USA Health to host forum on healthy eating habits

USA Health is hosting an open community forum so people in the area can learn from one of the nation’s leaders in culinary medicine how a change in eating habits can impact their health for the better while providing delicious and nutritious alternatives to a high-fat diet. The forum is April 14 in the MacQueen Alumni Center Ballroom on the University of South Alabama campus. The doors open at 5 p.m., and the discussion begins at 5:30 p.m. This event is free to the public.

John Wesley McWhorter, DrPH, is an assistant professor in health promotion and behavioral sciences and director of culinary nutrition for the Nourish Program at the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at The University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health. He is appointed as a faculty member at McGovern Medical School, serves as a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and is an advisory council member for the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative.

“This is such a great opportunity for people in our area to hear how what we eat impacts our health conditions and how changing our eating habits can make us feel better and help prevent and/or reduce the impact of chronic health conditions,” said Margaret Sullivan, vice president for development and alumni affairs at the University of South Alabama. “Unfortunately, Alabama ranks high in too many chronic diseases that are impacted by our diets. Dr. McWhorter’s workshop is a perfect way to further advance USA Health’s culinary medicine initiatives.”

In addition to McWhorter’s open forum, he will be conducting grand rounds within USA Health and providing a teaching cooking demonstration to medical students and nursing students. USA Health, through Dr. Robert Israel’s leadership, the College of Medicine, the College of Nursing and the Mitchell Cancer Institute, is committed to utilizing culinary medicine to empower healthier lifestyles and reshape the course of chronic disease in south Alabama.

“With Dr. McWhorter’s visit, we have the opportunity to impact so many people – some immediately through the open forum and even more in the future by teaching future healthcare providers how to incorporate this valuable information into their practices,” said Robert Israel, M.D., the head of the USA Health Integrative Health and Wellness Program.

USA Health is part of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC), a global network of 35 institutions committed to teaching kitchens to change lives for the better through food. The TKC is an invitational network of thought leading organizations using teaching kitchen facilities and concepts as catalysts for enhanced personal and public health across medical, corporate, school and community settings.

A professional chef and registered dietitian, McWhorter focuses on interprofessional nutrition education through hands-on culinary medicine courses. He also is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, cookbook author, media spokesperson, and an avid podcaster. His research interests include food as medicine, teaching kitchens, culinary medicine, food prescriptions, and closing the divide between culinary literacy and nutrition education and policy.

McWhorter is a native of Fairhope, Ala., and graduated from Florida Culinary Institute, earned a bachelor's degree in dietetics from Kansas State University, a master's degree in nutrition and metabolism from the University of Texas Medical Branch, and a doctorate in health promotion and behavioral science from UTHealth School of Public Health.