Finally, a Way to Eat That Includes More Than Excludes
He has some great advice, but don’t expect him to tell you what you shouldn’t eat; he believes in focusing on what you should eat instead. Harlan’s latest book Just Tell Me What to Eat!, as reviewed by the Galloping Gourmet Graham Kerr, “does a masterful job of matching good, up-to-the-moment science with good old-fashioned taste.”
BOYT: What was your inspiration to write Just Tell Me What to Eat!?
Timothy S Harlan: My patients. Because I was a chef before becoming a physician I understand food and they turned to me to help them understand what to eat.
Interestingly, I took a very conventional approach for some time, but it was when I came to understand that people wanted to know exactly what to eat that I understood even better. That’s when I began crafting menus from Dr. Gourmet recipes and those were coupled with the information that my patients needed to make substantive change.
At the same time I have long been frustrated by the misinformation that has been spread for the last 40 years about what a healthy diet is and how easy it to eat great food that just happens to be great for you.
We know now that silly fad diets don’t work and that eating great food does and that’s what the book is about.
BOYT: We understand your weight loss program is based on the Mediterranean diet. Why have you found this most effective in helping people lose weight?
Timothy S Harlan: The research is now clear and becoming clearer every day, The Mediterranean diet helps prevent and treat hypertension, diabetes and heart disease better than any other way of eating. The same holds true for weight loss and maintenance.
The challenge is that when I say “Mediterranean diet” people think Greek salad, hummus and dolmas, but the diet plan is not about exotic meals. The research is simply based upon nine basic principles: eat more fruits and nuts, more fish, lean meats and less of it, more veggies, sensible use of fats, whole grains and cereals, good quality dairy like cheeses and yogurts, moderate consumption of alcohol and my favorite, legumes like beans, peanuts and lentils.
Just Tell Me What To Eat!translates those nine Mediterranean diet principles for the American kitchen. For example, chili is as American a meal as you can get. Made with canola oil, lots of veggies like peppers, celery and onions, lean meat, beans and served over brown rice it covers 5 of the 9 categories.
BOYT: You speak of high-quality calories. What are foods that meet this criterion?
Timothy S Harlan: First and foremost, fresh foods and ingredients. By making your own meals it’s much more likely that you’ll be able to use those ingredients noted above.
Generally speaking, the more processed a food is, the poorer the quality of the calories. For example, white bread is made up of poor quality calories and whole wheat bread contains quality calories. It’s not bread that’s bad for us as many people think but, rather, the ingredients used in the bread. The less processed the better.
This extends to almost any ingredient or recipe.
BOYT: What are the top three habits a person can make in their life that would create a huge impact?
Timothy S Harlan:
#1. Plan. It’s clear from the research and I see it every day in my practice; those who make plans to eat well and be healthy will be healthy. As an example, each of us has 21 meals to consume each week and making plans at the beginning of the week, shopping and making our own meals and being prepared is the key step to eating well and losing weight.
2. Stop eating processed foods. This applies across the board to soda, fast food, chain restaurant food, cookies, chips and other junk food. Taking control and consuming meals we make ourselves is healthier. The book leads people through the process of how to make this happen for themselves.
3. Weigh and measure your food. It’s clear that portion size is one of the major reasons we’ve gained weight in the last 20 years. By learning what a portion size should be you’ll always be prepared in any setting.
BOYT: What are your thoughts on a raw, vegetarian, or vegan diet for weight loss? Have you found this effective?
Timothy S Harlan: While I read the literature, this is not something that I have as much personal experience with. We have a vegetarian option in the Just Tell Me What To Eat! menu planning software on the Dr. Gourmet Web site.
Certainly, there’s every reason that these can be healthy, but the key is to make sure that there’s adequate macronutrients and micronutrients.
It’s not an issue with raw diets but both vegan and vegetarian diets can fall into the same trap of consuming highly processed foods. Many of the products on the market are just as bad for you. As a recent interviewer said to me when we were discussing this topic “Organic potato chips are still junk food.”
BOYT: What is your favorite recipe?
Timothy S Harlan: In many ways it’s the next one that I am working on. Because I am creating at least two or three new recipes each week for DrGourmet.com I am interested in what I am fixing now and always work to make it delicious.
As a result we don’t repeat recipes often at my house (other than to perfect them), but the go-to comfort food in my house has always been taco salad. Both my wife and I had our moms make this when we were growing up and it’s a big favorite.
BOYT: What are the staples in your pantry and refrigerator?
Timothy S Harlan: Wow. That’s a huge question. I have an extensively stocked pantry with whole grain pastas, brown rice, polenta, quinoa, dried and canned beans, canned tomatoes, myriad oils and vinegars, spices and herbs and taco shells for making taco salad.
I don’t keep much in my freezer and have the routine condiments in the fridge such as soy sauce, mayonnaise, pickles, olives, catsup, mustard and the like. I do always have great quality cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano and goat cheese for recipes.
The nice thing is that I live four blocks from a Whole Foods and three from a local family owned market here in Uptown New Orleans. My planning for the week’s meals focuses on developing recipes but the proximity to stores gives me the luxury of purchasing fresh ingredients almost every day (I really love walking to the store in the evenings after work).
The middle section of Just Tell Me What To Eat! is all about helping people build a pantry that helps them cook healthy food any time.
BOYT: What are the top three rules to follow when following your plan?
Timothy S Harlan:
1. Plan your week’s meals in advance.
2. Restock your pantry (the 6 week plan in the book helps readers do that).
3. Keep track of your portion sizes and the calories you are eating.
BOYT: We see you don’t discourage eating carbohydrates. Is there a time of day they should be eliminated? What percentage of each meal or snack should be a carbohydrate?
Timothy S Harlan: The idea that one needs to follow a low-carbohydrate diet is just silly. The key is the quality of the carbohydrates.
There is great evidence that consuming a high fiber, whole grain (carbohydrate) breakfast helps people lose weight, but one should consume some carbs along with protein with each meal. The overall percentage of calories from carbs in Mediterranean diet studies is in the 50% range overall.
The best approach is to not think in terms of macronutrients but in terms of food. An apple is mostly carbohydrate and is fantastic for you. Think of it as an apple and not a carbohydrate, however.
BOYT: Lastly, what is the advice you offer clients to
stay motivated?
Timothy S Harlan: Reward yourself. I prefer that when my patients are working on weight loss they not use food as a reward. This can be anything from a night out, shoes, a new bag to something more extravagant like a new car or a vacation. One of the benefits of planning and keeping track is the money that I have seen people save by not eating out for so many meals. That adds up quickly and can help with motivation too.
About Dr. Timothy S Harlan
Timothy S. Harlan, MD—a.k.a. Dr. Gourmet—is the author of Just Tell Me What to Eat! and is medical director at the Tulane University School of Medicine. A chef, professor, and Emmy-winning television personality, he lives in New Orleans. Please visit his website: www.DrGourmet.com.
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