Hello, Culinary Arts Students,

    Being a chef is not just about creating delicious foods and menus that appeal to all the senses.  It should also be about creating delicious foods and menus that contribute to the diner's health and wellness.  These days, there seems to be a lot of confusion, in the minds of most Americans, about what is "healthy." In contrast,  most nutrition scientists, like myself, are not confused at all and there is a lot of agreement about what is healthy when it comes to diet and nutrition, and what is not.  The fact is that what is fashionable and trendy is not, necessarily, what is healthy. 

    Health issues such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure are presently overwhelming our country's optimism and economy.  Here is an example of one such problem:

    Nutrition scientists agree that the important diet and nutrition issues are salt, sugar, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories...why are Americans mis-focused on non-issues, like "natural," organic, hormone-free, free-range, and diet foods and drinks? This can be explained by understanding the rise in "POP" nutrition in this country...nutrition messages controlled by food companies and advertising/marketing firms whose goal is to encourage Americans to buy.

    Nutrition messages should be what is called "evidence-based;" that means there must be SCIENCE behind the information, not profit.  So, one of the points of this lecture is to help you gain the lifelong tools necessary for determining what are the important diet and nutritional issues and what are the marketing and advertising issues.  You will need to understand PRINCIPLES for evaluating foods and recipes. This is because foods and recipes will change throughout your life, but the PRINCIPLES for evaluating them will not. 

    I write a diet and nutrition column for The Medical Examiner called "Ask Dr. Karp."  People either emailed me questions or used Facebook to post them or message them to me.  You can find previously-published columns on this website: "Ask Dr. Karp" Columns   I also have a website with some recipes on it...using the principles of what I call "Feng-Shui Cooking"

     You can "Friend" me on Facebook. Feel free to post questions for me on Facebook or send me questions or comments in a Facebook message or via email at wbkarp@gmail.com  What I am hoping is that you view me speaking with you as developing a long-term resource for you, not just a one-time presentation.

    You can find more information, including very practical information for you, your family, and your friends at:

Dr. Karp's Nutrition Web Resources

   Evidenced-based Sources of Nutrition Information

    I encourage you to contact me, particularly if you have a specific question about nutrition or diet.  I always enjoy hearing from students, either via email or Facebook. 

Regards, 

Bill

wbkarp.com

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About The Speaker

Warren B. Karp, Ph.D., D.M.D. is Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pedaitrics, Oral Biology and Oral Diagnosis at Augusta University in Augusta, GA.  He has a Ph.D. in nutritional biochemistry from The Ohio State University and a D.M.D. from Augusta University.  He is an elected member of The American Institute of Nutrition, The American Society of Clinical Nutrition, and is Past President of The Georgia Nutrition Council.  He has served as the Director of the Nutrition Consult Service at the Dental College of Georgia for over 20 years, appointed to the Governor's Obesity Taskforce, the American Heart Association lecturer, and served as the Vice Chair of The Columbia County Board of Health.  He is married Dr. Nancy Karp, a physical therapist and they have two (grown) children.  In addition to Dr. Karp's healthcare career, he is an American jazz musician.  You can find a biographical sketch and more about Dr. Karp here: wbkarp.com