Integrating Nutrition Education into Clinical Practice

Abstract

The power of physicians to educate patients about nutrition and provide the tools and motivation needed for patients to adopt healthy eating habits is under-utilized. To unleash that power, practicing physicians need to synthesize the latest in nutrition science, integrate it with the established body of evidence on healthy nutrition, and translate and communicate this knowledge to patients in a practical and effective way. Physicians and patients face similar barriers in discussing and incorporating healthy nutrition practices. Tactics and tools that are simple, effective, affordable, and scalable, can be incorporated in clinical practice, thereby making nutrition counseling feasible with only incremental burden to physicians' time and energy. These tactics include: (1) assessing body mass index at every visit, (2) adding obesity or overweight on the problem list, (3) assessing diet, (4) acknowledging risk, (5) being mindful of language, and (6) writing a prescription. Understanding the psychological aspects of food choices and behavioral change, use of technology, and engaging teams are also important. Group visits to address nutrition-related topics are a novel approach to discuss and taste (literally) healthy eating. Finally, physicians' own health and nutrition are powerful predictors of nutrition education to patients and can be a target of intervention as well.