Unexpected Things I Learned from The Culinary Nutrition Expert Program

Unexpected Things I Learned from The Culinary Nutrition Expert Program

Unexpected Things I Learned from The Culinary Nutrition Expert Program

At the Academy of Culinary Nutrition, we don’t hold back from prospective students. We lay out the full course curriculum, the types of assignments students complete, what our grads are doing in the field and how we structure our teaching – plus we throw open our doors for virtual sample classes and offer a detailed info session with our director and founder, Meghan Telpner. Still, every year our students are delighted by the unexpected things they learned during the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program. Today, our alumni are sharing these tidbits with you!

unexpected things I learned from the  Culinary Nutrition Expert program

Culinary Nutrition Expert

Name: Jenna Richards

Location: Perth, Western Australia

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

That kale is yummy! Honestly, I know it sounds silly, but I really didn’t know how to make kale taste good and now we eat it almost every day.


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Caroline Sabbah

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

Having us submit pictures of our weekly recipes as homework really helped me develop my love for food photography, recipe development and also helped with the creation of my Instagram page. I also learned how to make elixirs on my own!


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Disha Kagdada

Location: Singapore

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

Blog writing is something I didn’t expect to learn in the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program. It gave me the right steps to help uncover my writing skills.


Name: Michelle Marshall

Location: Newmarket, Ontario

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

I was surprised at how the training from the course fit so easily into everyday life, and how much it changed my thinking about food and its therapeutic qualities. Right after finishing the program, my mom became very ill. Because of my Culinary Nutrition Expert training, I was able to do the research necessary to make health supportive meals to give her body a chance to heal.


Click here to learn more about how you can become a Culinary Nutrition Expert


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Melissa Torio

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

I didn’t expect to appreciate meal planning so much. Eating and preparing real food does take time (but it’s so worth it!) and meal planning is key to being successful at it. 


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Lyne Desforges

Location: Oakville, Ontario

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

I learned that anything can be made from scratch, including nut milks, crackers, sprouts and more. It opened a whole new avenue of having fun in the kitchen while creating my very own recipes.


Name: Heba Saleh

Location: Springfield, Virginia

Unexpected Thing I Learned: 

For me, the most illuminating thing about the program was the encouragement to look into health claims and their objectivity. The world of nutrition science can be very confusing, but with a scrupulous and discerning lens, as well as some careful research, some basic truths can be established. I knew a good amount about nutrition before enrolling but what helped the most were the tips about evaluating research, looking for biases, and digging a little deeper than what’s advertised on the surface.


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Heather Gill

Location: Springfield, Tennessee

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

I was surprised by how much writing we did to explain culinary nutrition and how much I’m using it now. So thankful for this program and what it taught me. I use it daily!


Unexpected Things I LearnedName: Lori Moore

Location: Kingsport, Nova Scotia

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

I was surprised by both the skills and the confidence I gained to be able to create original recipes and to adapt favourites to optimize nutrition without compromising taste. Before the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program, I had never created an original recipe, and since completing the program I have consistently created a new recipe every week. I was also surprised by how much fun it is to style and photograph food without a fancy camera.


Name: Hannah McNicholl

Location: Berkshire, United Kingdom

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

There was so much I learned in the program. But two that stood out were how easy it was to make dairy free milk, and that it was possible to make delicious wraps out of just rice and lentils!


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Karolyn Yue

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

I learned how to balance my blood sugar levels. Before the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program, I had heard of the concept, but I didn’t really understand it. Now I consistently eat this way and feel much better because of it.


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Jaclyn Beatty

Location: Clarksville, Tennessee

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

I’ve been surprised at how deeply rooted the ideas, practices, and behaviours of the program have stuck, long after it ended. I’ve always considered myself a healthy eater, but the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program reset the bar by transforming my thought process around food and nutrition. Going the extra step in the kitchen to truly create optimal health is now non-negotiable and second nature.


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Andi Smith

Location: Dallas, Texas

Unexpected Thing I Learned: 

I was surprised by how quickly I gained the confidence to create my own recipes. I loved taking the knowledge I gained and challenging myself to take any recipe and make it as healthy and tasty as possible. I fell in LOVE with cooking, but not just cooking. I fell in love with being creative in the kitchen. I also really loved all the science behind foods. I like having reasons and knowing why/how something is healthy and beneficial. It was super fun to learn how to combine foods for a greater benefit.


Name: Theresa Diulus

Location: Seabrook, Texas

Unexpected Thing I Learned: 

One of the most surprising things I learned that I still share with people to this day is that there is no one right way to eat and that as Meghan says, “labels are for tin cans.”


Click here to learn more about the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Nicole Benson

Location: Brantford, Ontario

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

I had no idea how much the researching conditions aspect would end up giving me so much confidence in creating my own business. Previously I thought there was no room for me in the saturated catering world. I was able to see the holes I could fill in the market, and how my business might be very different than others. I am forever grateful that the program pushed me in ways I wouldn’t have done so for myself!


culinary nutrition expertName: Hui Chii Lau

Location: New South Wales, Australia

Unexpected Thing I Learned: 

I love how the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program trained me to be so flexible with whatever ingredients I have on hand!


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Jessica Mitton

Location: St. John’s, Newfoundland

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

I didn’t expect to learn how to write a blog post and market myself online. The Culinary Nutrition Expert Program provided me with the skills to create my own blog!


Name: Roslina Manaf

Location: Selangor, Malaysia

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

The most unexpected and surprising thing I learned is that I thought I was enrolling in a culinary class. But the course gave me so much more than just the skills for recipe creations. It helps to shape, enrich and change my perspective of what healthy means beyond physical measurements.


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Kathryn White

Location: St. Thomas, Ontario

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

Confidence! I went into this course looking for ways to heal myself. I was also trying to figure out what I was going to do as a teacher no longer in the classroom. What I came out with was self-healing, inspiration and the confidence to transfer my teaching skills to a different format. The Culinary Nutrition Expert Program has inspired me on so many levels that I have started my own business to try to educate others about healthy eating and lifestyle choices. I love being able to take what I have learned and share it with others.


Culinary Nutrition ExpertName: Jennifer Kular

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

The program confirmed my love for cooking whole foods, from scratch, to nourish our bodies with the best ingredients. Cooking, food styling, and food photography are the three areas I really enjoyed. After a lot of consideration, I realized that my passions and best energy are spent on recipe development. I love tweaking traditional recipes to make them into healthier options. It will always be a pleasure to style and photograph my food, but my heart is deeply rooted in the kitchen and I came to this realization because of the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program!


Name: Joan Gordon

Location: Richmond Hill, Ontario

Unexpected Thing I Learned:

There were many things that I learned and was surprised about, but the recipe that seems to be used the most is the nut milk. I generally make almond milk, but have tried other nuts too. I just can’t believe how much I love it and it loves me!