reviews the overriding principle of encouraging whole grains, but the specific recommendation can vary substantially based on cultural traditions,” explained Dr. Devries.
Quinoa or amaranth might be familiar whole grain choices for people with a Latin American heritage, whereas teff or sorghum might be recommended for those whose traditions align with African heritage diets.
Applying nutrition science to a wider range of diets
Physicians and other health professionals have responded enthusiastically to the new material on cultural adaptation in the Gaples Institute course, as it addresses a need for a personalized approach to dietary recommendations.
“Food choices are very much a personal matter and have strong emotional ties to family and culture. Unlike medications or other therapies, which typically lack personal or historical meaning, dietary guidance calls for a more individualized and culturally informed approach,” said Dr. Devries.
The bottom line is people will eat healthier meals if they have options that reflect their cultural backgrounds.
More studies are needed to evaluate nutrition in diverse populations and regions and their respective dietary plans. “But for now, simply acknowledging to patients that they can make healthier dietary choices using foods that align with their cultural traditions can be both empowering for patients and a rewarding way for clinicians to practice,” said Dr. Devries.
Explore the full offerings
The Gaples Institute course, “Nutrition Science for Health and Longevity: What Every Physicians Needs to Know,” provides physicians with a complete nutrition toolkit that includes an interactive presentation of clinical nutrition essentials with more than 190 key references, strategies for rapid dietary counseling, over 20 immersive patient scenarios, and a rich set of interactive, bilingual patient education resources. It is a self-paced course built on a uniquely engaging interactive platform that condenses an extensive body of knowledge into an efficient learning tool that offers four hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Every year, the Gaples Institute does a full review of the course and thoroughly updates it to respond to emerging clinical needs. These updates are integrated with enduring content on clinical nutrition essentials and include patient handouts.
Explore more from the Gaples Institute course on the AMA Ed Hub:
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- For patients who have struggled to lose excess weight through lifestyle changes alone, GLP-1 receptor agonists marketed as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro have emerged as game-changing alternatives for reducing morbidity and mortality. However, it’s important not to lose sight of the continued value of a high-quality diet.
Foods that spike a patient's blood glucose are not what you think
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- The perils of food insecurity extend even beyond hunger. When patients experience disruptions in food intake and eating patterns because of lack of money or other resources, it can result in low birth weight and developmental delays in children, as well as chronic kidney disease, congestive heart failure and type 2 diabetes in adults.
Help your patients get a bigger health boost from their coffee
- A large majority of adults consume caffeine daily and depend on a steaming cup of coffee to get their day started on the right foot. But does drinking that daily cup of joe offer health benefits for patients? It does pack some surprising health benefits depending on the amount consumed.
What a sustainable diet means—for your patients and the planet
- Poor-quality diets are the No. 1 risk factor for premature deaths in the U.S. But diets rich in meats and processed foods aren’t just bad for personal health. They are bad for planetary health too.
Why smarter self-care is a win-win for doctors—and their patients
- Nutrition plays an important role in the maintenance of a person’s health and well-being. While system level solutions to address physician burnout are most effective, self-care can also play a role. And a big part of self-care for physicians is eating right. By learning more about nutrition and keeping the topic front and center, physicians can take better care of themselves—and their patients.
This course includes four modules that are distributed in collaboration with the AMA Ed Hub, an online platform with high-quality CME/MOC from many trusted sources to support lifelong learning of physicians and other medical professionals. With topics relevant to you—including numerous CME modules on physician burnout—the AMA Ed Hub also offers an easy, streamlined way to find, take and track educational activities in one place, with automatic CME/MOC credit reporting for some state and specialty boards. AMA members qualify for a 20% discount. Call (800) 262-3211 or email [email protected] for the discount code.
Learn more about AMA CME accreditation.
