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


Right-Size Your Recipes: Dr. Gourmet's Health and Nutrition Bites

As you might expect, I collect cookbooks. The first cookbook I bought for myself was the Peanuts Cook Book, but the one my mother used most (and I bet yours did too) was The Joy of Cooking. I actually have several copies of this venerable cookbook, from [...]

If It's In the House....

It may interest you to know that the food you keep at home provides 72%, by weight, of all food that you eat. This is assuming that you do not prepare most meals at home, however. If you do make most of your meals at home (breakfast [...]

Eat Well, Feel Better

We know that a Mediterranean Diet is good for the body: it’s been strongly linked with a lower risk of cancer, heart disease and overall mortality. But it’s also been shown to be good for the mind: even a moderate adherence to a Mediterranean style diet can [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

Nuts and Cholesterol : Dr. Gourmet's Health and Nutrition Bites

In my recent The Real World Diet Coaching Article about snacking I talk about how important snacking is as well as the best snack choices. Some people are savory or salty snackers (pretzels or chips), while other are sweet snackers (cookies or chocolate). I suggest some healthier [...]

Testing for Celiac Disease : Dr. Gourmet's Health and Nutrition Bites

We don’t normally report on research that isn’t directly related to food (that’s what Dr. Gourmet is all about, after all). Today I’m going to make an exception because Celiac Disease is so challenging to diagnose. Stomach pain, diarrhea and bloating, some of the more common symptoms [...]

Managing Lactose Intolerance : Health and Nutrition Bites

Chances are you know someone who is lactose intolerant. After all, about 20% of Caucasians, over 50% of Hispanic Americans, 75% of those of African descent, almost 80% of Native American Indians and 80% of Asians are lactose intolerant to some degree.