The software is based on the 5 areas that research has shown help people with both eating healthy and weight loss.
1. Meal Planning - The Quality Calorie Diet software provides users two week menu plans, complete with shopping lists, based on the number of calories required for a healthy weight. The completely free plan uses Dr. Gourmet recipes, but will also allow users to use recipes from a user’s own Recipe Box in planning menus.
2. Food Diary – Many research studies have shown that keeping track of their food intake leads to greater weight loss and also sustained weight management. Those who use a food diary consistently do better. The Quality Calorie Diet software offers a comprehensive online Food Diary.
3. Goal Tracking - By giving users the tools to track not just foods eaten but also an Exercise Diary, the Dr. Gourmet plan allows documenting of calories consumed vs. calories burned. Because research shows that regular measurement of such information as well as daily weights enhances weight loss the software offers a comprehensive Goal Tracking feature.
4. Groups Lose Weight Better - It is well established that those who work on their weight in a group setting do much better. The Quality Calorie Diet software is the only software of its kind that allows users to create a plan that works for their whole family.
“Families are taken into account - and embraced,” says Dr. Harlan. “Meal plans can be created for groups of any size, age, or weight. Leftovers are allocated into meals later in the week. Nobody wants to cook every day, and great leftovers have a place in our lives and in a healthy diet.”
5. Knowledge - The Dr. Gourmet web site offers extensive information about eating healthy, weight loss, and for a number of health conditions. It is important to understand what is in the food we eat. The new Recipe Box feature allows users to enter their own recipes for use in meal plans and also analyzes the recipes and provides Nutrition Facts.
About Dr. Gourmet
Dr. Harlan is a practicing internist, Medical Director and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. Raised in the restaurant business, he is also an accomplished chef who owned his first restaurant at the age of twenty-two. Dr. Harlan is the author of cookbooks as well as patient education materials, and is the creator of Emmy-winning television programming that helps people better understand how to eat healthy.
Doctors now spend more time than ever helping their patients understand the impact of lifestyle on their health. Dr. Gourmet provides extensive online resources that help patients with the “how and why” of eating healthy. Dr. Gourmet’s mission is to show people how eating great food and eating healthy are one and the same.
The Dr. Gourmet website has extensive information about heart healthy diet. “Just as importantly we offer users the tools to put that information into action” Dr. Harlan says. There are hundreds of recipes for low sodium diets, lactose intolerance and for patients who use warfarin (Coumadin®), as well as those with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and gluten sensitivity. Every recipe includes health-oriented information as well as tips for choosing healthier ingredients or improving your cooking skills.
All of the information on the Dr. Gourmet website has its foundation in evidence-based medicine. To this end, Dr. Gourmet is a Health On the Net Foundation certified website.
