Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why doctors-in-training need better nutritional education

Abeer Arain, MD, MPH
Education
January 27, 2019
Share
Tweet
Share

Obesity is a global epidemic, and its prevalence is increasing in every part of the world. While we have new medications and complex surgical techniques that promote weight loss, the awareness of healthy eating habits and dietary education are still the most important factors in helping control body weight.

Unfortunately, nutrition knowledge appears confined largely to books and exams; as the doctors barely engage in nutrition counseling with patients. In teaching hospitals, where residents work closely with patients, it is important that the residents develop a comprehensive knowledge of nutrition science and apply that knowledge to clinical practice. But they are under the misconception that nutrition counseling is not their role, it is rather the function of dieticians. Inadequate knowledge of nutrition or not feeling competent enough to address nutritional concerns is also commonly seen among health care providers.

However, this brings up an interesting point: Are physicians themselves (including residents) healthy enough to provide this counseling? Are they, in fact, the models of healthy living their patients believe them to be? It is a well-known fact that physicians’ attitudes and personal habits may have a significant impact on their practice of nutrition and lifestyle counseling. If the physicians are consuming a high-calorie diet, eating fast food, avoiding home cooked meals due to busy schedules (while having time to go out and eat) and simply unable to differentiate between real food and “food-like substances,” can they provide proper nutrition education to their patients?

As health care providers, we encounter patients almost every day who are paying the price of their poor eating habits. Acute conditions are treated in the inpatient setting, where abnormal lab values are fixed, and the patient is discharged with recommended follow-up with primary care. In the outpatient setting, the discharge notes are reviewed, medication refills provided, and referrals made. However, in most cases, other than questioning the restricted elements of a diet such as sodium or fluid intake, inquiry of the patient’s daily eating habits — availability of food, affordability of fresh produce, meal preparation at home versus consuming fast food — is largely overlooked by physicians. This is regretful because, as the literature supports, patients consider clinic physicians to be the credible source of nutrition and desire to discuss their dietary plans with their primary provider.

There is an urgent need for nutritional knowledge among young physicians-in-training and a more urgent need for physicians to promote healthy eating habits to their patients. Encouraging healthy eating choices among residents will, in turn, foster the importance of educating patients regarding lifestyle changes. Rather than going out and having pizza and drinks, residents can also have fun gathering at one place and prepare meals and enjoy doing it all together. Residency programs can have healthy meals during the noon conferences and lectures to promote healthy eating behaviors among the physicians-in-training.

Abeer Arain is an internal medicine resident.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Your patients are counting on you

January 27, 2019 Kevin 1
…
Next

Should residency programs review their applicants' social media history?

January 28, 2019 Kevin 21
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Obesity

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Your patients are counting on you
Next Post >
Should residency programs review their applicants' social media history?

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Abeer Arain, MD, MPH

  • Redefining what a hospital library should be

    Abeer Arain, MD, MPH
  • 5 tips for interns tackling a busy schedule

    Abeer Arain, MD, MPH
  • For residents unsure about their choice of specialty

    Abeer Arain, MD, MPH

Related Posts

  • Residency training, and training in residency

    Michelle Meyer, MD
  • It’s time to focus medical education on training the whole person

    Tracy Asamoah, MD
  • Why do doctors who hate being doctors still practice?

    Kristin Puhl, MD
  • We’re doctors. We signed the book.

    Jonathan Peters, MD
  • The vulnerability of abortion access and training

    Shereen Jeyakumar
  • Renewal is what we need during residency training

    Anonymous

More in Education

  • What it means to be a woman in medicine today

    Annie M. Trumbull
  • How Japan and the U.S. can collaborate for better health care

    Vikram Madireddy, MD, Masashi Hamada, MD, PhD, and Hibiki Yamazaki
  • The case for a standard pre-med major in U.S. universities

    Devin Behjatnia
  • From rejection to resilience: a doctor’s rise through the Caribbean route

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • The hidden cost of professionalism in medical training

    Hannah Wulk
  • The cost of ending shadowing in medical education

    Matthew Ryan, MD, PhD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
    • How AI, animals, and ecosystems reveal a new kind of intelligence

      Fateh Entabi, MD | Tech
    • Why kratom addiction is the next public health crisis

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Meds
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • The hidden moral injury behind value-based health care

      Jonathan Bushman, DO | Physician
    • When medicine surrenders to ideology

      Anonymous | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • When medicine surrenders to ideology

      Anonymous | Physician
    • How just culture can reduce burnout and boost health care staff retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why embracing imperfection makes you truly unforgettable

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Affordable postpartum hemorrhage solutions every OB/GYN should know

      Frank I. Jackson, DO | Conditions
    • Why kratom addiction is the next public health crisis

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Meds
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 6 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
    • How AI, animals, and ecosystems reveal a new kind of intelligence

      Fateh Entabi, MD | Tech
    • Why kratom addiction is the next public health crisis

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Meds
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • The hidden moral injury behind value-based health care

      Jonathan Bushman, DO | Physician
    • When medicine surrenders to ideology

      Anonymous | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • When medicine surrenders to ideology

      Anonymous | Physician
    • How just culture can reduce burnout and boost health care staff retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why embracing imperfection makes you truly unforgettable

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Affordable postpartum hemorrhage solutions every OB/GYN should know

      Frank I. Jackson, DO | Conditions
    • Why kratom addiction is the next public health crisis

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Meds
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Why doctors-in-training need better nutritional education
6 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...