UTHealth Houston’s Nourish Culinary Medicine Program Opens Enrollment for Lifestyle Cooking Program Aimed at People with Metabolic Disease Risk
An innovative program for people at risk for chronic illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is open for enrollment at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. The program includes free cooking classes, along with nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness education.
The 12-month Teaching Kitchen Multisite Trial is open to employees of Texas Medical Center institutions and combines evidence-based nutrition education with culinary learning to support behavior change. The study will assess the feasibility of the novel teaching kitchen program on health outcomes and well-being.
Participants will attend 16 weekly classes, followed by eight monthly classes, during the year-long study. Classes include hands-on cooking lessons as well as information about physical activity and mindfulness. The first two classes will be in person at the School of Public Health’s Nourish teaching kitchen, and the rest will be virtual. All ingredients for the cooking classes will be provided at no cost and available for pickup each week. The study investigators are looking for people with prediabetes, high cholesterol or blood lipid levels, or fatty liver disease/abnormal liver labs. People with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes are not eligible. Participants cannot already be on medications for high cholesterol, diabetes, or weight loss.
The study will have two cohorts of 40, each with 20 people in the intervention group and 20 in the control group. Participants in the control group will have access to video recordings of the class content after the study.
Nourish, a nutrition education hub established by the School of Public Health’s Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living is one of four national sites of this multi-site trial.
To check eligibility for the study, complete a pre-screener by clicking on “UTHealth Houston.” For questions or more information, email nourish.tkmt@uth.tmc.edu.