This blog is authored by Priya Jacob, M.D., third-year resident within Dell Medical School’s Pediatric Residency.
An oasis is a fertile, thriving area in an arid region. To pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease, Camp Oasis offers a place of rest and rejuvenation.
In early June, Eat Well: Culinary Medicine — an educational offering within the Department of Pediatrics that focuses on how food impacts health and how to incorporate nutrition and healthy eating practices into different lifestyles — had the great joy and privilege to partner with Camp Oasis to provide a hands-on cooking lesson on flare-appropriate foods for children with IBD, hosted at Camp for All and led by Dell Medical School pediatric resident Priya Jacob.
Priya Jacob (left) and Keli Hawthorne (right) at the Camp Oasis event.
Jacob was first exposed to culinary medicine in medical school. When she came to Dell Med, she further developed her passion for culinary medicine through a curriculum led by hospitalist Hanh Keyburn, D.O., and registered dietitian Keli Hawthorne, M.S., RD, in the Department of Pediatrics.
She learned about Camp Oasis while working at the pediatric gastroenterology clinic at Dell Children’s Medical Center, and as she explored opportunities to volunteer at Camp Oasis, she had the idea to bring culinary medicine to this unique patient population for which food really is medicine.
Within the event, children ages 7 to 17 joined for a short education session on the low-residue diet, which was followed by a knife safety skill demonstration. All the campers then got to practice their knife skills while making a low-residue avocado toast and fruit salad.
In each of the event’s four sessions, participants shared that they tried at least one new food during the session. Others shared that they felt confident in making these foods at home if they had an IBD-related flare. Throughout the event, the participants all expressed an eagerness in answering raffle questions and demonstrating the knowledge they gained through the sessions.
The Department of Pediatrics’ Culinary Medicine team is so humbled and proud to partner with Camp Oasis and Camp for All, and it looks forward to future programming to support children with challenging illnesses, disabilities or special needs in the community.