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


Short Term Splurge - Long Term Fat

Just this week I posted an article with my best tips for eating healthy during holidays. While holidays are a time to splurge – and that can certainly be part of a healthy lifestyle – what the end-of-year round of holiday parties means for many [...]

Parmigiano-Reggiano; Cinnamon; More : Ask Dr. Gourmet

Q: I’ve noticed that many of your featured recipes recently include cilantro. Realizing that a large percentage of the population loves the herb, I absolutely detest it. And seeing as how I love your recipes in general, I was hoping you could offer some [...]

Vitamins; Diets for Multiple Conditions; More : Ask Dr. Gourmet

Q: Is the product Vitamin Water Zero a hoax or does it have some redeeming value?

A: My opinion is that this is a scam. There’s no reason to take multivitamins except in some very specific cases and there’s no [...]

More Brown, Less White : Dr. Gourmet's Health and Nutrition Bite

Today’s Health and Nutrition Bite: More Brown, Less White

White rice is essentially brown rice that has been processed to remove the outer bran and germ parts of the rice. This is why brown rice is considered a “whole grain” and white rice is not. There’s a lot [...]

Sweets; Raspberries; More: Ask Dr. Gourmet

Q: I have a terrible sweet tooth and my blood sugar is normal. I’m otherwise healthy and have no blood pressure problems. Can too many sweets cause me to become diabetic? Should I be concerned?

A: It is a myth [...]

Another Reason to Avoid Sugary Drinks: Dr. Gourmet's Health and Nutrition Bites

Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, lemonade, sweetened fruit drinks and punches has been shown to be linked to obesity, leading to diabetes and heart disease. Being overweight is also linked to high blood pressure, which can also lead to heart disease, as [...]

Whole Grains, Bran Fiber and Diabetes

Over the last several years I’ve written plenty of articles about the positive effects of eating more fiber and whole grains. Eating more fiber can help adolescents reduce their risk of developing diabetes, while eating more fiber can help overweight adults lose more [...]

Ask Dr. Gourmet: Hypoglycemia

Q: I am a female weighing only 102 lbs. and I’m 5′2″. I have been hypoglycemic for 8 years. Now when I test my sugar it is going in the higher range. I am also having trouble with blurry eyes. I have been trying [...]

Ask Dr. Gourmet: Diabetes and CHF

Q: My husband has type 2 diabetes as well as congestive heart failure. He is 67.5 years old, is 5′7″ and weighs 313 lbs. Is there a place where I can get recipes that deal with all three issues?

Red Meat is Fine! Redux

Nutritionists and doctors have been saying for years to limite your intake of red meat. Certainly if you’ve used The Real World Diet to plan your meals, you’ve seen that I recommend that you limit yourself to one red meat meal per week. In terms of nutrition, [...]