The Grounded Girl Interview Series Welcomes Dr. Sonali Ruder, Founder of The Foodie Physician Cookbook

We are so excited to introduce our Grounded Girl for the month of January for Groundedco.

We look forward to sharing with you these amazing women in our community that are empowering and inspiring others.

Grounded Girl Interview Series Welcomes Dr. Sonali Ruder, Founder of The Foodie Physician Cookbook.  Dr. Sonali Ruder DO is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician, trained chef, mom, and cookbook author. She is a graduate of Brown University, Midwestern University- Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Institute of Culinary Education.

Dr. Ruder is a contributing writer, recipe developer, spokesperson, and health and wellness expert for several national magazines, cookbooks, websites, and companies. She is a frequent guest on both national television like The Dr. Oz Show as well as the local South Florida news where she does regular healthy cooking segments.

 

 

Hi! I’m Sonali!

 

Groundedco: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

Sonali: My name is Sonali Ruder- I’m a New Yorker who relocated to South Florida 10 years ago. I’m an Emergency Medicine doctor, chef, food blogger, cookbook author, and mom.  I fell in love with cooking after I finished medical school when I was doing my residency training.  I was living in New York City at the time and was having fun exploring the amazing culinary scene.  One day on a whim, I entered a recipe contest on the Food Network and ended up being chosen as a finalist.  I flew out to LA to compete on a cooking show. I didn’t win but the experience further solidified my interest in cooking.  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.

While I was in culinary school, I started my blog, The Foodie Physician.  At first, it was just a way to share what I was learning in culinary school with my family and friends.  But over the years, it has grown into so much more.  So now, part of the week, I work as a doctor in the ER at a local hospital, and the rest of the week I work on developing and testing recipes, writing articles, and everything else that goes along with running a website.

 

Groundedco: What inspired your deep interest in becoming a chef?

Sonali: Food and cooking have always played a big role in my life.  Both of my parents are amazing cooks.  They cooked dinner together every night when I was growing up and my sister and I would help in the kitchen.  Then we would all sit down together and eat dinner as a family. I think that growing up this way engrained in me the belief that food and cooking brings people together.

Fast forward many years, after I became a doctor and was working in the ER, I was seeing so many people presenting everyday with chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. I got tired of just writing prescriptions and started becoming interested in what could be done to prevent or even reverse these conditions.  So many of these medical conditions can be prevented with proper diet and lifestyle modification.  That’s when I decided to focus more on The Foodie Physician and make it a resource for people to go to for healthy recipes and lifestyle tips.  I want to give people the confidence and the tools to take control of their health, starting in the kitchen!

 

 

 

Groundedco: How do you inspire creativity in your kitchen team?

Sonali: Well, my kitchen team consists of just me! I create and develop all the recipes on my website.  My husband Pete (a fellow ER doctor) takes the beautiful photographs. I don’t seem to ever have a problem coming up with recipes.  Usually I have the opposite problem- I can’t stop coming up with ideas!  I love food and am always inspired by the dishes I eat in restaurants or that I see in magazines or on TV.  I often try to recreate amazing dishes that I experience when I’m out and make them over with a healthier twist.  I test out my recipes on my husband and kids, who are the taste testers.  My husband is an easy judge, he loves everything, but my kids are tougher.  If they love a dish, then I know it’s good enough to put on the blog!

 

 

Groundedco: What is your favorite way to stay active?

Sonali: I enjoy working out at home.  I started working out at home after I had my kids because I would squeeze in a workout while they were napping in the next room.  We have a loft upstairs with a lot of sunlight so that’s where I exercise.  I do a variety of different work outs because I like trying out new things. Right now, my favorite is mixed martial arts work outs.  Of course, there are times when I don’t feel like exercising but when I do work out, especially early in the day, I feel so good. It gives me energy and I have a more productive day.  We also all have bicycles and I enjoy getting outside with my family and riding our bikes together.

 

 

Groundedco: What cuisine do you most enjoy cooking and why?

Sonali: Everything!  Seriously, I love cooking all types of food. I love food with a lot of flavors, it doesn’t matter what cuisine.  Some of my favorites are Thai, Italian, Mexican, and Indian.  One of my favorite healthy eating tips is to “spice it up.”  Adding herbs and spices is a great way to infuse your food with a lot of flavor without adding calories and fat.  I also love classic American dishes like macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, and meatloaf. I grew up eating Indian food, so these are the American comfort food dishes I always longed for when I was a kid.  When I make these dishes, I usually perform what I call a “recipe resuscitation” and try to lighten them up and make them more nutritious.

 

 

 

Groundedco: What is your process to create a new signature dish?

Sonali: I look at my list of a million recipe ideas, and eventually choose one to work on.  I usually know from experience what the general process is going to be to make the recipe, but I have to play around with the ingredients and amounts.  Then I get in the kitchen, play some music, and get in the zone cooking.  As I cook, I taste and try out different ingredients and amounts.  I take notes as I go.  Developing recipes for the blog or a cookbook is very different from just cooking for pleasure.  You must take meticulous notes and measure everything. You must make sure that anyone will be able to reproduce the recipe in their kitchen, from the most highly trained chefs to the most basic home cooks.  Once I’m happy with the dish, I’ll test it out on my family and get their input as well.  If needed, I’ll make the recipe again and tweak it until it’s perfect.

 

Groundedco: How do you describe your overall cooking philosophy?

Sonali: I am a foodie- I love food and think that eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures.  So, I believe in the principal of eating in moderation and living an active and fulfilling lifestyle.  I don’t believe in fad diets- they don’t work in the long run, and they lead to the phenomenon of yo-yo dieting.  If a diet seems too good to be true, it probably is!  I’m a fan of intuitive eating and focusing on foods that work best for your overall physical and mental health.  Stop looking at foods as “good or “bad” and instead, listen to your body and eat what feels right for you.  Eat when you’re hungry and pay attention to fullness. Eat foods that make you feel good and practice moderation.  There’s no one size fits all eating plan that works for everyone.

 

My goal is to give people the confidence to get in the kitchen and cook.  You don’t have to be a master chef to prepare delicious meals for your family.  Restaurant food and packaged food often has high amounts of fat, sodium, and other additives and portion sizes are often huge.  However, when you cook your own food, you are controlling the ingredients and the cooking techniques.

Groundedco: If you could pick any place in the world to be and stay grounded, where would it be and why?

Sonali: Either at home with my family or lying on a beach or by the pool looking at the water and reading a book just for pleasure since I rarely get to do that anymore.  Working in the ER can be quite stressful and chaotic so when I’m off, I cherish quiet time to relax and unwind.  One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited is Santorini, Greece.  My husband and I went there on our honeymoon years ago.  I still remember lying with him on a sofa on our outdoor terrace overlooking the beautiful white buildings perched atop the steep cliffs and the serene blue water below.  It was so beautiful and peaceful.

 

 

Groundedco: What 3 tips would you share with someone really wanting to foster mindful and healthy eating, but may feel intimidated in the kitchen?

Sonali:

1. Keep it simple- Dinner doesn’t have to be fancy.  Have a handful of easy recipes in your back pocket that you can turn to on busy weeknights and work on mastering those.

2. Take help from the grocery store- The grocery store has so many convenience products to help with dinner prep.  If you don’t like chopping, buy pre-cut onions and veggies like butternut squash to save time. Stock up on frozen vegetables from the freezer section which you can steam in the microwave.  Frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh.  Stock up on nutritious foods that are already cooked to save time with dinner prep like frozen brown rice and canned lentils.

3. Plan your meals- I’m a huge fan of meal planning.  That means you take a little time on the weekend to figure out your meals for the week.  Then make one grocery list and shop for your ingredients once.  This will save time and money and prevent multiple runs to the grocery store during the week to pick up one or two ingredients for a recipe.  You don’t have to cook dinner every night- set a reasonable goal like cooking 3 times a week.  Plan to cook dinner on the days when you’ll have more time and make enough food to have leftovers to eat on the days when you’ll be home late.  For example, make a big pot of pulled chicken in your slow cooker one day and then use the leftover chicken to make quesadillas the next day.  When you plan your meals in advance, you’ll find yourself ordering take out a lot less often!