The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has launched two resources to help medical schools meet new federal nutrition requirements and to support practicing physicians seeking education relevant to state-level nutrition education requirements. The first is the Lifestyle Medicine Medical School Curriculum (LMMSC), a comprehensive four-year educational program designed to help medical schools integrate evidence-based nutrition and other lifestyle medicine education throughout all four years of undergraduate medical training. The second is a 2.75-hour third edition of its online course, "Food as Medicine: Nutrition for Treatment and Risk Reduction," that will equip health professionals with evidence-based nutrition knowledge and practical counseling strategies for clinical care.
New medical school curriculum
The expansion of lifestyle-related education into medical education is an emerging national priority, with medical schools encouraged to provide at least 40 hours of nutrition instruction, beginning in Fall 2026. ACLM's new curriculum will help schools equip future physicians with practical knowledge and skills to address chronic disease through nutrition and other lifestyle interventions while incorporating broader principles of whole-person care.
Medical students need much more than isolated nutrition lectures. They need a longitudinal educational experience that helps them understand how nutrition and other lifestyle factors influence chronic disease and how to apply that knowledge in clinical practice. Our goal is to make high-quality nutrition and lifestyle medicine education easier for medical schools to implement and more meaningful for future physicians."
Brenda Rea, MD, DrPH, PT, RDN, DipABLM, FACLM, Lifestyle Medicine Intensivist, ACLM Medical Director of Education
The curriculum is designed as a flexible, evidence-based solution that includes 10 learning modules addressing all aspects of lifestyle medicine education, including 40 hours of nutrition, through virtual learning units, clinical application opportunities and assessment tools designed to support competency development. Furthermore, complimentary access to the ACLM Culinary Medicine Curriculum and Culinary Medicine Program supports LMMSC implementation with open-source resources for nearly 15 hours of self-paced video instruction and a comprehensive teaching toolkit that prepares clinicians, clinicians in training, and individuals to incorporate optimal nutrition into daily eating patterns.
The new curriculum places nutrition within the broader context of evidence-based lifestyle medicine, helping students understand the interconnected role of nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, connectedness and avoidance of risky substances in treating, reversing, and preventing chronic disease. Students will engage with clinical cases, nutrition assessments, behavior change strategies and patient communication approaches that emphasize real-world application.
Learn more about the Lifestyle Medicine Medical School Curriculum here.
Updated Food as Medicine course
ACLM has also launched the third edition of its online course, "Food as Medicine: Nutrition for Treatment and Risk Reduction," to help health professionals translate nutrition science into practical strategies for treating and reducing the risk of common chronic diseases.
The two-hour course examines evidence-based dietary patterns, food groups and nutrition strategies related to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain cancers. It also explores the roles of carbohydrate, fat and protein sources in health outcomes and provides practical approaches to patient-centered nutrition counseling and behavior change.
"Patients hear a constant stream of confusing and often contradictory nutrition messages, presenting health professionals with an important opportunity to provide clear, evidence-based guidance," said Executive Director of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals Michelle McMacken, MD, FACP, DipABLM. "This course gives members of the interprofessional care team a working command of the evidence and practical strategies for delivering meaningful dietary counseling within the realities of clinical care."
Upon completion, participants should be able to:
- Describe dietary patterns shown to be effective in treating and reducing the risk of common lifestyle-related chronic diseases.
- Discuss how dietary behaviors affect chronic disease development and progression.
- Identify how different macronutrient sources may contribute to disease progression or improvement.
- Apply foundational strategies to support dietary behavior change.
The course may support physicians seeking education relevant to state-level nutrition education requirements. Because requirements vary by state and medical board, physicians should confirm eligibility with their licensing authority. It is also designed for registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician associates, registered dietitians, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, certified health coaches, other health professionals working in chronic disease treatment and prevention, as well as clinicians in training.
Participants can earn 2.75 continuing education credits and will have access to the course through Sept. 14, 2029. Registration information can be found here.
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