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. 2022 Dec 8;14(12):e32322.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.32322. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Recipes for Health: A Community-Based Nutrition and Culinary Intervention

Sylvia Lillquist  1 , Gabriela Ruiz Barnecett  1 , Natalie Flexman  2 , Nadine Mikati  1
Affiliations

Recipes for Health: A Community-Based Nutrition and Culinary Intervention

Sylvia Lillquist et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States, especially since it has been associated with an increased incidence of multiple co-morbidities. Positive eating behavior modifications learned through nutrition education sessions are the main interventions proposed to target overweight and obesity.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if nutrition education and hands-on cooking classes will result in improvement in eating habits and cooking skills to manage chronic disease. Methods: A convenience sample of 21 participants were recruited from primary health clinics in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. A total of eight weekly virtual lessons were conducted, which included both a culinary and a nutrition education portion. At baseline and post-intervention, participants filled out a validated questionnaire with questions related to nutrition knowledge and behavior, fruit and vegetable consumption, and cooking skills. Weight was self-reported. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0 (Released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) and included descriptive statistics and a paired t-test to compare pre- and post-intervention data.

Results: Throughout the eight weeks, subject attendance ranged from 61-95%. Nineteen participants completed the post-intervention questionnaire. Results showed a statistically significant mean weight loss of 3.74 ±5.26 lbs (p=0.006) and a statistically significant mean BMI change of -0.66 ±0.86 (p=0.004) at post-intervention compared to baseline. In addition, subjects reported increased confidence in dietary habits and culinary skills post-intervention.

Conclusion: Our results show exciting data in support of this project's objectives that a healthy cooking intervention can increase nutrition knowledge, increase confidence in healthy food choices, increase confidence in food preparation skills, and improve weight and BMI in participants.

Keywords: diabetes and nutrition; dietary guidelines; dietary life change; eating behaviors; mindful eating; nutrition; nutrition and food science; nutrition and metabolism; virtual education; weight loss.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Week six meal plan
Source: Used with permission from Common Threads, Austin, Texas, United States
Figure 2
Figure 2. Sample participant photo from week eight of the intervention. Participants made a healthy version of a Chinese Stir-Fry.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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