Heart-Healthy Eating: A Clinician's Guide to Smart Food and Label Decisions - 1 AOA Category 1-A Credit

What you'll learn

Course overview

Provided by an AOA-accredited Category 1 CME sponsor, this activity is eligible for AOA Category 1-A credit and includes instructor interaction; questions submitted by email will receive a response within 48 hours. This course reviews evidence-based dietary patterns used to reduce cardiovascular risk and supports osteopathic physicians in translating nutrition guidance into brief, practical counseling. It compares common eating patterns used in cardiovascular prevention and explains how ultra-processed food intake and sodium exposure can influence cardiometabolic risk. Learners will practice interpreting Nutrition Facts labels and ingredient lists to identify added sugars and hidden sources of sodium. The course emphasizes realistic workflows for a time-limited visit and includes examples of culturally responsive counseling. This activity addresses a practice gap: osteopathic physicians recognize nutrition as central to cardiovascular prevention but report limited training in delivering specific, actionable, culturally relevant guidance during routine care. This course addresses these gaps by linking current evidence to practical clinical workflows, teaching osteopathic physicians to navigate the guideline-to-practice bottleneck. It also builds skills for culturally responsive counseling that respects heritage food patterns and real-world constraints. By strengthening brief-encounter counseling strategies and leveraging interprofessional support networks, osteopathic physicians can provide specific, actionable dietary guidance in routine care.