Eating Well, Living Better

Everyone loves to eat. And everyone wants to be healthy. But how do we navigate between today's extremes-between those offering us gastronomic gluttony and the siren song of convenient junk food and those preaching salvation only through deprivation and boring food choices? Dr. Michael Fenster draws upon his expertise and training as an interventional cardiologist and as a chef to forge a path through this wilderness to offer readers a middle path that endorses both fine dining and health eating. As a chef and foodie, and someone who has battled the bulge himself, he knows that if the food doesn't taste great, no one will sustain any program for a lifetime. Here, Dr. Mike introduces the idea of becoming a Grassroots Gourmet. Being a Grassroots Gourmet is all about using fresh, wholesome ingredients, from local sources when you can get them. It is about the judicious use of salt, sugars, and fat to create wonderfully appealing and tasty, restaurant-worthy dishes. You do not need to be a trained chef; a few simple techniques, described here, go along way. As a physician, chef, and martial arts expert, Fenster combines knowledge from all three fields to present a cooking and dining program that recognizes our desire to eat great food without gaining weight and without sacrificing our health along the way. Revealing the latest data on previously forbidden foods like red meat and foie gras, Dr. Mike describes why these can be delicious AND healthy choices. He guides the reader step by step through a philosophy of eating and living that is sustainable and enjoyable once the commitment is made, and offers original, kitchen-tested recipes, and information about various food choices. Recipes include: Oven Roasted Mushroom Stuffed Quail with Blueberry ChimichuriChicken YakitoriSaffron Risotto with Mushrooms, Peas, and Pearl OnionsFrench Omelet with Truffle Butter and BrieButternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown ButterPorcini Mushroom and Artichoke Heart RaguGrilled Pork Loin MargaritaBlood Orange Curry Sauce

Michael Fenster, M.D., combines his culinary talents and Asian philosophy with medical expertise, creating winning recipes for healthy eating. A certified wine professional and chef, "Dr. Mike" worked professionally in kitchens prior to entering medical school and maintained his passion for food and wine throughout his medical career. Mike helped manage the award winning Napa Alley in Roanoke, Virginia, and hosted a local cable TV cooking show, "What's Cookin' with Doc" in Dublin, GA. He has written columns for SheKnows.com, is a regular columnist for the culinary magazine Basil, as well as a member of their Council of Chefs and a monthly health and fitness contributor to The Tampa Tribune. He has appeared several times on the nationally syndicated Daytime TV show as well as other television programs. As a physician, Dr. Mike is a Board Certified Interventional Cardiologist, who has participated in numerous clinical trials and spoken nationally on a variety of cardiovascular topics to audiences ranging from lay public to medical professionals. He has made presentations at organizations such as the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, and he served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at North East Ohio University College of Medicine (NEOUCOM). Dr. Mike is currently taping episodes for a new television show called "What's Cookin' with Doc: House Calls," to air in nationally in various markets. He holds a JuDan (10th degree black belt) ranking in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Dr. Mike lives in Spring Hill, FL. For more, check out the authors website www.whatscookingwithdoc.com/home/

1: Why this Book 2: How I Achieved Culinary Buddhahood (and you can, too) 3: Understanding Extremes 4: The Middle Path 5: Taste versus Addiction 6: Diet or Die? Neither! 7: The Grassroots gourmet 8: First: Good Escape Make 9: Get Fresh, but No Adulteration 10: On Time and In Proportion: 11: Food Porn: 12: Great Food, God and the Art of Cooking: 13: Why Wine? 14: Past and Present 15: But Doc, I Can't .: Common Myths and Misconceptions 16: Techniques, Tips and Other Tasty Bits 17: Firsts (recipes) 18: Mains (recipes) 19: Stocks, Sauces and More Tasty Bits 20: Be A Buddha Index to Recipes Index to Healthy Bytes References Resources