Interdisciplinarity is especially relevant in the field of dietetics and nutrition since it is quite common for dietitian-nutritionists to integrate into multidisciplinary teams and/or have to create work synergies with professionals from other fields (such as medicine, nursing, biotechnology, psychology, veterinary, medicine, pharmacy, cooking, economics, etc.). Therefore, promoting the teaching-learning process from an interdisciplinary perspective is of great utility for the students within Bachelor’s Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics.

This teaching innovation project focuses on two subjects of the Bachelor’s Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Zaragoza. These subjects are Diet Therapy and Culinary Technology, both are taught annually in the third year of the Degree. Diet Therapy equips students with the skills to plan individualized dietary approaches for different pathologies, based on scientific evidence. Culinary Technology provides knowledge about cooking techniques and the changes that food undergoes, enabling students to adapt recipes to the patient's nutritional requirements while preserving their sensory quality.

The teaching innovation project presented here aimed to integrate both disciplines into a realistic clinical context using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Students worked in groups to solve complex clinical cases (patients with comorbidities and specific life circumstances). Based on the cases, they carried out a clinical-nutritional assessment, defined therapeutic goals, and developed a dietary plan, including a three-day menu. These menus were nutritionally calibrated and included three selected dishes (starter, main course, and dessert), which students prepared in the kitchen. They had to adapt the ingredients and cooking techniques to meet the clinical, nutritional, and sensory needs of each patient. The students delivered an oral presentation including clinical-nutritional and dietary characteristics, as well as the development in the kitchen of the dishes, which they had to document graphically.

The project was carried out by 28 students and was very positively assessed. Although there were more students taking the subjects, the project was only carried out with those students who were taking them at the same time. A total of 86% considered the project decisive for their learning. Moreover, 85% stated that the project was useful in achieving the learning outcomes of both subjects, and 82% expressed a high level of interest in the activity. The project’s impact went beyond subject-specific knowledge, raising motivation, critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, and the ability to apply theoretical knowledge to professional practice. This experience shows that interdisciplinary collaboration between Diet Therapy and Culinary Technology is not only feasible but also highly effective in strengthening the main competencies of future dietitians-nutritionists.

Keywords: Interdisciplinary, education, Problem-Based Learning.