“Served with seared flesh or over-cooked vegetables”
Michael Klaper, MD
That is Dr. Michael Klaper’s definition of restaurant food. Of course, some restaurants offer much more healthful meals than others, but almost all of them make extensive use of salt, sugar and fat. Why? Because that’s what people want.
I have been reading about Dr. Klaper and watching his videos for years but didn’t meet him in person until seeing him speak at a Dr. Stoll’s Total Health Immersion event this past fall in Naples, Florida. Shortly after that, I added him to my MD Help page that has become so popular on my site.
Last week, I ran across this fairly recent ten-minute video of Dr. Klaper talking about restaurant foods. It caught my attention and I immediately decided to share it with my readers.
Dr. Michael Klaper’s definition of restaurant food
- Ethnic-Flavored Salt, Sugar and Fat (Chinese, Italian, French, Thai–you name it)
- Served with seared flesh or over-cooked vegetables
Toward the end of the video, he offers his own personal guidelines for restaurant eating:
- Less is more, eat before you go.
- Order as healthfully as possible and then leave.
Understanding the Truth about Restaurant Food
Although I never purchase any olive oil, dip bread in it before a meal or add it to my salad, there is no doubt that I consume plenty whenever I partake in restaurant meals. But there are some restaurants who do a pretty good job of taking care of their regulars and agree to prepare the foods with minimal salt, sugar and fat.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York
As for sugar, we’ve been reading a lot about this deadly substance lately. As you know, our food producers are putting sugar in everything—with “high fructose corn syrup” ranking near the top of ingredients in almost every packaged food imaginable.
Quite frankly, it is darn near impossible to find unsweetened soy milk, almond milk, or dry cereal (in your typical Big Y or Stop & Shop) these days. You’re more likely to find those unsweetened items in the more upscale and health conscious stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Wegman’s. But even there, the sugared products far outweigh the unsweetened choices.
Mayor Bloomberg. Speaking of sugar, I noticed NYC Mayor Bloomberg on Letterman recently (3-11-13)—right after the courts threw out his ban on super-sized sugary drinks. Although he has good intentions in terms of trying to reduce obesity and promote public health—one remark caused me to realize that he’s going to need some help when it comes to launching a true health-promotion initiative among NY City employees—similar to the one launched by the mayor of Chicago.
What was the remark? He jokingly mentioned something about his fondness for cheese. Little does he know that milk and cheese are probably causing more health problems than sugar—and are causing far more environmental problems. Anyone know how to get me an appointment with the mayor? I would love to have the Big Apple Mayor as my dream client. As for his comment about cheese, you can see it for yourself in this 2-minute video:
“As long as you don’t ban cheeses, you’re okay. Cheeses are my addiction.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
- An earlier blog. Healthy eating on the road — almost an oxymoron
- An earlier blog. Sugar Kills! — Dr. Sanjay Gupta on “60 Minutes” | J. Morris Hicks …
- Want to make a phone appointment with Dr. Klaper, visit our MD Help page.
Handy 4-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com
- The movie that’s changing the lives of millions: Forks Over Knives DVD
- Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
- An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
- Dr. McDougall’s new book, The Starch Solution, with lots of great recipes.
Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com
International. We’re now reaching people in over 100 countries. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or get daily blog notices by “following” us in the top of the right-hand column. For occasional updates, join our periodic mailing list.
To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now
J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.
For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.
Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.
SHARE and rate this post below.
—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation
J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy. 
Thanks for another great post. Even though it isn’t new learning for me, it is always helpful to be reminded.
Lately, I feel like a subversive with my somewhat-new knowledge about true healthy (plant-based) eating. It is shocking to me how truly angry and upset most people get when confronted with the facts about truly healthy eating. Tell someone that olive oil, fish, cheese, milk, etc. isn’t healthy, and you’d think you attacked them personally. So many get SO upset.
Therefore, I’ve been quietly doing my own thing…feeling like a subversive…afraid to speak the truth out loud…trying to avoid ruffling feathers…. I’m glad there are people like you doing it! What you are doing really takes guts.
Jim,
Dr Klaper’s video does his usual excellent job of analyzing restaurant food. But his resignation about eating in restaurants does not jibe with my attitude. Like the pernicious effects of the three martini business lunch, I recognized that to control my weight loss program I had to stay out of restaurants. Restaurant eating is a social thing that can be avoided with a little effort. Consuming food is never a good idea when doing business because your blood rushes from your brain to your stomach so you end up making bad decisions. And there are countess alternatives to restaurant personal socializing, starting with inviting friends to a home-cooked meal.
So I reject resignation about HAVING to eat in restaurants. It is neither desirable or necessary. One of the best things a dieter can do after a kitchen makeover is to simply resolve to stay out of restaurants.
In case you missed Dr. Klaper’s “Food That Kills” (six ten-minute videos) here they are.