The acronym of the Standard American Diet provides a pretty good description of what it does to our bodies and how it makes us feel: SAD. Scientific studies show it promotes inflammation, works against our microbiome, could be exacerbating mental illness and cognitive decline, and could certainly shorten our lives. Enter Julia Nordgren, pediatrician and graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. In the 12 fascinating lessons of Eat for Your Health: Simple Science and Fantastic Flavor, Dr. Nordgren will bust the myths the food industry has been propagating, explain the truth about how nutrients work in the human body, and teach the basic cooking skills that will allow you to create healthy and delicious meals in your kitchen at home.
Eat for Your Health: Simple Science and Fantastic Flavor
Learn the basic nutritional science that can help you make better food choices and apply your newfound knowledge in your own kitchen.
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Kim Kemal from
Only if you LOVE to cook and have lots of time
This is an average grade: 5 if you love to cook, for hours every day; 1 if like me you eat to be healthy but you have a full and demanding life - and you get your 'fun time' in other ways.
I had high hopes for this class. I'd love to see some real demos of How-To cook some great QUICK, EASY meals. I quickly learned - No. This presenter - for what she called a 'simple green salad' - has you drying the leaves in a drying tool, so that it is completely dry before you put the dressing (we'll get to that), and the (fresh picked of course) herbs. That dressing? A vinaigrette that you whip up specifically for a particular meal, every day. You have your own herb garden and nothing better to do with your day but pick individual leaves at the peak of perfection, right?
If cooking is your passion, and you don't have a FT job doing something else difficult and mentally demanding, or going to school full-time studying something with five hours of study and projects and homework every single day, and you also don't have kids, cats, elderly parents, poodles that need walkies.... you know, normal American adult life, then this class is a 5.
I eat healthy every day. No junk food ever. Restaurant with a healthy salad, hummus, etc. menu twice a month. So I was looking for tips to add more taste without adding more time, complexity, greens-drying appliances, or mixing fresh salad dressing every day. [Olive oil and vinegar; nothing healthier.] I was looking.... need to keep looking.
Date published: 2024-08-31
Rated 5 out of
5
by
NY Chuck from
Fabulous practical course
Engaging and knowledgeable instructor, helpful science and outstanding recipes which apply the scientific info she provides, I'm an intermediate cook and this course advanced my skills and successfully conveyed her point that eating can be delicious as well as healthy. I've taken all your courses by Bill Briwa, and they are wonderful. But this course offered recipes that are all on my level. I've already tried a few. Highly recommended.
Date published: 2024-08-25
Rated 5 out of
5
by
DLBthanks from
Great combo of the how and why
One of the best and practical presentations for changing one's food intake. Very engaging presentation style. Pertinent background as to the current science behind each segment and helpful hints to prepare food. I wish I had seen this when I was working (in healthcare). I tried one of the recipes (turkey chili) and it was wonderful, and easy to make. Am going to make the orange chicken next. Can't wait!
Date published: 2024-08-22
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Retired healthcare worker from
An excellent course for healthy eating.
Dr. Nordgren comes from medical background and nutritional science. I’m in mid 60’s and raised two children. I wish I had known these information as they were growing up. We did a lot of fast food restaurants as they were in so many activities and no time to cook. Now they are grown with their own children, I want to encourage them to watch this video so they can cook nutritious meals for their family. I tried several recipes she suggested and came out great. Thank you.
Date published: 2024-08-15
Rated 5 out of
5
by
bobbi j 2 from
This is the course I have been waiting to see! I try hard to follow a healthy diet. The doctor/chef/mom is delightful, engaging, and knowledgeable. I have tried several of the recipes, and each has been everything she promised. I hope she does more courses for Great Courses Plus.
Date published: 2024-08-03
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Milann from
Eat for Your Health -Lecture 6
I am loving all of the lectures. I love the science of the body, of nutrition and the cooking examples. Your science explanations are so easy to understand. A suggestion when making your banana bread - get a dough whisk. You'll never use a regular whisk again. And it easy to scrape out the dough and super easy to clean. Thank you for this series.
Date published: 2024-07-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
pat2024 from
A course for doctors and patients
The writer Wendell Berry once said, "People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food."
Dr. Nordgren has chosen a critical role in this system → someone in the health industry who pays attention to food. I have eaten this way for many years and, just 2 years ago, my (former) doctor listed the way I eat as a "Risk Factor."
Congratulations to The Great Courses and Dr. Nordgren for focusing on an urgent problem that must be fixed if we are to not only survive but thrive.
Date published: 2024-07-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Thanuja from
Enjoyable course!
It is an enjoyable and engaging course! I like the scienetific details and some nuances explained in the course concening the food; but less interested in the food prep stuff which is not my area of expertise for sure. More science always good for understanding the health, healthy dietary requirements and the like.
I'd say foodies as well as health-concerned viewers will enjoy this course! Thanks "Great Courses" to put this one out!
Date published: 2024-07-25
Overview
About
Dr. Julia Nordgren is a Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics at Stanford Medicine. She earned her MD from Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine and is board certified in Pediatrics. She is also a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). She shares her unique expertise in food and health with patients in her medical practice and medical students at Stanford, where she teaches culinary medicine. She speaks regularly at the prestigious Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference, presented by the CIA and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. She also authored the cookbook The New Family Table.
Trailer
01: Simple Science, Fantastic Flavor
Explore the world of fast food—right in your own kitchen. Learn to create a quick and flavorful burrito buffet with grains, beans, veggies, fruits, chicken, and crema. As you watch your expert prepare all parts of the buffet, you’ll be surprised how easily it all comes together. Even if you’re a novice cook, you’ll develop the confidence you need to create this beautiful spread in your own home.
33 min
02: Heart-Healthy Foods for the Family
Learn how to interpret your cholesterol blood levels—low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins, and triglycerides. You’ll discover how the three are related to the production of plaque that can clog your arteries, leading to heart disease. And you’ll be surprised to learn about some higher-fat foods that can work to improve your heart health.
38 min
03: Eating to Reduce Inflammation
Your cholesterol numbers do not tell the whole story. Discover other factors that contribute to your risk of heart disease, especially the role played by chronic inflammation. Explore how your dietary patterns can reduce inflammation and heart risk and watch Dr. Nordgren prepare a delicious anti-inflammatory dinner.
34 min
04: Eat, Sleep, and Be Merry
Humans need consistent sleep, uninterrupted, night after night, to be mentally clear and physically fit. Learn about the relationship between sleep deprivation and weight gain, the role of caffeine, sleep-friendly foods, and obesity and sleep complications. You don’t have to give up coffee; but when the science is so clear, you’ll want to give yourself the best possible chance for the best night sleep.
40 min
05: Breakfast and the Sugar Spike
Have you ever had that mid-morning “crash,” when you want nothing more than to take a nap at your desk? That’s what comes after a breakfast full of refined carbohydrates. Learn about the glycemic index, glycemic load, and how to make a delicious breakfast that will give you a slow rise of energy throughout the morning.
30 min
06: Understanding the Science of Sweetness
Brain scans show that sugar acts on the same reward pathways as drugs like heroin or cocaine. In response, the food industry has created highly processed foods with the excess sugar we crave, leading to increased inflammation, oxidative stress, and the parallel epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Learn about the different types of sugars and how natural sweetness can bring its own health benefits.
38 min
07: Mental Health and the Mind-Gut Connection
Is it possible that what and how we eat influence our moods and even mental health? Explore the gut-brain axis, the constant communication we are just beginning to understand. Learn the role our gut biota plays in this important communication, and about mindful eating and its potential positive effects on both mental and physical health.
33 min
08: Feeding Your Brain to Protect Your Memory
In addition to affecting mood, your food can also affect cognition, memory, and neuroplasticity. Learn how the Standard American Diet negatively affects the way brain cells communicate with one another, potentially leading to cognitive decline. Explore the Mediterranean diet, which the data show has a strong link to good health and longevity, and the MIND diet, which has shown a remarkable slowing of age-related cognitive decline.
37 min
09: How to Get the Protein You Need
Delve into the science of protein to understand the role it plays in the human body and to separate fact from marketing. While it’s true that proteins are vital for many bodily functions, it is not true that you must ingest the exact protein you need. Your body accesses your pool of amino acids to build the proteins it needs. And your best bet for making sure that pool has the amino acids you need? A very diverse diet of whole foods.
35 min
10: The Keto Diet and Low-Carb Eating
Explore the science behind the ketogenic diet and learn the difference between keto-friendly foods and the medical use of the state of ketosis. Strict adherence to this diet is extremely difficult and can even be risky. But it can be a good idea to incorporate keto-friendly foods into your own eating plan.
37 min
11: Amp Up Your Food Prep and Veggie Technique
Let’s face it, cooking takes time! There’s the shopping, prep, cooking, and cleanup. A huge industry has come up to sell us prepared foods instead—convenient foods that have taken a toll on our nation’s health. Learn three simple steps you can take to make cooking at home easier than you’d thought possible—and of course, healthier, too.
26 min
12: Build Flavor with Umami (with or without Meat)
What is the main reason we eat meat, even knowing that it isn’t good for us? Flavor, always the flavor. Meat is unique in that it offers a rich, earthy, salty taste experience called umami, the fifth basic taste in addition to sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Explore how to capture umami from vegetables by using the “protein flip” concept in your cooking, using meat as a flavoring instead of the focus of the dish.
38 min
