Welcome to the February edition of Whole Health Digest — home to insights, inspiration, and announcements from the world of Whole Health, provided by the nonprofit Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH).

In today's newsletter, you'll discover:

• What is whole person health and why it’s important
• More information on AIH grant-making
• A Culinary Medicine textbook designed to support the implementation of food-based disease prevention programs
• And more

News and Journal Highlights

​More beans, peas, lentils: A nutrition expert’s take on new guidelines​

The U.S. government releases updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans every five years to promote health and prevent chronic disease. When asked to summarize the most substantive recommendation for change, Dr. Christopher Gardner, a member of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, said, “Easy: Eat more beans, peas, and lentils and less red meat.” (Source: Stanford Medicine)

​Improving Cooking Skills, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Clinical Outcomes for Adults at Risk for Cardiometabolic Disease: Protocol for a Randomized Teaching Kitchen Multisite Trial​

The Teaching Kitchen Multisite Trial protocol combines culinary and lifestyle education to improve cooking skills, lifestyle behaviors, and clinical outcomes for adults at risk of cardiometabolic disease. This study, funded in part by AIH, will assess the feasibility of this intervention across four diverse U.S. locations to inform the development and implementation of reproducible, scalable teaching kitchen interventions. (Source: Nutrients)

​Whole Person Health: What It Is and Why It's Important​

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at NIH, whole person health involves looking at the whole person, considering multiple interconnected biological, behavioral, social, and environmental factors that promote health or disease. And it’s important because understanding the condition in which a person has lived, addressing behaviors at an early stage, and managing stress can help restore health and stop the progression to disease across a person’s lifespan. (Source: NIH)

Grants

Curriculum Available: UC San Diego Health’s Supervised Lifestyle and Integrative Medicine (SLIM) Program

With grant support from AIH, UC San Diego Health has successfully implemented the Supervised Lifestyle and Integrative Medicine (SLIM) Weight Loss Program, offering a replicable model for integrating the principles of Lifestyle Medicine into clinical practice. If you are a healthcare provider interested in leveraging the program to support your patients, click below to learn more and access the SLIM curriculum.

Learn More

Since 2014, AIH has granted over $19 million to Whole Health projects and initiatives. To learn more about AIH's granting work, click here.

EVENTS

2025 Physician Health and Well-being Conference

Are you looking for balance, harmony, and joy in practice? Join us at the only national event focused solely on the well-being of family physicians: the 2025 Physician Health and Well-being Conference hosted by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

Learn More and Register

Lifestyle Medicine Workshop

If you are interested in a hands-on learning experience that will reinforce your dedication to patient-driven healing, join the AIH-supported Lifestyle Medicine Workshop, hosted by the AAFP. The live session will feature interactive, problem-based workshops led by Lifestyle Medicine experts.

Learn More and Register

Obesity Medicine 2025

Join us at the Obesity Medicine 2025 Conference, hosted by the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA). The event will feature top obesity medicine experts and a diverse offering of obesity medicine education and up to 30 CME/CE credits.

Learn More and Register

ANNOUNCEMENTS

AIH Fall 2025 Grant Cycle: Accepting LOI Qualifications Until May 5th

Through grant-making, AIH partners with mission-aligned organizations by funding initiatives that help us achieve our vision. This year, we are seeking grant applications focused on:

• The integration of Whole Person Care within primary care
• The integration of Food is/as Medicine within comprehensive obesity care
• Equitable delivery of Whole Person Care in underserved communities

All LOI Qualifications submitted by Monday, May 5th will be considered for our Fall 2025 grant cycle. Click the link below to learn more about AIH’s granting goals, process, and timeline.

Learn More

RESOURCES

Free Full Plate Living Facilitator Training and Certification

Full Plate Living offers a sustainable, research-backed approach to healthy eating and living. Interested in running a Full Plate Living program in your clinic, workplace, or community? Enroll in our free Facilitator Training, which features a distinguished faculty, advice from past facilitators, insights from the science of behavior change, and more.

Learn More and Enroll

“The Facilitator training is extensive, preparing you for everything you need to know. I have the tools I need to facilitate a program confidently. This program is outstanding!” – Certified Full Plate Living Facilitator

Culinary Medicine, 2025 Edition: The University of Arizona

This peer-reviewed Culinary Medicine textbook, developed by the University of Arizona, is designed for individuals and communities interested in implementing food-based disease prevention programs. This free resource includes case studies and information on kitchen skills, food safety, menu planning, shopping and budgeting, popular diets, dietary supplements, food demonstrations, seed-to-table programs, community partnerships, and culturally centered approaches.

Download the Book

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We hope you found today's newsletter informative and inspiring. We'll be back next month with another edition of Whole Health Digest.

Sincerely,

The AIH Team

P.S. This newsletter is offered by Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH), a nonprofit dedicated to improving people's health through the power of Whole Health and Lifestyle Medicine. If it was forwarded to you by a friend or colleague, and you'd like to receive it regularly, subscribe here.

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