When Medicine Meets the Kitchen: Dr. Sabrina Falquier on Food as Your Most Powerful Tool

Sabrina Falquier started crying at a medical conference in Napa. Not because something went wrong, but because something finally felt right. After years of seeing 18 patients a day in 15-minute slots, checking all the boxes of a successful medical career while feeling like something was missing, she found herself at Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives—a collaboration between Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America. 

The keynote speaker started talking, and tears came. One shoulder whispered all the possibilities. The other shoulder reminded her of all the reasons she couldn't pursue them. By day two and a half, she realized something that changed everything: her current employer was just that—her current employer. Not her destiny. Now triple board-certified in internal medicine, culinary medicine, and lifestyle medicine, Sabrina has built a career teaching medical students, consulting with community organizations like Olivewood Gardens, and showing people that the most powerful medicine might already be sitting in their pantry. 

 This conversation wanders through the deeply personal terrain of leaving the medical highway for the frontage road, the science behind why plants matter so much, and the quiet courage it takes to listen when something inside you says "there has to be more than this." 

Key Moments & Takeaways 

00:00 - 07:03 | The Conference That Changed Everything Sabrina shares the moment she knew she had to leave traditional primary care. Spoiler: it involved crying at a medical conference and realizing her employer wasn't her destiny. 

07:03 - 15:22 | What Actually Is Culinary Medicine The definition that matters: using food and nutrition to prevent and treat disease through hands-on learning. Medical students cooking in kitchens. Communities learning that canned tomatoes still count. Evidence-based nutrition that doesn't require a Whole Foods budget. 

15:22 - 24:36 | The Plant Kingdom Revolution Why plants matter beyond fiber and nutrients. Phytochemicals, polyphenols, and the compounds that actually make your cells work better. The science behind eating the rainbow (and no, Skittles don't count). 

24:36 - 32:15 | Teaching the Next Generation Medical students learning to cook. Teenagers at Olivewood Gardens discovering that healthy food can taste incredible. The ripple effect of planting seeds with future doctors who will actually talk about food with their patients. 

32:15 - 40:48 | Making It Work in Real Life The pantry strategy when you haven't been to the grocery store. Why frozen and canned vegetables are completely legitimate. How to think about food when your schedule is chaotic and your budget is real. 

40:48 - 49:07 | Rancho La Puerta & What's Next Sabrina's work at the iconic wellness resort in Tecate, Mexico. Teaching in their kitchen. Her husband rediscovering his humanity there during the pandemic. The place where boot camp and hammocks coexist. 

49:07 - 54:25 | Following the Pull The scary, beautiful reality of going off the linear path. No regrets. Financial instability sometimes. The practice of saying yes to mission-aligned opportunities and no to everything else. An invitation to listen to what's calling you next. 

 Resources Mentioned Sensación Salud Website: https://www.sensationssalud.com/

Instagram: @sensationssalud 

Dr. Sabrina Falquier's Podcasts Culinary Medicine Recipe  

Olivewood Gardens and Learning CenterRancho La Puerta (Tecate, Mexico) - April 2025 dates available 

The Kitchenistas of National City documentary Culinary Medicine Resources American College of Lifestyle