New Diet Plan for Patients on Blood Thinners

The Quality Calorie Diet for Coumadin Users is the newest diet book from Dr. Gourmet

New Orleans, LA, May 30, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Timothy S. Harlan, M.D., also known as Dr. Gourmet, today announces the release of The Quality Calorie Diet for Coumadin Users in both paperback and eBook format.

Coumadin® (generic name: warfarin) is a prescription medication used primarily to prevent blood clots. Each year, thousands of people with conditions such as stroke, pulmonary or deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks or artificial heart valves are put on Coumadin for periods lasting from six months to life. This medication is most effective when its levels in the bloodstream remain fairly constant, requiring regular blood tests and close monitoring for those taking the drug. However, warfarin's effectiveness is easily influenced by the amount of Vitamin K in the body: simply eating too much of a food containing high levels of Vitamin K can significantly reduce its effectiveness.

This is the challenge faced by all Coumadin users: a normal, varied diet can result in widely varying levels of Coumadin (warfarin) in the bloodstream. For decades doctors have been handling the issue of the amount of Vitamin K in a patient's diet by telling their patients to avoid all foods containing Vitamin K. Their patients are given a list of foods to avoid, such as broccoli, spinach, cabbages and greens, but little further guidance, leaving their patients confused about what they can and can't eat.

With The Quality Calorie Diet for Coumadin Users, patients can easily manage their intake of vitamin K by following the six weekly meal plans outlined in the book. With accompanying recipes, weekly shopping lists, and the levels of Vitamin K in thousands of foods, Dr. Harlan has taken the guesswork out of the Coumadin diet. The cookbook and menu planner is available in paperback and eBook format at DrGourmet.com.

About Dr. Gourmet

Timothy S. Harlan, M.D. 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. He is the author of cookbooks as well as patient education materials, and is the creator of Emmy-winning television programming that helps viewers better understand how to eat healthy.

DrGourmet.com is firmly grounded in evidence-based medicine and its diets and recipes are based on the Mediterranean Diet, the only diet clinically proven to help prevent heart disease. It includes 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.

For more information: contact Timothy S. Harlan, M.D., at (504) 931-2929, drgourmet@drgourmet.com

###
Contact
Dr. Gourmet
Timothy S. Harlan, M.D.
504.400.7573
www.drgourmet.com
ContactContact
Categories