Dr. Zhu shares how traditional medical training did not prepare him to be an effective clinician to help patients make healthy changes.

What we eat, and how we eat it, is a fundamental part of what makes us human. Food is deeply ingrained in every global culture, helping us mark special occasions and provide comfort in times of need.

Find out how experts in the fields of sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress resilience, rehabilitation, integrative/functional/lifestyle medicine and so much more are using "unconventional" approaches to move the needle forward and redefine medicine as we know it.

Everyone loves eating, but what if we told you that eating specific foods could be used as a primary treatment? Dr. Andrew Wilner is joined by Dr. Colin Zhu to discuss the combination of culinary arts and the science of medicine along with how he educates the healthcare community about culinary medicine.

In this episode of the Prosperous Doc, Dr. Zhu chats with our host Shane Tenny, CFP® about the ways that he incorporates his various medicines into his practice, and how culinary medicine can help people live more fulfilled and healthy lives. He also talks about how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed gaps in the U.S. healthcare system, and how we as a society can work to improve it.

Sarah Dokowicz speaks to Dr. Colin Zhu, primary care physician who is Board-Certified in family practice and lifestyle medicine. Passionate about the intersection of culinary medicine, food, and nutrition, Dr. Zhu trained as a chef and a health coach at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition following completion of his medical degree.

In a day and age where time is fleeting, it is hard to achieve our goals even when our best efforts are at play. This is especially the case when it comes to our own health and a common issue among society in general.

Dr. Colin Zhu is a family medicine physician who practices primarily locums. He also trained as a chef and a health coach at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition after medical school.

As chronic illnesses increasingly affect more Americans’ health, the link between dietary habits and disease prevention is taking on a larger role in medical schools and physician practices across the country.

New York City’s Natural Gourmet Institute has a policy of openness, and their forward-thinking food values attract a diverse range of students, fostering a community that, as CEO Jonathan Cetnarski puts it, “is very synergistic with the LGBTQ community at large.” Below, we spoke with two alums about their careers, and how a “health-supportive” culinary education has enhanced the work that they do.

On March 11, 2013, Dr. Rob organized another “Fare Share” cooking event with the medical resident doctors from Lenox Hill Hospital at the Natural Gourmet Institute (NGI) in NYC. The goal was to teach medical residents how to cook a healthy vegetarian meal for themselves, and hopefully pass these skills onto their patients.

“Alignment” can be defined as an “integration or harmonization of aims.” I use the term here more specifically to describe an interconnection of events that could not have happened to me otherwise, if I was not honest, open, aware and – most importantly – authentic with myself.