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Culinary Medicine

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Culinary Medicine Participates in the Be a Part of the Cure Walk 

three people pose at the Culinary Medicine booth on the field at War Memorial Stadium

War Memorial Stadium was bustling with activity early on Saturday morning, May 6, 2023. Excited participants were gearing up for a fun-fueled day at the Be a Part of the Cure Walk hosted by the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. The Walk is all about fundraising for cancer research and building community awareness about cancer prevention. So naturally, we wanted to be part of it.

The Culinary Medicine booth was one of many vendors set up on the stadium lawn. The booth was complete with literature for handout purposes on a variety of topics including everything from our virtual teaching kitchens to what a nutrient-dense meal looks like on a plate. We tried to express the importance of a nutritious diet when it comes to cancer prevention.

Culinary Medicine sign at the walk. The sign reads: “We AR Cooking for a better state of health. UAMS Culinary Medicine Program. Where “health meets food” curriculum is taught in the classroom, clinic, and community settings.
Sign and small containers holding peanut butter bite snacks sitting on the Culinary Medicine table

The team handed out delicious and nutritious peanut butter protein bites, and they were a huge hit! The tasty treats helped to lure in many interested community members. Three dietetic interns from UAMS joined the CM team to make the experience an even better one for the public. They answered questions and had informative conversations with people that stopped by the booth. The Walk had more than 1,000 participants this year, so there were a lot of conversations!

Awareness of the Culinary Medicine Program grew, and that was our mission. Suffice it to say, we will be back next year.

Want to try out those peanut butter protein bites? Check out: https://chefsavvy.com/5-ingredient-peanut-butter-energy-bites/

Culinary Medicine Visits the UAMS Health Women’s Center

two women standing behind a cooking demonstration table

The Culinary Medicine Team had the recent opportunity to visit the UAMS Women’s Center to bring a teaching kitchen experience to the public. We were able to share helpful nutritional information with the community in an intimate setting. The goal was to focus specifically on women’s health both during pregnancy and throughout life. 

The visit consisted of a cooking demonstration, an educational talk, a question-and-answer session, amazing recipes, and free food. These activities were led by our own Melissa Fenton, a registered dietitian with the Culinary Medicine department, and assisted by Tess Bentley, our resident Americorps VISTA member. They worked together to create two nutrient dense dishes all while explaining the benefits of every ingredient.

Close up of a salad plate with massaged kale, strawberries, and feta cheese

The first course of the demonstration was a massaged kale, feta, and strawberry salad. Kale is an excellent source of necessary nutrients and has all kinds of health benefits. In addition to kale, the salad provided a fermented ingredient, feta cheese. Fermented foods also have all kinds of benefits, and one of those is that they are anti-inflammatory. Chronic inflammation can lead to some serious health risks including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. That is why having a long-term diet that includes anti-inflammatories is key. 

close up of a lemongrass noodle bowl

The main course featured an aromatic lemongrass noodle bowl with the choice of either chicken or tofu. While Melissa prepared the dish on a portable induction burner, she shared the importance of eating enough protein with each meal. The recommended daily amount of protein is 30g for each meal (on a three meal-a-day basis). Proteins are considered the building blocks of life; all human cells contain them. Getting enough protein daily ensures that all parts of the body are functioning properly.

The attendees were encouraged to dine and give feedback about the meal. Everybody had different tastes, and it was fun to discuss and celebrate that fact. The women that attended this event were enthusiastic and contributed to an important conversation we will continue to have with community members in the future.

Culinary Medicine Participates in Community Health Fair

Group of students and faculty posing with Chronic Kidney Disease Awareness display

On March 11, 2023, UAMS Culinary Medicine participated in a community health fair hosted by Little Rock Chapter of Links, Inc and Longley Baptist Church. Healthcare professionals emphasized the need to increase awareness in Black communities about Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). A whopping 33% of dialysis patients are African American! This percentage is huge considering that African Americans account for only 13% of the general population.

Dr. Richard-Davis speaking at community event

The health fair was a full day of educational information focused on living a healthy lifestyle, how to manage high blood pressure, and how to eat nutritiously. Culinary Medicine’s Dr. Richard-Davis gave a talk on the implementation of culinary medicine into one’s lifestyle and the many health benefits that result. She specifically talked about how the use of culinary medicine can prevent certain conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. Other healthcare professionals also touched on the importance of early detection when it comes to Chronic Kidney Disease. They provided ideas about how to reduce daily stress that contributes to CKD, along with how to prevent certain conditions that lead to CKD (picture below).

The event was a huge success, and made possible by The Black Kidney Awareness Education and Research (Black KARE) Grant from Baxter Pharmaceutical through the Central Area Links, Inc.

Sign at Health Fair
group of people holding signs
UAMS Culinary Medicine dietitian Melissa Fenton, assisted by a SNPhA student, answered questions from attendees on healthy eating and food preparation.
two people sitting at the Links table
two people standing with bags of food
Fresh Produce from a local farmer, Carpenter’s Farm, was distributed by volunteers to all attendees and families.

Food as Medicine: How to Not Die from the Standard American Diet (SAD)

Dr. Richard-Davis presented at the annual National Medical Association Meeting on July 31, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia on “Culinary Medicine: Paving the Way to Health Through Your Fork” or “How to Not Die from Eating the Standard American Diet (SAD).” Learn how to eat for your health through nutrition.

Knife Skills: Mis en Place

“Mis en place” is a French term for “everything in its place.” Learn how to efficiently organize your workspace before you begin cooking. Plus, perfect your knife skills with these helpful tips and tricks.

Lunch and Learn

Dr. Richard-Davis and Alyssa Frisby presented “Food: The Best Medicine” on the Healthy Arkansas Lunch and Learn series.

Cancer Prevention Webinar and Workshop

Image from webinar of Julie Lanford in a kitchen

Julie Lanford MPH, RD, CSO, LDN, is the Wellness Director for Cancer Services, a non-profit in Winston-Salem, NC. She is a registered dietitian, licensed nutritionist and board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition with 15 years experience working in oncology.

Lanford developed www.CancerDietitian.com, a healthy living web site for Cancer Services that translates evidence-based nutrition guidelines into consumer-friendly messages for everyday life. The site reaches thousands of people across the country who are interested in cancer nutrition and the most current topics on healthy lifestyle in our culture.

faculty members working in the kitchen

On September 11, 2021, Julie presented to participants of our cancer prevention and nutrition/culinary medicine via Zoom from North Carolina. This was followed by a fun experience of team cooking in the kitchen. The day ended with eating the delicious dishes that were made in a family style environment. The conversation flowed as we enjoyed an engaging, intellectual and educational discussion about cancer prevention quality in foods, like phytonutrients, and how we can improve overall quality of life with a plant slant (Mediterranean diet).

Watch the recording of the UAMS Cancer Prevention webinar

Sponsored by grant funding from the American Cancer Society & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Group of people posing in the kitchen
Culinary Medicine faculty talking in the kitchen

Well Fed Event in Little Rock

instructor teaching in a demonstration kitchen

Well Fed, a 501c3 non-profit, has adapted their mobile unit to provide food to underserved communities in Little Rock, most recently at Buffington Towers. This is a HUD retirement home in the middle of a food desert in downtown Little Rock. Well Fed’s director, Joshua Harris, provided an array of fresh and canned fruits and vegetables, dairy products, bread and grains. Margaret Pauly, the Culinary Nutritionist from UAMS’ Culinary Medicine Program provided cooking demos and food tastings using the same ingredients the residents were receiving that day. It was very interactive where the residents called out suggestions and comments. They were surprised by the healthy items they could easily make by combining some of the items such as a vegetable soup with canned chicken added to it, a Mexican rice bowl with beans and chicken, easy stove top pizza and even stovetop roasted Brussel sprouts.

Handouts were available with information on diabetes and hypertension in both English and Spanish. The residents voiced approval of the recipes and want to participate in more demos.

Black/African American Community Cooking

Cook with us as we explore a traditional, southern-style New Orleans Red Beans and Rice recipe with Dr. Richard-Davis.