Food as Medicine Made Real: What the Largest Trial of a Single Whole Food Means for the Future of Healthcare
Plus, nutrition in action! Holiday cooking and health-focused recipes with Dr. Bland and his granddaughter Taylor Bland
Program Overview
Food has long been recognized as one of the most powerful influences on human health, yet translating that knowledge into precise, evidence-based clinical recommendations has remained a challenge. Emerging advances in metabolomics, epigenetics, immune biology, and aging science are changing that paradigm.
This special PLMI program explores how Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat (HTB)—a nutrient-dense ancestral food—has become the subject of groundbreaking research, from advanced metabolomic analysis and epigenetic studies to one of the largest randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials ever conducted on a single whole-food ingredient.
Participants will gain insights into the future of Food as Medicine, the evolving science of immune and metabolic health, and practical ways to bring these principles to life through food and family traditions.
The program concludes with a holiday-inspired cooking demonstration featuring Dr. Jeffrey Bland and his granddaughter Taylor Bland, showcasing delicious Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat recipes that combine science, wellness, and seasonal celebration.
Program Agenda
Welcome & Introduction
Jeffrey S. Bland, PhD
30 Minutes
From Concept to Clinic: The New Science of Food as Medicine
Dr. Bland will provide an overview of the evolution of nutrition science and the growing role of whole-food research in healthcare. Participants will explore how advances in systems biology, metabolomics, and precision nutrition are creating new opportunities to understand food as a measurable intervention for immune and metabolic health.
Topics Include:
- The evolution of Food as Medicine
- Moving beyond isolated nutrients to understand the role of food networks in health
- Reimagining whole foods as complex biological systems
- The latest research on precision nutrition for personalized health
- The future of nutrition science in clinical practice
Scientific Session
Austin Perlmutter, MD
60 Minutes
Food is Medicine Realized: Clinical Evidence That a Whole Food Can Program Immune and Metabolic Health
Dr. Perlmutter will review the latest data on “Food as Medicine” for immunometabolic function using Tartary Buckwheat as a model organism. Drawing from just completed metabolomic research, epigenetic studies, and his work on the largest randomized clinical trial on a single food for brain health, he will discuss the present and exciting future of applied clinical nutrition.
Topics Include:
- The latest on how food can reprogram biology, especially through the brain
- How advanced metabolomic analysis changes what we call “food”
- Why sprouting is a key step in augmenting bioactive concentrations
- Results and implications of the 850-participant randomized placebo-controlled trial
- What this research means for clinicians and healthcare practitioners
- The future of precision nutrition and evidence-based food interventions
Holiday Culinary Experience
Jeffrey S. Bland, PhD & Taylor Bland
30 Minutes
Bringing Food as Medicine to the Holiday Table
Join Dr. Bland and his granddaughter Taylor Bland for a festive cooking demonstration that brings the science of Food as Medicine into everyday life. Together, they will share family traditions, practical culinary techniques, and favorite holiday recipes featuring Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat.
Featured Recipes:
- Holiday Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Breakfast Bowl
- Festive Cranberry & Herb HTB Pilaf
- Taylor Bland’s Ginger Spice HTB Holiday Cookies
Topics Include:
- The nutritional benefits of Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat
- Cooking techniques that maximize flavor and phytonutrient value
- Creating healthy holiday traditions with family and friends
- Simple ways to incorporate Food as Medicine principles into seasonal celebrations
Program Conclusion
Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the emerging science behind Food as Medicine, practical insights into the future of precision nutrition, and inspiring culinary strategies for supporting health and resilience throughout the holiday season.
Speakers
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Jeff Bland, PhDDr. Jeffrey Bland is a personable and highly respected thought leader who has spent more than four decades focused on the improvement of human health.
He is known worldwide as the founder of the Functional Medicine movement, which represents his vision for a care model that is grounded in systems biology and informed by research that he has a unique ability to synthesize. His pioneering work has created the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute (PLMI), as well as the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), the global leader in Functional Medicine education. Since 1991, hundreds of thousands of healthcare practitioners have participated in PLMI and IFM programs, and this collective knowledge has positively impacted the lives of patients all over the world. -
Austin Perlmutter, MDDr Austin Perlmutter is a board-certified internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, published researcher and international educator. His mission is to help people improve their health by targeting the biological basis of “stuckness” in our brains and bodies. His writing, presentations, podcasts, and online educational programs explore how environmental factors influence our cognitive and mental state and have reached millions. Dr. Perlmutter currently serves as the managing director at Big Bold Health, a food-as-medicine company focused on helping people rejuvenate health through better immune function, where he is running a first-of-its kind study exploring the effects of plant nutrients on human aging through epigenetics.
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Taylor BlandTaylor Bland is a Strategic Operations Coordinator at the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute (PLMI), where she supports organizational operations, educational initiatives, strategic partnerships, and conference planning. A 2025 graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, she is passionate about expanding access to evidence-based health education and advancing the mission of personalized lifestyle medicine.
Having grown up surrounded by conversations about health and wellness with her father and grandfather, a pioneer in personalized lifestyle medicine, Taylor has been immersed in this field from a young age. Her lifelong exposure to these discussions has inspired her commitment to helping connect healthcare professionals and the public with innovative, science-backed approaches to improving health and well-being.
