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


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 [...]

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, [...]

Polyunsaturated vs. Monounsaturated : Ask Dr. Gourmet

Q: Isn’t olive oil also poyunsaturated [in addition to being monounsaturated]? Is it as effective in reducing the risk of a heart attack or stroke?

A: Certainly polyunsaturated fats are a good choice. Olive oil contains more monounsaturated fat than [...]

Quantifying the Effects of Less Salt : Dr. Gourmet's Health and Nutrition Bites

I have said in the past that the typical American eats over 6000 milligrams (or 6 GRAMS) of sodium per day. A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine (2010;362:590-9) means I’m going to have to update that figure: the latest estimates, [...]

The Effects of Being Healthy: Dr. Gourmet's Health and Nutrition Bites

Most studies that I’ve reported on here in my Health and Nutrition Bites are focused on the risks of negative health factors such as being overweight or obese, having a high Waist to Hip ratio, being inactive or smoking. Those studies tell you that having those risk [...]

Quitting Smoking and Diabetes : Dr. Gourmet's Health and Nutrition Bites

We know that quitting smoking reduces many risks to your health, and not just cancer: heart disease, emphysema and diabetes are also commonly linked to smoking. One of the reasons many of my patients cite for fearing to quit smoking, however, is the weight gain that so [...]

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 [...]

Sometimes It's Just That Simple

If you’ve been reading my Health and Nutrition Bites for a while, you know they’re all about numbers. Quintiles, quartiles, percents, pounds and kilograms… it can all be a little overwhelming when you’re trying to figure out what is the best way to live healthier and longer. [...]

Ask Dr. Gourmet: Canola Oil

Q: Is canola oil a good oil or a bad oil? I have been reading a lot about people who are refusing to cook or bake with canola oil. I usually choose expeller pressed when I buy it. Can you clarify the debate surrounding canola oil?