About Dr. Gourmet

My name is Timothy Harlan and I am both a physician and a chef. This blog is a general collection of information and random ideas on eating great food and eating healthy.

You can find more at the Dr. Gourmet web site. Link to http://www.drgourmet.com.

Eat well, eat healthy, enjoy life!

Recent Posts


Fish Sticks? Well... Maybe Not. : Dr. Gourmet Reviews

I have been looking for fish sticks and just haven’t been able to find any to review. This is because the big companies put so many chemicals in their products that I don’t feel all that comfortable reviewing them (let alone having to eat them). [...]

Splenda vs. Sugar: Ask Dr. Gourmet

Q: We know that diet soda consumption has been positively correlated to weight gain, but do we have any idea why? I stopped drinking all sodas, but still use Splenda in my coffee and tea on a daily basis. Is there any evidence that [...]

MSG and Weight Gain: Ask Dr. Gourmet

Q: Recently I read an article about MSG. It claimed that MSG causes weight gain based on a study done by university of Carolina. Is this true?

A: There have been animal models showing that MSG has [...]

Modified Food Starch : Ask Dr. Gourmet

Q: Can you tell me anything about modified food starch/modified corn starch? It is in almost every type of commercially prepared food.

Is this a product that many people are allergic/sensitive to? I strongly suspect that I have an allergy [...]

A Serious Look at Fructose: Dr. Gourmet's Health and Nutrition Bites

Not long ago I answered an “Ask Dr. Gourmet” question about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). She noted that her local Applebee’s had HFCS in almost everything and wondered what research I had done on its risks. At the time I could only say that the research [...]

The Taco Bell Diet?

Just when you think you’ve heard it all.  Taco Bell is touting that you can lose weight eating their food.  True, of course, but at what cost?

Look, we know that if you eat fewer calories, you’ll lose weight.  Anyone can do that and it doesn’t matter what type of calories you eat.  Calories are calories [...]

Guess what? Cereal advertising to kids works!

OK, sarcasm aside, there’s a great report by the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity that shows how marketing has an profound effect on our children’s nutrition.  Here’s the link:

http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=7013

If you want more great info and a look at the Nutrition Facts of cereals click this link:

http://cerealfacts.org/

This is a great organization that [...]

What Doctors Eat (A Good One)

It’s not all bad.  One of my colleagues who is a neurologist does have a good lunch when he’s in clinic.  His nurse (who used to be a chef) puts this together for him.  He is from Iran and there’s always a bit of a Middle Eastern twist with olives, fruit, nuts, ahmok wafers, avocados [...]

Tapioca; Wheatgrass : Ask Dr. Gourmet

Dear Dr. Gourmet,

Q: Just what is tapioca, anyway?

A: Tapioca is a starch that is made from the cassava root. The root is native to South America but has been cultivated around the world for some [...]