Care tools Food as medicine: A new nutrition guide provides physicians with evidence-based resources The AOA’s new guide can serve as a starting point for patient conversations, nutrition assessments and care planning. Oct. 28, 2026WednesdayOctober 2026 issue AOA Staff Contact AOA Staff Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Topics Eating Healthyhealth carenutrition The AOA recently released a new Food as Medicine resource guide in the form of both a webpage and a downloadable pdf, providing physicians with credible, evidence-informed nutrition resources that can support whole-person, preventive care. The guide brings together evidence-informed educational resources and scientific literature addressing brain health, ultra-processed foods, gut health and the microbiome, cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention. The site also provides patient education tools to support physicians as they navigate how to best handle these conversations in their clinical care settings. DOs can use this guide as a starting point for patient conversations, nutrition assessments and care planning, while recognizing that individualized nutrition counseling, referrals to registered dietitians and formal medical nutrition therapy remain essential when appropriate. Major content areas Brain health: Dietary patterns and foods associated with cognitive health, memory, cognitive decline and dementia risk. Gut health/microbiome: The relationship between diet and gut microbiome, including fiber, prebiotics, probiotics, fermented foods and more. Heart-healthy diet: Dietary approaches associated with cardiovascular health including fiber, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and certain food reductions. Ultra-processed foods and how they connect to cancer: Learn what constitutes ultra-processed food and understand the relationship between ultra-processed food and overeating, weight gain, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer risk. Throughout the guide, physicians will be connected to both scientific literature and practical education resources from reputable organizations, such as the American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and more. Learn more by checking out the guide on Osteopathic.org. Related reading: Ideas for boosting exercise and nutrition education in medical school Food from the soul: A history of African American culture and nutrition More in Patient Care Beyond the exam room: How physicians can seamlessly share information about registering to vote with patients Nicholas Urbanczyk, DO, shares how his primary care practice partnered with Vot-ER, a nonpartisan nonprofit, to share voter registration information with patients. Music therapy: What to know as an osteopathic physician Board-certified music therapist Maxwell Corrigan, OMS IV, breaks down how music therapists help patients and shares tips for physicians on how to work with music therapists. Previous articleEmerging DO panel discussion to explore navigating med school and the Match as a first-generation student Next articleThe importance of mentoring tomorrow’s colleagues today
Beyond the exam room: How physicians can seamlessly share information about registering to vote with patients Nicholas Urbanczyk, DO, shares how his primary care practice partnered with Vot-ER, a nonpartisan nonprofit, to share voter registration information with patients.
Music therapy: What to know as an osteopathic physician Board-certified music therapist Maxwell Corrigan, OMS IV, breaks down how music therapists help patients and shares tips for physicians on how to work with music therapists.