Preparing Registered Dietitian Nutritionists for Leadership in Culinary Medicine: Opportunities, Barriers, and Alternatives in Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Education and Training.

Abstract

The field of Culinary Medicine (CM) has gained significant traction in recent years through initiatives within and beyond the clinical setting. Leveraging their skills in nutrition education, nutrition research, and medical nutrition therapy, many registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) have found ways to contribute to CM initiatives despite the absence of consistent, formalized CM training requirements for RDNs. The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics defines 31 core knowledge and 50 core competency standards for the Didactic Program in Dietetics and Dietetic Internship, respectively. CM is not required in any of these 81 identified standards, and only a few programs have voluntarily incorporated CM competencies into their co-and extracurricular offerings. This commentary provides support for further research to quantify the degree of inclusion of CM training in the current education pathway for RDNs. The ever-changing landscape of the field of nutrition necessitates ingenuity and evolution in education to best prepare the next generation of RDN practitioners. Highlighting the applications of CM across disciplines and recognizing the creative ways RDNs have found to gain experience and expertise in CM beyond their requisite education, this commentary seeks to emphasize the need for and capacity of RDNs to contribute as leaders in CM.