Intro: Duly Noted, a health and care podcast, is the official podcast series of Duly Health and Care. Each podcast features physicians or team members discussing groundbreaking topics and innovations that help listeners reimagine and better understand an extraordinary health and care experience.

Amanda Wilde (Host): Some foods can trigger strong reactions like allergies and inflammation, while other foods contain powerful medicinal and protective qualities. Duly Health and Care's Culinary Medicine Program highlights food as an integral part of remedy and healing as patients learn from Board Certified Culinary Medicine Physicians, licensed Dieticians, and seasoned Chefs. We'll explore food as medicine and the Culinary Medicine Program with Dr. David Dungan, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Culinary Medicine Physician, who also serves on the Clinical Board of Duly Health and Care.

And joining us for this discussion are two patients who have gone through the Duly Culinary Medicine Program, Janet Green and Chrissy Filskov. We'll hear about their personal experience as well on this episode of Duly Noted, a health and care podcast. I'm Amanda Wilde. Welcome to you all. Dr. Dungan, what piqued your interest in culinary medicine and what do you believe it can offer patients?

David Dungan, MD: Thank you for having us, Amanda. What really piqued my interest in culinary medicine was really evolution over decades of patient care as an internist and pediatrician. I serve in a primary care role in the trenches, so to speak, seeing a patient when they come in with all sorts of concerns and questions.

And what we noticed as a team, as well as myself personally, is when patients made impactful changes in how they ate and what choices they made for the foods that they ate; the health outcomes were just nothing short of spectacular. And so seeing that consistently over time, and then also recognizing the increasing burden of costs of pharmaceutical medications that have a significant risk or side effects, as well as the need to have better outcomes, and better living for patients; I felt there had to be a different way to do this. So in a way, this sounds disruptive in medicine, but it really isn't.

It's really getting back to our basic roots. Many of our historical and ancient cultures use food often to treat different maladies and diseases. And we're really now discovering the science of how all these food and food properties make a difference in our health. So that led me to create this vehicle and understand how can we get this to patients and do it in a way that's fun, instructive, and to give them the skills and confidence to have success.

Host: Well, considering the diverse backgrounds and preferences of program participants, how does the curriculum of the program cater to individual needs and preferences? Because you do ensure a personalized approach and you want it to be sustainable.

David Dungan, MD: I think in today's high diversity, multicultural environment that everybody lives in, you need to have the differences and appreciations for preferences, historical preferences, cuisines, ethnicity. I think our program helps address that, is we take the basic concept of what's called the Mediterranean diet.

The Mediterranean diet is not just Italian food and Greek food. Lots of people, mistakenly think that's the case. This came about from initially, of people living in the Mediterranean Region to understand what things for those patients and those persons, led them to better health in that area.

And then that's what formed the core principle of the Mediterranean diet. But you can apply the concept to any cuisine. All of our basic cuisines across the world are focused on plants in terms of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, seafood, and whole grains. And that's the really crux of this. And so it can be applied to any regional and national or ethnic cuisine, to meet the patient's personal preferences and needs and family choices.

Host: So I just asked about how you individualize the program, but I'm also wondering if community among the participants is an element of the program as well.

David Dungan, MD: I think it's been really fun to see that develop. I think Chrissy and Janet can speak to this when they talk a little bit later, as well. But I think it's been really fun to see patients support each other, to see them share ideas, to share things that maybe they've tried that worked for them that didn't work for something else.

And even through the course of the class, that they're free to ask questions. We go around, also during the food preparation to help them not only instruct on how to do the food preparation, but also to talk about how the different things they might be making, may be helping for their particular health need, in terms of that.

So it's been really gratifying, enjoyable, especially from going from class one, and then to the final class of class six to see how everybody really begins to band together and to really support each other on everybody's journeys. And most of us are pretty sad when that sixth class is finished. And so the nice thing is that the program is structured to still have those ways for the patients to get back together as we continue some group nutrition classes, at one, three, six, and nine months after the cooking hands on portion is completed.

Host: You mentioned how transformational this approach can be. Does a success story come to mind that you can share?

David Dungan, MD: There have been many through the course of our patient activity over the last year, but a couple that really stand out are some of my patients with diabetes that have had dramatic improvement of their, what's called their A1c, which is a measurement of their blood sugar average over three months. And it's a roughly a three month course and have patients relate about how they've had significant improvement of those or just how their weight is all of a sudden starting to improve or drop or the cholesterol numbers came down or their physician was all excited about how things had changed and improved and we don't do anything else for the patient other than just teaching them the process of how to eat healthy and cook healthy.

We don't adjust any medicines. They follow whatever recommendations come from their own doctors. So, this is just kind of an add on to their usual care, and it really gets great results.

Host: Well, speaking of patients who have gone through the program, we have two here, Janet Green and Chrissy Filskov. I have some questions for you both. Starting with you, Janet, what did inspire your decision to join the Duly Health and Care Culinary Medicine Program?

Janet Green: Well, thanks for the question. Um, first of all, my husband, he went to his primary care physician and, um, she had suggested this program. Well, my husband and I'm like, how did the doctor's visit go? He's like, well, they've they've suggested a culinary medicine class. I'm like, what is that? And it to me and I thought it was a And, um, So we actually did the class So that's really where we started at.

Host: And Chrissy, what were your particular challenges with food habits and health conditions?

Chrissy Filskov: Well, thank you. I had some challenges. I had triple bypass in 2019. I'm only 50. I was 49 at the time. And I had been dying for a class like this. I have diabetes, and really high triglycerides. And I was having a hard time getting my weight down under 200 because really couldn't do too much, so I was looking for a class.

I know how to cook, but I didn't know how to incorporate different types of foods from other backgrounds. Like, I'm Italian, so I was always cooking Italian food, but I needed something more to get my triglycerides down, to get my diabetes down, to really learn to incorporate other things that I could make for myself, aside from my family, because they're all rails, you know, skinny tiny little things, and here's me trying to cook food that would benefit myself.

As Dr. Dungan said, this really opened my eyes. I not only lost weight, I went down, almost, let's see, 65 pounds. I brought my A1C down from, 7 to 5.2. I brought my triglycerides down from at I think they were 200 to 105. This program helped me so, so much. Now, I don't know if this happened with everybody, but it really worked for me because I was able to learn different cultures and different foods that I could make. You don't know if to go to the store and make a recipe with the price of food right now that what you could make and not go home and throw it out. With this class, we made stuff in the class. So you were able to test different things and try different things and open your eyes and go, wow, I like this.

I can go home and make this. And you were able to go home, make it, freeze it, keep it. And it was just amazing.

Host: I'm really glad you talked about what you anticipated from the class and then what you actually got from the class and it sounds like you've been able to integrate that into your daily cooking routine. Is that right?

Chrissy Filskov: Yes, love it. I make stuff, I mean, I make stuff and let my kids try it, but they don't eat vegetables, they're in their 20s, so they eat their own way. But, my husband is also diabetic, so I do make stuff that he will eat, some stuff he won't, but I also talk to other people about this class, and they share recipes with me, and you never know who you're going to share a recipe with that may have something that you can also enjoy. I have friends that are Indian and they share their Indian recipes with me. I go home and I make them and they're fantastic, but I would have never thought to go home and try them until I had this class.

Host: Yeah, and sometimes those kinds of recipes sound, like they're not going to be easy, but they really are. It's just we don't have experience with certain cuisines. Yeah.

Janet, did you also have some unexpected learning from the program, and did it meet what you anticipated the program to be?

Janet Green: I would have to say that, I did learn a lot from the class. I was very happy when I was given different kinds of things to make. My husband and I have done so much with the cooking, and actually, I have lost 30 pounds, from the class. It's just been amazing. I would have to say that the instructors who were there, especially Dr. Dungan, I am disabled, so I have to say he was wonderful. He would get me food and give me a chair to sit on and he was just so wonderful. We did see a nutritionist there. She was absolutely, helpful. Any questions we had, we could go to her.

Host: The support really makes a huge difference. In the follow up appointments with the registered dietitian that Dr. Dungan mentioned, you have them at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Do you each have specific goals that you aim to achieve at those marks? And do you expect those sessions to help you do that?

Janet Green: Yeah, I would believe those sessions would help, but at this time I have not decided to go to the dietitian. My husband did say he received the paperwork, but I have yet to see it. So, I will follow up and talk to the nutritionist about any other things that I need. Especially losing weight, my A1C, a lot of that has gone down. My primary care physician is so excited. Excellent. She puts all over my blood work and everything. So I'm very, very happy.

Host: And the program's made some really significant changes for you. It sounds like it was life changing for both of you.

Janet Green: It was, I was so excited to go and the first day that we went, I could not believe how wonderful the people were, working in class and cooking and, trying different foods, coming home and trying foods. What a highlight, was for me is, we had gone to Wisconsin and, we cooked vegetarian spaghetti, for my whole family, my husband's family and my family, and they absolutely loved it.

So I mean, the little things like that, it's so exciting to cook, like what we did, but Bill and I, my husband, we work together to make meals, and we never did that before, so it's very exciting. But yes, I will make an appointment to see that nutritionist.

Host: So lots of benefits, aside from just menu items, right? And we were talking a little bit about support and just want to kind of end on that note. Chrissy, do you have anything to add as far as support you found by going through the program with other participants?

Chrissy Filskov: Oh yeah, definitely. I got into the program through my dietician, Mary, and we had been talking about it and I had been to a lot of different dieticians between my husband and I, and Mary was really great because before the program had been announced to me, she had worked with me and worked with foods that I liked.

So it was really nice because she built my menu around it. Then when I went to the class, the classes we're really geared towards making sure, like, I was allergic to mushrooms, so they made sure that they made a meal that didn't include mushrooms. And I know another girl didn't like, something else or was allergic to something else.

So the classes really benefited to anybody who couldn't eat a certain thing. They made sure you could still try everything. You could still eat everything. And then there's a website that you can go to and see different recipes. I still go on there, I make recipes, I try everything. I have gone to the follow up classes and met with everybody.

I think they're wonderful. We sit, we talk, we discuss new recipes. We still talk about, keeping in balance with what we had learned in the classes. Like Janet said, the support in doing the classes, the chef, he was wonderful. He taught us safety.

He taught us how to cut things, how to make sure that we were safe while we were cooking. And I think all of those things are very valuable tools for everybody to learn. I know how to cook, I do things like that, but I know a lot of people that were in the class with me did not know how to cook.

And by the end of the classes, I know a lot of them had a lot of confidence that they felt that they could take on cooking a meal and feeling better about doing it. And I thought that was a great confidence builder for many people who had never had that confidence. And I just want to say thank you to whoever put this class together and decided to do this. I think this was so wonderful and I'm so happy I was able to be a part of it.

Host: Dr. Dungan, it must be so affirming to hear this feedback from patients.

David Dungan, MD: It's been wonderful, and Janet and Chrissy's experiences and stories that are not unique. I think we've had multiple couples. We've had multiple patients, throughout the course of the programs that have really, had outcomes and experiences, very similar to that. And it's really so fun to see people, how they gain confidence in tasting.

And then what I love is, and then they share it. They share it with those who love. I mean, food goes back to our basic community, right? Being around the table together with your family, your friends, those that you care about and then sharing that love through health and through healthy eating is the ultimate gift to each other.

And so, I think also during this time of year where we think about giving and and love and supporting each other through the holidays; what a better time to focus on those aspects of the program. I mean, the data is great. The clinical things are great. you. know, that's for the geeky doctors like me.

But I think the humanistic approaches that we provide as well. The old phrase that you can't just tell a man to go fish, you have to teach him how to fish; that's what we're doing here. We're not just telling patients to go eat healthy because that's what most doctors do but most doctors like myself never had any training on how to teach to do this.

And so, with the culinary medicine certification, I have that ability and that confidence to help teach patients to take that next step. and, and I'm just so excited for Chrissy and Janet and Janet's husband, for their success and their positive changes they've made and for their health. And that's what it's all about.

Host: Well, Dr. Dungan, thank you. Thank you Janet. Thank you, Chrissy, all of you for being here today and for this enlightening look at Food As Medicine to support lasting changes in eating habits and to support long-term health.

Chrissy Filskov: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

David Dungan, MD: Thank you, Amanda. Thanks. Thanks Chrissy. Thanks Janet.

Host: For more information, visit DulyHealthAndCare.com, and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our full podcast library for additional topics of interest. This is Duly Noted, a health and care podcast from Duly Health Care.