This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Joshua Neal about healthy home cooking, customized for individuals with chronic conditions. Dr. Neal is an obesity medicine physician and Chief of Health, Wellness and Human Performance at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Home cooking lets you customize your meals for your health, making it a powerful tool to help manage chronic conditions. Doctor Joshua Neal is here to talk about the details. Doctor Neal is an obesity medicine physician and Chief of Health, Wellness and Human Performance at MUSC. Doctor Neal, why is home cooking important for good health?
Dr. Neal: Home cooking gives people the control over what goes into their food. We tend to choose healthier options when we do it ourselves, healthier ingredients, more vegetables, and better portions for our own hunger levels. If you're cooking at home, you're already ahead of everyone else. What we grab out is oftentimes ultra processed, has extra sodium. Most of the sodium that we do get doesn't come from the salt shaker. It comes from packaged or restaurant foods. And so just by eating at home, you're already benefiting from less sodium and less processing.
Conner: How is home cooking helpful for individuals in managing chronic conditions that they might have.
Dr. Neal: Chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, joint pain, or weight often respond to what's on the plate. That's not in place of medicine, but the nutritious things that you eat at home can really support what we're able to do with medications.
Conner: Tell us about the MUSC Health and Wellness Culinary Medicine classes that you've organized to help people learn to cook meals tailored to some of these specific health conditions.
Dr. Neal: The Culinary Medicine classes combine the medical aspects of nutrition with hands-on cooking instruction. We meet weekly in four week blocks looking at a particular dietary style like anti-inflammatory cooking, cooking for gut health or heart health, and cooking for healthy aging. The classes are conducted by a physician like myself and a professional chef.
Conner: And what's the focus of some of these cooking classes for specific health conditions.
Dr. Neal: Something like our anti-inflammatory cooking class would focus on fresh whole ingredients, while minimizing ultra processed foods. This might be appropriate for somebody who has autoimmune conditions or rheumatological conditions. Cooking for gut health classes might focus on gentle introduction of more fiber to support somebody's gut microbiome. Heart healthy cooking classes, maybe a sodium reduction or healthy fats. And, aging well population or cooking class might focus on additional protein at every meal and cooking for 1 to 2 people rather than a family of five.
Conner: And Doctor Neal, what can you say to someone who really just doesn't feel that comfortable or maybe that skilled at cooking, but they like the concept of cooking healthy meals at home?
Dr. Neal: Anyone can learn to cook. Cooking is a skill, not a talent. And if you learn the techniques, you can look up almost any recipe now. Even modest improvements in cooking skills can lead to improvements in health, but also will save you time and money.
Conner: Doctor Neal, thanks for talking with us about customized home cooking.
Dr. Neal: Thank you Bobbi.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
