Oryana Community Co-op Kitchen: Local Vegetables, Worlds of Flavor
This 90-minute kitchen session will educate physicians and other health care providers about the bounty of vegetables grown in our state and ways to utilize our local food system to support patient access to these ingredients for optimal diets. Making half of our plates plants will be a flavorful joy! We allow time to cook with local foods while learning basic culinary techniques including knife skills, traditional mise en place, chopping and cutting techniques. Discussion will include simple solutions for keeping and maintaining a well-stocked pantry, and tips for patient engagement. Participants will cook local food–based recipes for quick and healthy meals that align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the ChooseMyPlate.gov graphic—the guiding principles for healthful diets and disease management.

Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars Kitchen: Local and Ancient Grain Techniques
This 90-minute kitchen session will educate physicians and other health care providers about ancient and whole grains, including some grown in Michigan. Participants will cook and taste grains—how many can you name? Whole grains are the cornerstone of the DASH Diet and deserve more attention in our kitchens. In addition, whole grains and fermentable carbohydrates are key to promoting digestive health by feeding our gut mirco-biome. They are a great way to increase plant-based proteins and daily dietary fiber intakes. What’s not to love? Whole grains can be a challenge for our patients to cook, and sometimes accept, into the diet. We will discuss selecting the right grain for the recipe, review pre-cooking preparations that some grains require (to rinse or not to rinse?) and storage options and uses for leftovers. Recipes in the session will help us practice cooking techniques to enhance texture and flavor acceptance for a successful meal outcome.

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Cherry Capital Foods Kitchen: Sustainable Proteins on a Budget
How much animal protein is enough for optimal health, how much is too much? This 90-minute kitchen session will highlight how we can use sustainable proteins, including legumes, as a complement to a fuller portion of plant-based ingredients on the menu. We will be blending the flavors of lake fish and pastured local chicken into recipes and learn to stretch the dollar value of a main dish protein in meals that are healthy, easy to prepare and flavorful. Discussion topics during this kitchen session will include portion sizes, ways to “flip-protein” to ensure a better plate balance for health, assessing when increasing protein above the 0.8g/kg daily recommended intake may be warranted, as well as weekly targets for red meats, poultry and fish.

Culinary Nutrition Research Briefing
This briefing will outline the key food and nutrition research discussed in the kitchen session workshops. The research review includes the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, EAT-Lancet Commission, and key nutrition concepts for the general population and for patients in chronic disease management. A focus will be plant-forward eating for liver health. Session leaders will also review popular and fad dieting, from intermittent fasting to paleo, and they will offer a refresher on using motivational interviewing to meet your patients on their own path to personal health and wellness.