The EAT project has developed and successfully implemented an international elective course for first- and second-year medical students. In 28 teaching units over two weeks, students are intensively prepared for their future role as multipliers in climate-sensitive, health-promoting nutritional counseling. The innovative curriculum is based on the Planetary Health Diet of the EAT-Lancet Commission and combines medical, nutritional, and ecological perspectives.
In the elective course EAT, our students were able to learn from the following formats:
- Binational, interactive online seminars on the Planetary Health Diet and motivational interviewing
- Show kitchen units where they cook patient-friendly recipes in line with the Planetary Health Diet
- eLearning on the Planetary Health Diet
- eLearning and exercises with Chat-GPT on patient consultations
- Practical implementation on site: Two half-day internships in nutritional counseling at a family doctor's office with real patient contact
- Instructional videos: Links to preclinical subjects (e.g., macro- and microanatomy), motivational interviewing, and climate-sensitive nutritional counseling
“The EAT elective showed me how much you can learn about communication, nutrition, and climate protection in a short period of time.”
“After the seminars on motivational interviewing and my practical internship, I feel much more confident when patients ask me questions about nutrition.”
“I thought it was great that we were able to participate so much in the elective course itself. I especially enjoyed the cooking sessions with the other students.”
Objectives: Students learn how to advise patients receiving primary care on sustainable, health-promoting nutrition.
Target group: The EAT elective is aimed at students in their first and second semesters, especially preclinical medical students. The curriculum can also be usefully integrated into studies in combination with a block internship in family medicine, clinical electives, and subjects such as culinary medicine.
Courses
The innovative EAT curriculum is suitable for all degree programs that include content related to communicating with patients about health, nutrition, and climate protection, for example:
- Health sciences
- Public health
- Midwifery sciences
- Nursing sciences
- Nutrition sciences
- Dietetics
- Dentistry
- Home economics
Click here to go to the section for teachers