Can starchy foods boost glycemia more than sweet, sugary desserts?
Surprisingly, not all physicians know the answer to this simple question, according to Stephen Devries, MD, a preventive cardiologist and executive director of the nonprofit Gaples Institute in Chicago.
“Sadly, even in 2025, nutrition education remains deficient in medical training. Most medical students receive minimal education in nutrition. The limited education they do receive is typically focused on the biochemistry of nutrition, with little emphasis on developing the clinical skills they need to integrate nutrition into patient care,” said Dr. Devries.
Without adequate training in nutrition, physicians may miss opportunities to improve health through dietary changes. This can lead to an overreliance on medications and procedures, increasing health care costs and, more importantly, missing out on effective strategies for both disease prevention and treatment.
To close this educational gap, the Gaples Institute developed “Nutrition Science for Health and Longevity: What Every Physician Needs to Know,” a condensed course that provides practical, clinically relevant nutrition training for physicians-in-training as well as those who have made the transition to practice.
The interactive, self-paced course distills complex nutrition science into efficient, actionable learning. Participants gain:
- Skills in motivational interviewing and rapid dietary counseling.
- Insights into social determinants of nutrition and food insecurity.
- Tools for critically evaluating fad diets.
- Guidance for nutrition as a positive lever in physician self-care and more.
The course gives doctors a complete nutrition toolkit that includes an interactive presentation of clinical nutrition essentials with 1900plus key references, 20 immersive patient scenarios, and a rich set of interactive, bilingual patient-education resources.
The course is built on an interactive platform that condenses an extensive body of knowledge into an efficient learning tool that delivers 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. It is part of the AMA Ed Hub™, an online learning platform that brings together high-quality CME, maintenance of certification, and educational content from trusted sources, all in one place—with relevant activities, automated credit tracking, and reporting for some states and specialty boards.
Learn more about AMA CME accreditation.
The Gaples Institute’s course is not limited to medical students, noted Dr. Devries. It is also widely used in graduate medical education and by physicians in practice, who make up nearly half of the course registrants.
Top-notch nutrition science
The course was developed with input from a diverse team of experts. Dietitians, pediatricians, lipidologists and other specialists reviewed and refined the content to ensure both accuracy and clinical relevance.
The course guides learners on a journey, beginning with a discussion of nutrients, then exploring the foods in which they predominate, and advancing to evidence-based dietary patterns and practical strategies for patient counseling.
A highlight of the course is the dietary-counseling section, which covers more than 20 interactive patient Q&A scenarios drawn from real-world clinical encounters. Learners select what they believe is the best response to each question and then get feedback comparing their choice to other nuanced options.
“We consistently hear from medical students that the case-based exercises, paired with the analysis of responses, are invaluable tools for learning clinical nutrition skills,” said Dr. Devries. “They provide practical guidance for how to handle the kinds of nutrition questions clinicians face every day in practice.”
Doughnut vs. bagel?
The course includes more than 190 clickable references to research studies and is designed to keep learners actively engaged. Every few minutes, there’s an opportunity to interact with the content by choosing a possible response, estimating the size of an effect, or applying knowledge to a clinical scenario.
One interaction that students report to be especially memorable examines the concept of glycemic load and asks the learner to estimate the glycemic load of a doughnut versus a bagel by clicking on an interactive glycemic load meter. Many assume the doughnut has the higher load, but the actual result often surprises doctors.
“These kinds of interactive exercises are consistently singled out by clinicians as some of the most salient and practical portions of the course,” said Dr. Devries.
Despite the material’s depth, most learners complete the course in about two hours, with an option to pause the course with auto-restart. The format is intentionally condensed and flexible, said Dr. Devries.
“We know that in medical education, the competition for curricular time is intense. It's akin to the Hunger Games, with each precious hour fiercely contested—that’s why we work hard to ensure every moment of learning is meaningful.”
Emphasis on physician self-care
Nutrition is one of the few areas in medical training that directly benefits both patients and clinicians themselves.
The course material emphasizes that better nutrition among clinicians is linked to improved stamina and mental acuity. In addition, “studies show that clinicians who adopt healthier lifestyle practices themselves are more likely to counsel their patients to do likewise,” said Dr. Devries.
Many physicians and medical students who take the course report making personal changes as a result, including adopting more plant-forward eating patterns or reducing their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. Physicians are often surprised by what they learn, such as research showing that a healthier diet can substantially lower blood pressure in as little as two weeks.
Now required at some medical schools
Every year, the Gaples Institute conducts a comprehensive review of the course and thoroughly updates it to respond to emerging clinical needs. The 2025 update added a new section on cultural adaptations to dietary recommendations.
“We teach students how to apply the dietary principles identified in clinical trials to culturally appropriate options from ‘heritage diets’—ways of eating that are unique to various cultures. For example, the value of consuming green, leafy vegetables is well established in large trials. In Western culture, that may include spinach or kale. In other cultures, greens could look more like mustard greens, or seaweed. We want to convey to clinicians that it's not a one-size-fits-all agenda,” said Dr. Devries.
Ten medical schools now require the Gaples Institute nutrition course in their curriculum. The goal is to make nutrition training enjoyable, actionable and relevant, said Dr. Devries. In postcourse surveys of medical students and practicing physicians, 97% reported that the course will change their practice.
“That's especially gratifying,” he said.
