A team of US experts examined the benefits of cooking-based interventions in celiac disease nutrition education and its impact on adherence to a gluten-free diet and quality of life.
Methods
In a New York City based pilot study, 12 adults participated in a cooking-based nutrition education program. The goal was to increase home-cooked meals and diet quality using naturally gluten-free whole grains, proteins, nuts, and seeds. The program was hosted by a chef and registered dietitian. Quality of life, gastrointestinal symptoms, dietary adherence, depression, and anxiety were measured at baseline and one month after the intervention.
Results
After 1-month, participants demonstrated improved dietary adherence to the gluten-free diet, quality of life, and depression/ anxiety status. There was also improvement in most of the theory-based determinants, which included perceived risk of a poor quality diet, expectation outcomes of the benefits of cooking, self-efficacy, social support, cooking competence, and knowledge about gluten-free grains. All participants found the intervention to be helpful and felt compelled to include more foods in their diet. They also reported feeling more well informed informed about dining outside of the home and wanted additional courses.
Conclusion
Cooking-based interventions may be useful for improving dietary adherence and improve quality of life in adults with celiac disease. Dietitians are encouraged to incorporate these types of interventions when building nutrition education platforms. Further studies should be conducted on a larger scale and include a more diverse population with culturally relavent education.
