Check out Chef Dr. Mike's Culinary Medicine TEDx Talk also exclusively featured on TED.com!
Check out this short video about Culinary Medicine from Chef Dr. Mike at The University of Montana.
Strictly speaking, in the academic sense, Culinary Medicine is defined as,
"The multidisciplinary application of evidence-based decision-making in the selection of ingredients and techniques used in preparing foodstuffs with the goal of achieving and maintaining health and wellness through an optimized food experience.”
In short and practical terms, it is about your relationship with the food you eat.
And the backstory to that relationship, the history of food, is the history of humankind.
A few hundred thousand years ago, our ancestors roamed the open plains of the Serengeti. Perils abounded, and sabertooth tigers lurked. It was a busy but dangerous world. A small tribe of primates, one of many scattered about, huddled together in the deep darkness of night. They had to. With no real fangs or claws and not being particularly fast, they had only their brains and each other to rely on for survival.
That night as the fire roared to keep the wolves at bay, one of them did something unexpected. They threw a rack of mastodon ribs on the BBQ. And in that moment, everything changed. From the sharing of that meal, song and story flowed. There under that deep velvet African sky, they were warmed and contented with fire, food, and fellowship. At that moment, a small band of social primates became something more. They became human.
Since that moment, our relationship with food has determined our health and wellness, governed our relationships with each other, defined cultures and civilizations, and charted our bond with the planet itself. Our food relationship is not new. It is, in fact, a foundation stone of Humanity.
But after nearly a century of divorcing ourselves from these connections, we find an evolution upon re-engagement. We come not with ignorant superstition, myth, or legend. Instead, we come armed with the knowledge of genetics and tradition, with insight into the microbiome and the micronutrient, with the power of environment and epigenetics. And with that, the ability to reweave the ancient threads into the modern cloak of healing connectedness that is Culinary Medicine.
Won’t you join us at The Healing Table™? It is a far richer feast than you could possibly imagine!
Won’t you join us at The Healing Table? It is a far richer feast than you could possibly imagine!
The IMBAS Foundation is a 501c3 NFP that is dedicated to increasing Culinary Medicine Literacy and Awareness for All. The IMBAS Foundation helps fund events like the National Culinary Medicine Symposium, as well as other regional and local educational events throughout the U.S. Please consider supporting our efforts with a donation (the donation may be considered charitable for tax purposes, please consult your tax advisor for a final determination). Thank you!
As a recognized stakeholder in The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, The IMBAS Foundation was delighted to help sponsor a free educational webinar examining The Role of Culinary Medicine in Children's Health. Watch more here.
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