title: Credentialed Chefs as Certified Wellness Coaches: Call for Action.
abstract: Beneficial relationships exist between food preparation skills and improved dietary quality, and between times spent preparing food and mortality. Food shopping, meal planning, preparation and cooking skills are valuable in supporting good health. Thus experts are proposing nutritional counseling be expanded to include these beneficial behavioral skills. Educational programs delivered by chefs have recently emerged as a way to improve engagement with nutritional guidelines. It is reasonable to assume that a chef with behavior change knowledge and skills, such as coaching, may be more effective in facilitating behavior change. We encourage chefs who wish to be involved in promoting health-related behavior change to consider continuing education in coaching knowledge and skills. We also recommend culinary schools to consider offering these courses, to aspiring chefs. Such programming will not only benefit future clients but also offers a career- enriching professional opportunity to chefs. Credentialed chefs can make a positive health impact and should be included as professionals who are eligible for the impending national certification of health and wellness coaches.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA. Electronic address: Rani.polak@joslin.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Rani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Polak
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY. Electronic address: sforzo@ithaca.edu.
authors.forename: Gary A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Sforzo
authors.affiliation: Working Together for Health, Belmont, MA. Electronic address: Diana@WorkingTogetherForHealth.com.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dill
authors.affiliation: Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA. Electronic address: Edward.Phillips@joslin.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Edward M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Wellcoaches Corp, Wellesley, MA, and Institute of Coaching, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School affiliate, Belmont, MA. Electronic address: Margaret@Wellcoaches.com.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D003296:Cooking; D003376:Counseling; D003406:Credentialing; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D014481:United States
keywords: Chef; Coaching; Cooking; Lifestyle; Nutrition