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


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 [...]

Are there salt substitutes that are safe for those with diabetes and high blood pressure?

Q: I have diabetes and high blood pressure and am looking for a salt substitute. I bought NoSalt, but the label said people with diabetes or high blood pressure should not use that. What are others without the high potassium level?

Restaurant Review: Daily Grill

In our ongoing pursuit of decent meals at chain restaurants we turned to one that is a bit more upscale. The Daily Grill is not as large a chain as some we have reviewed, but there were high hopes that since the food is [...]

Food Review: Healthy Choice Comfort Food

“New Recipe!” they both say on the box. These are full meals from Healthy Choice – entree, veg, starch and dessert. This week I chose their Beef Tips Portobello and their Classic Meat Loaf, which have 270 and 360 calories respectively. The amount of sodium in each meal is fairly reasonable – for processed foods: [...]

Chevys Fresh Mex : Dr. Gourmet's Food Reviews

I will admit that I don’t like reviewing chain restaurants. I don’t eat in these places because I find the food to be pretty awful, and my dread begins with the research before I even leave the house. Reviewing the nutrition information is, quite simply, terrifying and [...]

Assessing the Salt Content of Processed Foods

About a month ago I had to update our page on Low Sodium Diets (Bite, 03/03/10). Turns out the estimates of how much salt people in the United States were consuming, on average, had gone up: to over 10 GRAMS of salt per day for [...]

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, [...]

Ask Dr. Gourmet: What Diet Will Increase My HDL Cholesterol?

Q: Would you recommend a website with healthy diets that would help to INCREASE MY HDL, good cholesterol?

A: The Dr. Gourmet recipes are designed to do just what you wish — lower total cholesterol, raise HDL cholesterol and lower [...]

Sodium in Dr. Gourmet's Hummus Recipe

Q: Where does all the sodium come from in your Hummus recipe for Coumadin (warfarin) patients? Can it be eliminated?

A: There are a number of [...]

Lowering Cholesterol Without Medication; More : Ask Dr. Gourmet

Dear Dr. Gourmet,

Q: I am a 30-year veteran of the Army and in pretty good condition. I am active, no weight problems and (other than fried chicken) eat pretty reasonable meals. My big drawback is cholesterol. Mine has been as high as 285. My family has a [...]