Food As Medicine: Preconception, Pregnancy, and Postpartum

Although nutrition plays a significant role in maternal and fetal health before and throughout pregnancy, its role is often marginalized.

This course explores the importance of nutrition in preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum health for the mother, child, and family.  Participants will learn how nutrition maybe be linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, low birth weight, and preterm deliveries. We will also discuss the relationship between nutrition and the developmental origins of health and disease.

We also share clinical tools and resources to you support your patients in improving their nutrition status before conception, during pregnancy, and after childbirth.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Review current nutrition therapy practices for preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
  • Describe evidence for nutrition therapy during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
  • Demonstrate application of food as medicine during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
  • Apply nutrition guidelines during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
  • Demonstrate application of food as medicine during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum
Fam 3hr 01

“As an RN, IBCLC the information in this course is very relevant to my clients’ needs. Most pregnant moms don’t understand “healthy and nutritious” eating and postpartum moms are too busy to think about what they are eating.”

-Angela Plunkett, RN, IBLCC

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by RUSH University Medical Center and American College of Lifestyle Medicine. RUSH University Medical Center is Jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing medical education for the healthcare team. 

For Medicine: RUSH University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 3.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 
 
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit. 

For Nursing: RUSH University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 3.00 nursing contact hour(s). 

For Pharmacy: RUSH University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based activity for a maximum of 3.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacists. 

For Psychologists: RUSH University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 3.00 CE credits in psychology. Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs. 

For Dieticians: This enduring material has been approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Completion of this activity awards 3.00 CPEUs. 

For Social Work: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, RUSH University Medical Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved continuing education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 3.00 general continuing education credits. 

For physical therapy or occupational therapy: RUSH University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. RUSH University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 3.00 continuing education credits. 

ABIM MOC: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 3.00 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participation completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit. 

AAFP Prescribed Credits: The AAFP has reviewed Food as Medicine: Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum and deemed it acceptable for up to 3.00 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credit(s). Term of Approval is from 04/12/2025 to 04/12/2026. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

ABLM MOC:  The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine has approved 3 maintenance of certification credits (MOC) for this learning activity.   

For NBC-HWCs: The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) has approved 3 continuing education credits for this learning activity: CEA-000043-1.

Unapproved Uses of Drugs/Devices: In accordance with requirements of the FDA, the audience is advised that information presented in this continuing medical education activity may contain references to unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices. Please refer to the FDA approved package insert for each drug/device for full prescribing/utilization information. 

It is the policy of the Interprofessional Continuing Education office at RUSH to ensure that its CE activities are independent, free of commercial bias. Therefore, we manage all financial relationships associated with accredited continuing education activities. RUSH asks everyone who has the ability to control or influence the content of an educational activity to disclose information about all of their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. An ineligible company is an entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. There is no minimum threshold; individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies. Individuals must disclose regardless of their view of the relevance of relationships to education. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any potential conflicts of interest prior to the planning, implementation, or evaluation of the continuing education activity. If a financial relationship is identified for the person in control of content, conflict mitigation strategies will be used to mitigate the financial relationship before they assume their role.  

Individuals in control of content for this activity have the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose and all financial relationships have been mitigated. 

Rohit Moghe, PharmD, MSPH, CDCES 

Member, Speaker’s Bureau: Novo Nordisk 

All other individuals in control of content have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies. 

Course Format
This course consists of 3 presentations

Duration
3 hours of CME/CE content

Specifications 
This course can be viewed on desktop, tablet or mobile device. Speakers or headphones are required for this course

Term of Approval
April 12, 2025 – April 11, 2027

Enrollment
Access to online material is granted through the term of approval which ends April 11, 2027.

Module Topics & Course Outline

Preconception Nutrition | Nancy Eriksen MD, FACOG, DipABLM
Learning Objectives:

  • Review the role of current preconception nutrition in health care
  • Discuss the evidence-based need for preconception nutrition
  • Discuss preconception nutrition guidelines
  • Demonstrate application of food as medicine during preconception

Pregnancy & Nutrition | Nancy Eriksen MD, FACOG, DipABLM
Learning Objectives:

  • Review the role of pregnancy nutrition currently in the healthcare system
  • Review the evidence for a focus on nutrition in pregnancy
  • Describe the current nutritional status of pregnant women
  • Review nutrition guidelines for pregnancy

Postpartum Nutrition | Kristi R. VanWinden, MD, FACOG, DipABLM
Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss postpartum nutritional needs and barriers to optimal postpartum nutrition
  • Review the limited published recommendations for postpartum nutrition
  • Discuss infant nutrition recommendations and the role of maternal nutrition during lactation
  • Examine the potential benefits of a healthy postpartum dietary pattern
  • Review how postpartum nutrition can be used to address women with a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes
  • Compile recommendations for postpartum dietary choices

Access to more resources and a network of women’s health specialists through ACLM Connect.  Log in or sign up for free. Imagine patient facing tools, discussion threads, and webinars focused on women and pediatric health.