Culinary Nutritionist Opportunities in a Health-Conscious World
By Kristen Rohrer (Culinary Institute of Virginia Nutrition/Arts & Sciences Faculty)
Picture a culinary professional who can whip up deliciously decadent healthy marvels in the kitchen, but can also provide food as individualized support for a population hungry for healthy options. This is the description of a culinary nutritionist. They thrive in a kitchen setting, just like a professional chef.
At the same time, they possess the knowledge and education from a nutritional perspective to deliver amazing foods that help address disease symptoms and promote prevention. The beauty of this fusion of the fields is that it provides expedited delivery of a chef's impeccable culinary knowledge combined with the specialized interventions of nutrition educators and dietitians.
They can both work together to help restore the health of a very sick nation. Blending culinary expertise with health and wellness helps expand the view of a culinary nutritionist as someone who’s work starts in the kitchen but then goes beyond and can even translate into community outreach opportunities, disease prevention programs, and can carry over into virtually any facility or establishment where food is served.
The Culinary Nutritionist in Disease Intervention
In the United States today and more than ever before, Americans are dying far too early from preventable diseases. According to the CDC, more than 12 million children ages 2 through 19 are considered obese. At the same time, nutrition is the single most important factor in ensuring that children grow up as healthy as possible.
This also reduces the risk of developing one of the top 10 chronic diseases that happens to claim the lives of thousands of people every day. With less than 1 in 10 people consuming the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables daily, the time for action is now and that’s where a culinary nutritionist can really excel.
Imagine having the power to take meal plans from paper and transform them to a healthy reality full of color, flavor, texture, deliciousness and most importantly, innumerable health benefits that can prevent chronic diseases but also help modulate current disease epidemics.
Welcome to a day in the life of a culinary nutritionist, who brings to the table stout and hands-on technical expertise from culinary training, but also provides principles of nutrition, disease awareness, and an in-depth knowledge of the foods that can best support a plethora of conditions. The best part is that all of this information is backed by the latest and greatest food science.
Real-world Knowledge Extending Well Beyond Graduation
One thing is very clear. We are in a current paradigm shift where people once mindlessly ate foods without question. Now, populations are actually asking questions about where the food comes from, leaving us more hungry for nutrition education.
An emerging population is beginning to ponder a number of topics like traceability, food processing, preservatives, artificial ingredients, and the literature supports the premise that eliminating these foods can help the body heal. Upon graduating, a culinary nutritionist should not only have the knowledge from cutting edge research in the field, but they should also be able to share these techniques in a hands-on way that can foster a nourishing experience for everyone involved.
This is powerful stuff that can completely change the dynamics of families, communities, and even cultures depending on the level of outreach. Knowledge alone won’t get the job done. However, pairing this knowledge with the culinary expertise that only a culinary nutritionist can deliver helps motivate people to make their own sustainable changes and take back their health with food.
Do you have a knack for inspiring others through health and wellness? Do you dream of pairing these skills with professional culinary techniques that will enable you to take a stand against the health problems we currently face?
If you want to help others with your culinary skills and knowledge of nutritional science, an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts and Applied Nutrition could be right for you. ECPI University’s Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this program at an accelerated rate. For more information, connect with a knowledgeable admissions counselor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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Gainful Employment Information – Culinary Nutrition - Associate’s
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