Food for Thought: Culinary Medicine and Mental Health

09 May, 2022

Take a holistic approach to your wellbeing!

KAUST Health provides a nine-lecture series on using your kitchen pharmacy – foods, herbs, and supplements – to boost mental and physical health. By joining the lectures, you will enjoy improving mood, enhancing productivity and focus, and supporting good health and well-being all while applying concepts of the art and science of food

 

 

About the presenter

Dr. Leslie Korn is a renowned expert in integrative medicine. She has provided over 65,000 hours of integrating psychotherapy and somatic therapies with nutritional, culinary, and herbal medicine. She opened a free natural medicine clinic in the Mexican jungle, which she ran and funded for more than 25 years by training health professionals worldwide.

 

About the program 

Dr. Leslie will present this lecture series via Zoom every Wednesday starting on May 18 and until July 13. Each lecture is 45 minutes, with 25 minutes for Q&As

 

Attendees will get:

  • Certificate of Attendance signed by Dr. Leslie Korn
  • PDF book of self-care, recipes, and nutritional and herbal protocols, here
  • PDF version sent weekly of each lecture presentation

Attendance of a minimum of eight lectures is required to receive the certificate. 

 

Topics for each week

1. The principles of food, herbs, and spices for mental health

You will be introduced to the art and science of food preparation; raw and cooked foods, food as fuel, principles for choosing produce, and the importance of nutrients for mental and physical health. 

 

2- Connection between digestion and mental health 

Explore how mental health and digestion are impacted by how we chew and swallow, the stress we experience, and foods that affect our digestive tract and microbiome.  

 

3. Get some rest: foods that lead to better sleep - or insomnia 

Look at how different types of insomnia respond to other foods and herbs and learn about nutrients that aid deeper sleep. Learn about special sleep issues that occur at different life stages, children, adults, and elders.

 

4. In the flow: how to use foods to decrease stress levels and counter fatigue  

Learn how to use food to boost energy levels and mitochondrial functions. We will also explore the impact of viruses, the stress response (HPA) axis, and the wonders of stress-busting herbs and supplements.  

 

5. Nourish your way out of depression and anxiety 

Learn how inflammation, sugar, and other foods contribute to depression and anxiety, while other foods can significantly reduce them. These can be complemented by mood-boosting herbs in the kitchen. 

 

6. Fighting back: Food and our immune system  

Discuss foods that support the microbiome and its function as the second brain, how to help innate and adaptive immunity with foods, and identify additional methods for immunity. Additionally, you will survey protocols for virus prevention.  

 

7. Food and the female cycle: support for premenstrual syndrome 

Explore why sugar cravings play a role in PMS and how foods, herbs, and nutrients can improve or, in other cases, worsen PMS.  

 

8. Children's hyperactivity, attention, and food

Dietary, behavioral, and exercise-based tools for enhancing focus and attention and methods to eliminate risky medications

 

9. Strategies for succeeding with your good mood kitchen 

  As we close the series, we will review fundamental principles, strategies for overcoming personal and familial obstacles, and final Q+A.  

 

Registration:

For registration, please click here 

Program dates: May 18 to July 13

Days: Wednesdays of each week.

Time: 6 pm - 6:45 pm followed by Q&A: 6:45 pm - 7:10 pm

Schedule: please find the schedule for the program here

Zoom Webinar link here

 

Information and Program Material:

Cookbook Food for Thought: Culinary Medicine and Mental Health

For more information, please contact us at fatmah.hadadi@kaust.edu.sa

 

Kind regards,

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