Food Doctors

I've always felt that our health care professionals should care about the way we eat. After all it's food that not only fuels us but can heal or hurt us. Now doctors are realizing that and are taking an interest in everything form shopping to food prep and cooking. This can open their minds to what their patients should be eating and what they should avoid.

This trend was picked up in the New York Times in yet another interesting article in their Dining section.The piece, written by Patricia Leigh Brown, tells of even novices learning how to wield a knife outside the operating room. Doctors learn how to expertly slice  as well as create flavorful and healthy dishes. Dr. David M. Eisenberg is the driving force behind this push, creating conferences and classes for his fellow doctors.Some are former practitioners themselves such Dr John Principe of Parlin Heights,a Chicago suburb. He  now has a culinary boot camp where he teaches patients how to whip up such healthy dishes as cauliflower crust pizza. (Medical insurance does cover the cost under a group medical appointment model)

Learning more about the intricacies of diet and nutrition can benefit doctors,They can recommend tastier yet healthier dishes for their patients. They can recommend subbing in spices as opposed to dictating a salt free diet. Doctors now can suggest meal plans that are not only beneficial but tasty.  Instead of prescribing  bland and over cooked veggies  they now can give them recipes for an antioxidant rich ratatouille or whole wheat pasta with homemade sauce. Everyone is happy then, from a doctor who knows his patients will eat right to the patients themselves; happy they can still eat fun and delicious foods.

Doctors can learn a lot from chefs. With this knowledge they can pass it to their patients. Sometimes food, good and healthy is really the best medicine, It's about time they realize it.