WELCOME!

Welcome to The Foodie Physician! On this site, you’ll find practical advice and hundreds of easy-to-follow recipes with step-by-step photos that will help inspire you to take control of your health, one delicious meal at a time!  Whether you’re looking to manage a chronic condition, lose weight, or simply improve your overall health, you’re in the right place!

I’m Dr. Sonali Ruder, also known as The Foodie Physician. As an ER doctor and classically trained chef, I’m passionate about the power of food and how it can positively impact our health. I believe that we can take control of our health, and it all starts in the kitchen!

I’ve always had a love for cooking and after completing my medical training, I followed that passion by attending culinary school in New York City. I did my culinary externship in the test kitchen at Rachel Ray magazine, where I learned the ins and outs or professional recipe development.

Over the years, I’ve authored several cookbooks, including “The Foodie Physician Cookbook” and my latest eBook “The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook & Guide.” Check out my Amazon author page.

My recipes and articles have also been featured on many online websites and publications, including The Today Show, Reader’s Digest, First For Women, Self, Women’s Health, and Fort Lauderdale Illustrated. I’ve also been a featured guest on TV shows like The Dr. Oz Show, cooking competitions on The Food Network, and local cooking segments on the morning news. Check out my Media Page for more.

I recently completed specialized training in culinary medicine and am excited to say that I am now a Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist (CCMS). That means that I am able to integrate nutrition and culinary education into patient care. I can provide evidence-based dietary recommendations and practical cooking skills to help my patients prevent and manage chronic diseases through healthy eating habits.

I grew up in New York and moved to sunny South Florida in 2012. I currently live in Delray Beach with my husband Pete (a fellow ER doctor and the other half of The Foodie Physician) and our two food-loving kids, Sienna and Luca.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN- FROM THE ER TO THE FOOD NETWORK

I developed an interest in cooking when I was doing my Emergency Medicine training in New York City. One day, completely on a whim, I entered a cooking competition on the Food Network website. The next thing I knew, I was selected as a finalist, and so I flew out to compete on a cooking show called the Ultimate Recipe Showdown hosted by Guy Fieri and Marc Summers. Although I didn’t win, the experience motivated me to enter the cooking competition circuit, which I did for several years.

After a few years of experimenting in my kitchen and competing in cooking competitions, I decided to take my passion one step further and enrolled in culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.

While I was a culinary student, I started this blog. At first, it was just a way for me to share what I was learning in culinary school with family and friends. But over the years, I decided to focus on merging my medical and culinary backgrounds to grow the Foodie Physician into the website it is today- a resource to help people make sustainable lifestyle changes that lead to better health.

You see, after years of working in the ER, I had become tried of simply writing prescriptions.  I became more interested in the healing power of food.  Many chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease can be prevented and treated with proper dietary and lifestyle changes.

My goal is to get people back into the kitchen, cooking real food. I want to give you the confidence and the tools to take control of your health, starting in the kitchen!

WHAT YOU’LL FIND ON THIS SITE

On this site, you’ll find hundreds of easy-to-follow, mouthwatering, family-friendly recipes that are made with real food.

I personally develop all the recipes in this site.  Most of the recipes feature step-by-step photos to help guide you in the kitchen. As a trained chef and cookbook author, I meticulously test all the recipes that I post to help ensure that you’ll get great results in your kitchen. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying recipes online that just don’t work!

I’m also a busy mom, so I know that mealtime can be a challenge. I’m here to reassure you that mealtime doesn’t have to be stressful or intimidating, and you don’t need to be a highly skilled cook to prepare healthy meals for your family. Most of the recipes on this site are fast and easy, perfect for busy weeknights. Check out all of my delicious and healthy Recipes.

In addition to recipes, you’ll also find plenty of Articles and Health & Wellness tips to help you lead the healthiest lifestyle that you can.

Also, drawing my experience in culinary school, I’ve got a Culinary How-To series of articles to help guide you in the kitchen.

And finally, for new parents, I have plenty of resources and Baby & Toddler Recipes to help you lay the foundation of healthy eating for your little ones.

MY COOKING PHILOSOPHY

As a doctor and chef, my cooking philosophy is centered around the idea that healthy eating can and should be delicious, enjoyable, and sustainable for the long-term. One of the best ways to do this is to cook at home. When you cook at home, you control what you’re putting into your body, allowing you to make healthier choices.

There is no “one size fits all” diet that works for everyone. Rather, I believe in a balanced approach to eating that focuses on moderation and consuming a wide range of nutritious, whole foods that are minimally processed.

I believe that a Mediterranean-style eating pattern, which emphasizes plant-based foods, healthy fats, and lean proteins, is one of the healthiest and most sustainable ways to eat. This philosophy is backed up by the fact that people living in "blue zones," areas around the world where people have the longest and healthiest lives, tend to follow this eating pattern.

I also believe in having some flexibility in your diet, listening to your body and allowing yourself some grace. After all I am a foodie, and I love food! You don’t have to eat perfectly all the time. It’s what you eat most of the time that matters the most.

In addition to healthy eating, I also recognize the importance of other lifestyle factors such as getting regular physical activity, improving sleep quality, managing stress, avoiding risky substances (like smoking), and maintaining positive social connections. By focusing on all of these areas, we can achieve optimal health and wellness.

Now let's get cooking!  Check out my Recipes Page to get some tasty ideas.

My Favorite Recipes

FUN FACTS ABOUT DR. RUDER

• Both of my parents are amazing cooks and they made homemade meals almost every night growing up. My sister and I used to help my mom make chapatis (Indian flatbread) for dinner.

• We traveled a lot when I was growing up. I’ve been to countries all over the world, including Egypt, India, Nepal, China, Brazil, Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, and more. I would love to go to Thailand, Australia, and Japan.

• I am a lefty and so is my husband, Pete. Both of our kids are right-handed.

• I was born and raised in NY but moved to South Florida in 2012. It was a bit of an adjustment, but now I love waking up to beautiful, sunny weather every day.

• I’ve pretty much seen everything in the ER over the years. One of the most common questions people ask me when they find out what I do is, “what’s the craziest thing you’ve seen in the ER?”

• At the end of culinary school, I represented my school in a big cooking competition. I ended up winning first place. The prize was a scholarship and paid for my culinary school education!

• I love coffee in all shapes and forms. Hot, iced, espresso, you name it. I’ll never say no to a cup!

Staying in Touch

If you are interesting in working with me, please head to my Work with Me page to see the services I offer.

You can subscribe to my mailing list and receive free weekly emails sent to your inbox with my latest recipes. You'll also get my superfoods eBook for free!

You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn.  I'd love to see you there! 

Lastly, feel free to shoot me an email at sonali@thefoodiephysician.com.
Thanks for stopping by!

Legal Disclaimer

This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion and dis­cus­sion about health, nutrition, and related sub­jects.  The words and other con­tent pro­vided in this blog, and in any linked mate­ri­als, are not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical concern, he or she should con­sult with an appropriately-licensed physi­cian or other health care worker.

I calculate all of the nutritional information for the recipes using a nutritional software program. All of the data for each ingredient comes from the USDA nutritional information database.  The USDA classifies thousands of foods and gives their nutritional breakdown.  In cases where an ingredient is not found in the USDA database, I will use the information provided on the product packaging to enter the data into the program.  Please keep in mind that while I try to be as accurate as possible, the nutritional information on this site is approximate and is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.

The Foodie Physician is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com).