Nourishing people and communities is the mission of the Food Coach Academy where flavor leads the way, backed by science and wrapped in the culinary arts. Courses are intentionally created for a wide range of students from the home cook to clinicians to the chef, and everyone in between. Rooted in the conviction that culinary skills hold the transformative power to revolutionize individual well-being, community health, and environmental sustainability in an equitable, inclusive, and diverse manner. The FCA's curriculum begins with mastering culinary and eating fundamentals including the essentials in building a teaching kitchen, and then advances through ten comprehensive explorations of food categories, including Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy, Grains, Protein (both animal and plant-based), Fats & Oils, Beverages, Salt, and Sugar.
Dr. Deb Kennedy Presents
Food Coach Academy Certification
A comprehensive program that brings culinary competency to the forefront of wellness coaching
Program Overview
13 in-depth culinary courses covering fats, protein, taste & flavor, sodium and more
Training in the state-of-the-art coaching method, Motivational Interviewing, specific to food intake
A toolkit with over 100 resources to support your work as a food coach
Certificate of Completion upon graduating
Program
Objectives
Understand Culinary Competencies for Dietary Changes
Equip clients with the culinary skills and knowledge required to implement dietary recommendations effectively.
Utilize Motivational Interviewing Techniques
Develop the ability to support and guide clients on their food journey through motivational interviewing. Learn how to inspire and encourage positive changes in their dietary habits.
Build Healthy Food Plans
Create personalized food plans that align with each individual's unique preferences, beliefs, and circumstances. Build supportive strategies that make healthy eating sustainable and enjoyable.
Design a Teaching Kitchen
Organize a home kitchen to promote healthy eating, adapting them to different contexts, by identifying essential elements for each situation.
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Recognized as an approved program, earn 510 CEHs.
Meet Your Host
Dr. Deb Kennedy is a culinary medicine pioneer with a PhD in nutrition from Tufts University, had the honor of serving as the first Chair for Best Practices at the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (CIA), and was an Instructor in Culinary Nutrition at the New England Culinary Institute. She is a chef, educator, author, inventor, and policy advisor with the belief food connects us to ourselves, each other, and the planet.
With a lifelong passion for cooking, Dr. Deb developed an easy modular approach for behavior change and believes food heals and prevents disease. Dr. Deb aims to help healthcare practitioners and home cooks transform health through the Food Coach Academy.
"Let's use food as a tool to improve health, one delicious bite at a time. Join me in this food-warrior journey!" - Dr. Deb
With a lifelong passion for cooking, Dr. Deb developed an easy modular approach for behavior change and believes food heals and prevents disease. Dr. Deb aims to help healthcare practitioners and home cooks transform health through the Food Coach Academy.
"Let's use food as a tool to improve health, one delicious bite at a time. Join me in this food-warrior journey!" - Dr. Deb
![](https://rouxbe.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-28-at-3.54.42-PM.png)
Dr. Deb Kennedy
The Curriculum
- Introductory module: taste AND flavor
- ENROLL NOW: Full program
Available Now!
Save 35% for a limited time
Enroll today for $299 | Regular price: $460
Enroll today for $299 | Regular price: $460
This 30-hour, 9 unit introductory module will demonstrate the difference between taste and flavor and factors that influence each; evaluate an individual’s unique palate and list culinary methods to work with each component; demonstrate and list the ten essential culinary methods for creating healthful and delicious meals; prepare herbs and spices to increase the flavor profile; cook food to increase nutrient absorption and decrease the formation of toxic compounds.
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Taste, Temperature & Texture
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Types of Tasters
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Flavor Basics
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Acid
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Taste + Taste
![](https://rouxbe.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/entered-Salts-and-herbs-300x200.jpg)
Using Salt
![](https://rouxbe.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/entered-sugar-types-in-bowl-300x200.jpg)
Sweeteners
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Herbs & Spices
August Discount | Save 50%
Enroll today for $2,999 | Regular price $5,999
This 510-hour program is rooted in the conviction
that culinary skills hold the transformative power to
revolutionize individual well-being, community
health, and environmental sustainability in an
equitable, inclusive, and diverse manner.
The two guiding theories for the academy are 1.) the
Social Cognitive Theory and 2.) the Transtheoretical
model.
The modular delivery system - for both learning and
behavioral change - is based on 15 years of research
led by Dr. Kennedy at Yale, Dartmouth, UConn and
Tufts Universities. This method allows for small
successes over a period of time, which allows for
both clinical guidance and individual preferences.
Term One
The Basics in Eating & Coaching
Deepen your understanding of healthy eating, nutrition research, and effective coaching techniques to empower positive dietary changes.
The Kitchen
Focus on kitchen organization, efficient cooking techniques, and setting up teaching kitchens for diverse community-based culinary skill building.
Taste & Flavor (Available Now!)
Explore taste science, enabling students to transform palates for healthier eating and personalize coaching based on individual taste profiles.
Fruits
This module covers fruit from nutrition to preparation, helping students optimize their fruit consumption and coaching others for better well-being.
Vegetables
Understand vegetables from definitions to culinary techniques, helping students enhance intake, improve flavor, and coach others for a nutritious diet.
Term Two
Sodium
Learn to master flavor without excessive salt, with a focus on understanding sodium, its benefits, risks, and practical strategies for healthier cooking and coaching others. It also introduces the DASH diet for health-conscious menu planning.
Grains
Explore grains and whole grains comprehensively, learn culinary techniques, kitchen stocking, menu planning, and coaching for optimal grain consumption, including gluten considerations.
Fats & Oils
This module demystifies dietary fats, focusing on healthy sources, culinary skills, and strategies for making informed choices, including embracing the Mediterranean Diet for health and flavor.
Animal Protein
This module covers fruit from nutrition to preparation, helping students optimize their fruit consumption and coaching others for better well-being.
Term Three
Plant Protein
Understand vegetarian and vegan diets comprehensively, addressing nutrients, practical skills, and safe meal preparation practices, ensuring inclusivity and flavor-rich plant-based meal planning.
Sugar
Explore sugar and chocolate comprehensively, understand their science, benefits, and risks. Learn to assess, reduce, and sweeten without added sugar while mastering portion control, culinary techniques, and coaching skills for better sugar intake.
Dairy Alternatives
Dive into dairy and plant-based milk products, highlighting differences, nutrition, and culinary skills for healthy recipes. It emphasizes coaching individuals on dairy intake and meeting calcium requirements.
Beverages
Explore the wide array of beverages, their risks and benefits, and teach how to craft low-sugar, low-fat drink alternatives. It ends with coaching tips for reducing unhealthy beverage consumption while promoting hydration.
Final Certification
Understand vegetables from definitions to culinary techniques, helping students enhance intake, improve flavor, and coach others for a nutritious diet.
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