Cross-campus collaboration brings ‘Food As Health’ cooking videos into patient rooms

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2024) — UK HealthCare is revolutionizing patient education by bringing a series of cooking videos directly into hospital patient rooms. This collaborative project aims to support patients with chronic diet-sensitive conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease by providing easy-to-follow, medically tailored recipes. The videos, available on the Get Well Network, offer accessible and affordable solutions, empowering patients to take control of their diets and improve their health outcomes.

Lindsay Turner, a UK HealthCare dietitian, emphasized the importance of making these resources available to patients.

“A common theme I hear from patients is, ‘I just don’t know where to start,’” she said. “There’s often a disconnect between a heart-healthy diet education and actually putting together a meal. These videos provide affordable recipes, and I’m excited about the impact they will have.”

The video series is the result of a collaboration between UK HealthCare, the Food As Health Alliance and Kentucky’s pork and beef councils. The videos are designed to be short and engaging, mimicking the popular BuzzFeed “Tasty” videos with overhead shots, simple voiceovers and straightforward instructions.

“We wanted to do something a little more digestible,” said Lauren Batey, the program coordinator for the Food As Health Alliance and a registered dietitian. “We figured patients in a hospital setting aren’t going to sit through a 30-minute cooking show. So, we modeled the videos after a format that’s quick and easy to absorb, while still being informative and practical.”

The Food as Health Alliance is housed in the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. The group’s goal is to bring together clinical and community research spanning across agriculture, food and health to address food insecurity and diet-sensitive chronic disease in Kentucky and beyond.

Batey was tasked with the challenge of creating cooking videos for UK HealthCare patients to address common chronic conditions in Kentucky.

“I treat it like a game of ‘whack-a-mole,’” she joked. “I put all these restrictions on myself — ease, affordability, nutrition and access. I want people, even in rural areas, to be able to prepare these recipes, so I make sure the ingredients are available in local grocery stores.”

The series is comprehensive, with a total of 16 videos already created, including a mix of content for different audiences. While many focus on Kentucky’s “big four” diseases — diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease — there are also videos for children’s health and cancer nutrition.

The project would not have been possible without the collaborative effort across multiple areas of the University of Kentucky campus. Batey explained that with the help of UK HealthCare’s Healthy Kentucky Initiative, they’ve connected with health care providers like Larry Goldstein, M.D., chair of the UK College of Medicine Department of Neurology, which has been essential to the process. 

“Our goal is to empower stroke patients with the knowledge they need to make informed nutritional choices that can positively impact their recovery and long-term health when they leave our hospital. I wanted to collaborate with dietitians on this project because they bring an essential perspective to stroke recovery,” said Goldstein. “Their expertise allows us to tailor dietary advice to the specific needs of stroke patients, helping to reduce the risk of future strokes and improve overall well-being. By working together, we can provide a more holistic approach to care, ensuring that patients receive the support they need for a healthier recovery journey.”

Turner, who works with patients daily praised the multidisciplinary approach. 

“I’ve worked in other hospital systems, and when resources are limited, they’re just that — limited,” Turner said. “Being part of a system with so many experts in different areas creates so many more opportunities to truly support our patients.”

These collaborations have expanded the video library and diversified the content.

“I’m really eager to work with the Markey Cancer Center again now that this is up and running,” said Batey. “The potential to create videos specifically tailored to cancer patients will be incredibly valuable.”

While the video series is still in its early stages, it is already making a difference. Turner shared some of the positive feedback she has received from patients.

“One patient told me they didn’t realize food without added salt could taste so good,” she said. “Another patient was just so excited to find cost-effective options because they struggle with food access at home.”

The decision to integrate these videos into patient rooms came about after learning about the flexibility of the Get Well Network system.

“I was at an education center event, and they were showing us how to work the patient TVs. They told us we could upload just about anything,” she said. “That’s when I reached out to Lauren to see if we could get these cooking videos into the rooms.”

This flexibility means that patients can watch the videos during their hospital stay and continue to access the content at home. The videos are available on the Food As Health Alliance’s YouTube channel, and all the recipes are open source on the website.

The plan is to continue expanding the video series. The full team of UK HealthCare dietitians recently went through training to ensure they know how to access and use the videos in patient care.

“Now that our staff is fully trained, I think the impact will be even greater,” Turner said.

Batey shares Turner’s optimism about the project’s potential.

“I think once patients start using these videos, the excitement will grow even more,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for patients to learn how to cook healthier meals without feeling overwhelmed. And for us, it’s an opportunity to reach thousands of people with practical, actionable advice.”

This project embodies UK HealthCare’s commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and patient-centered care. As the program continues to grow, the hope is that these videos will not only improve individual health outcomes but also address larger issues like food insecurity in Kentucky.

“We call it ‘Food As Health’ because we want to encompass the whole concept,” Batey explained. “We’re acknowledging the role nutrition plays in health, but we’re also addressing challenges to food access and affordability. We want this program to be part of a larger solution for our patients and the community.”