Nephrologists more likely to recommend plant-based diet after attending a cooking class
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Key takeaways:
- Attendees were more likely to recommend plant-based cooking after the demonstration.
- Attendees suggested the demonstration include a cost analysis of recipe ingredients.
AUSTIN, Texas — A plant-based cooking demonstration was feasible and well-received by nephrologists, advanced practice providers and fellows, according to a presenter at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings.
“Given the new [Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative] guidelines on diet, our goal was to create a cooking class for patients with kidney disease to teach them how to prepare a healthy plant-based renal diet. Although medical nutrition therapy through a registered dietitian is available for chronic kidney disease patients, it does not teach patients practical aspects of how to cook a delicious renal plant-based diet,” Sophia Knoell, MD, from the University of Pittsburgh, told Healio.
Additionally, Knoell said the greatest barrier to getting a physician behind plant-based diets can be “lack of knowledge of the diet itself, as well as perceived barriers to a diet high in ‘whole foods’ such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, bean [and] legumes, which traditionally have moderate-high potassium [and] phosphorus content.”
Therefore, using a menu designed by a vegan chef and a registered dietitian for patients with CKD, researchers conducted a 3-hour program to educate attendees about plant-based eating with CKD considerations, cooking the recipes and what the recipes contain.
“A traditional CKD-diet includes a broad list of foods patients should avoid,” Knoell said. “The class was implemented to show that, with a plant-based approach to the renal-diet, there are ways to change [or] substitute meals to meet the needs of our patients and provide health benefits traditionally associated with this diet without having to sacrifice foods they may like.”
Attendees included 11 nephrologists, four advanced practice providers and six fellows. Following the program, attendees participated in an open forum discussion and a survey.
Results revealed providers had positive impressions of the program and would recommend the cooking demonstration to both physicians and patients. Additionally, attendees suggested providing cost analyses of recipes, offering alternative time and/or cost-saving ingredient substitutions, involving attendees in the food preparation and offering a more detailed series of classes.
Prior to the demonstration, 22.2% of attendees said they would always recommend a plant-based diet. Afterward, that percentage rose to 37.5%, and all attendees said they would at least sometimes recommend the diet.
“We are excited to start offering these to our patients in the Pittsburgh area,” Knoell told Healio. “With support from the American Heart Association, our first class is scheduled for May. These are not just demonstrations, but participants cook the food together. This hands-on class will teach patients cooking and knife skills and teach them to prepare plant-based renal recipes created by our chef Barb Kleyman and dietitian Susan Devaraj. We hope to expand this program in the future.”
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Devaraj S. et al. Poster 393. Presented at: National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings; April 11-15, 2023; Austin, Texas.
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