Programs for Patients, Employees and the Community
All cooking classes at The Food for Life Kitchen are currently being offered virtually due to COVID-19. Visit our MHealthy Cooking Classes registration page for more information.
The growing field of culinary medicine explores the links between food and health, pairing nutritional science with traditional medical interventions in clinical care. Of course, medical recommendations of any kind are only effective when they are followed; sticking to a medically-recommended dietary plan involves far more than filling a prescription.
Have you ever tried any of the following?
- Reducing calories to lose weight
- Eating smaller, more frequent meals to regulate blood glucose
- Avoiding food sensitivities by preparing meals without staples like wheat or dairy
If so, you know it's easier said than done! If your health provider has recommended these or other strategies, get the information, skills and confidence you need to succeed at one of our classes and demonstrations.
Pre-registration is required for all classes. Visit our MHealthy Cooking Classes registration page for more information. You can also check out recipes and additional information about food as medicine from MHealth, Michigan Medicine’s consumer health blog.
Gastroenterology and Hepatology Programs
Nearly every common gastrointestinal (GI) problem has a nutritional connection. Food choices can impact the onset and severity of GI symptoms and special diets can virtually eliminate flare ups of certain conditions.
See a listing of available classes and registration details on the MHealthy Cooking Classes page. Check back regularly for additional offerings and details.
Diabetes Programs
Maintaining blood glucose levels is essential to managing diabetes. But understanding what, when and how much to eat can be tricky, and can vary from person to person and at different life stages. The MEND Diabetes Education Team is currently developing a series of classes tailored to eating well with diabetes.
See a listing of upcoming virtual classes and registration details at MHealthy Cooking Classes and visit our Adult Diabetes Education page for more information about the program.
Cardiovascular Medicine Programs
Eating well is essential to heart health. Eating patterns can play a major role in preventing heart disease, helping patients recover from a heart attack or cardiac surgery, and reducing the risk of future heart attacks and strokes.
The virtual cooking class series, on the MHealthy Cooking Classes page, are a great way to stay engaged and learn heart healthy recipes and tips. We hope to be back with regular cardiac classes highlighting legumes, fish, vegetables and Mediterranean recipes soon.
MHealthy Programs
MHealthy, the University of Michigan’s faculty and staff health and well-being service, will offer a number of cooking classes in the Food for Life Kitchen. Open to the entire U-M community and general public, these classes will focus on teaching participants how to make easy and delicious meals and snacks based on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, low-fat dairy, lean meat and beneficial fats. Each class also includes generous tasting of all recipes and tips on how to save time, cut costs and create tasty, healthy food that you and your family will love.
To learn more visit the MHealthy Cooking Classes registration page. Check back regularly for additional offerings and details.
Provider Education
Like every U-M healthcare program, this initiative is true to our three-part mission: excellence in patient care, provider education and research.
Courses about the interplay between nutrition, medicine and patient care are planned for providers and University of Michigan students in numerous disciplines. Students in the U-M School of Public Health’s Nutritional Sciences Department will complete a Food Science course as they train to become Registered Dietitians (RD) in the MPH Dietetics program.