What’s for dinner? It’s a question we ask ourselves almost every day.
Thinking about what to eat and shopping for the ingredients can be hard. When you add in a lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables, actually cooking a healthy meal might seem impossible.
The Lancaster Teaching Kitchen is an initiative that hopes to change that.
“We’re starting a research study, and through that, we’re doing weekly food demonstrations throughout the year that incorporate different foods from the Mediterranean diet,” said Autumn Dye, DO, assistant professor, family medicine.
“Our clinic is in a food desert, so part of this is getting people excited about using vegetables and becoming a starting point for change in how people cook.”
Through the demonstrations, patients at the PCOM Lancaster Avenue Division Healthcare Center will learn easy-to-make recipes using grains and green vegetables. This will help foster a deeper understanding of the benefits of including these items in their daily diets.
Dye, alongside Kristen Berry, DO, assistant professor, family medicine, and Farzaneh Daghigh, PhD, professor, bio-medical sciences, came up with the idea to promote positive and sustainable
change within the community.
“Our hope is that our patients will learn about healthy foods they may not otherwise be exposed to and how to prepare them so that they’re tasty,” said Berry.
The Lancaster Teaching Kitchen will show patients how to substitute out an unhealthy side or snack with one that’s better for their long-term health. This will help many patients, including those with illnesses that can be greatly improved with lifestyle modifications.
“Food is indeed a form of medicine in our daily lives,” said Daghigh.
“The aim is to create a comfortable and inviting space for these communities to explore, experiment, and integrate nutritious elements into their everyday routines. We hope to not only inform but transform, addressing health disparities and promoting a healthier lifestyle within underserved communities.”
For the past 125 years, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
Liandra Larsen
Public Relations Manager
Email: liandrala@pcom.edu
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