From Cable into the Kitchen: How the LSOM Food Network Inspired Me to Change the Way I Cook By Ana Moser

From Cable into the Kitchen

How the LSOM Food Network Inspired Me to Change the Way I Cook

By Ana Moser

As someone who has always had a hearty appetite and a penchant for trying new food, when my medical school offered me the chance to partake in a cooking class, I did not hesitate to sign up. In partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB), the Long School of Medicine (LSOM) offers the LSOM Food Network, an interactive cooking program aimed at teaching students how to prepare healthy, nutritious meals that are both time- and budget-friendly.

SAFB’s Chef and Nutrition Education Coordinator, Raul Longoria, facilitates each session by guiding students step-by-step through recipes, answering any questions we have along the way. I have learned about kitchen safety, such as how to properly hold a knife and learned the best ways to cut an onion, head of cabbage and bell pepper. Participating in this program has encouraged me to be more creative in the kitchen. I learned that I don’t always have to follow recipes verbatim and that it’s okay to adjust recipes to my personal preferences and dietary needs. For instance, I can incorporate spices that I know I’ll enjoy or make small tweaks to recipes in order to utilize the ingredients I have in my pantry or refrigerator. Substituting ingredients with healthier alternatives, such as using brown rice instead of white rice, or incorporating vegetables into my go-to meals are just a few of the lessons I have learned through the LSOM Food Network program.

Perhaps my biggest takeaway from the program is that healthy foods don’t have to be bland. Taste can easily be improved by mixing flavor profiles and incorporating seasonings and spices into one’s cooking. On top of all that, the LSOM Food Network program has saved me time and money (two things that I, like most medical students, have a limited amount of) because I am able to cook a large dish and freeze the excess for later. It’s much less tempting to go out and buy takeout when I know I have a flavorful, healthy meal at home that just needs to be heated up.

Some of my favorite recipes I’ve made through the LSOM Food Network include Thai basil fried cauliflower rice, vegetable paella and apple carrot muffins. I had never eaten these dishes prior to participating in the program, and I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious all three tasted, even though they contained a lot of vegetables and other healthy ingredients. I now feel more comfortable in the kitchen and confident in my cooking abilities. The LSOM Food Network program has taught me that eating healthy and giving my body the proper fuel it needs is something that benefits both my overall physical health and personal well-being. Giving myself the nutrients I need by eating healthy helps me feel more energized, and therefore, better able to serve future patients.

My experience with the LSOM Food Network has also influenced my professional development as a physician. Chef Longoria often shares stories about how the SAFB distributes large quantities of food to our communities in need. Understanding the many moving parts to the food distribution operation is eye-opening in understanding the needs of our community. I hope to pass along my new skills to future patients and motivate them to cook healthy meals that they look forward to eating.

My advice to future patients would be to conduct a quick search and find healthy recipes online that they would be excited in trying out. I would remind them not to get discouraged if the dish they cook does not turn out perfect. Like anything else, there is a learning curve to cooking; it takes experimentation and trial-and-error before finding what works.

I want my future patients to know that eating healthy doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor— it just means getting a little creative in the kitchen and incorporating their preferred flavors into meals. Setting aside a little bit of time to cook may seem inconvenient, especially when fast food and takeout are so readily accessible. However, with so many serious diseases having a correlation with unhealthy eating, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and an array of cardiovascular diseases, it is well worth investing a little time to cook wellbalanced meals.

Educating my patients on many lifestyle changes, such as choosing healthier alternatives to their favorite dishes, could lower their risk for morbidity and greatly improve their health. I’m grateful that my medical school offers this program because it has taught me practical skills in the kitchen, encouraged my culinary creativity and shown me that eating healthy meals not only benefits myself, but my future patients.

Ana Moser is a Medical Student at the Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, Class of 2024.