John La Puma facts for kids

John J. La Puma is an American doctor, chef, and author. He is known for combining cooking and healthy eating with medical science. He helps people learn how food can improve their health.

John La Puma's Early Life and Education

John La Puma was born in New York City around 1960 or 1961. He was one of six children in his family. In 1967, his family moved to Santa Barbara, California. There, he went to elementary school and later graduated from San Marcos High School.

He then attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 1978, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Studies, focusing on Biology. He continued his studies at Baylor College of Medicine, where he received his medical degree (MD) in 1982.

After medical school, he trained in internal medicine at UCLA. He also completed a special program at the University of Chicago. This program focused on clinical ethics, which means studying the moral rules and values in medicine. He helped start the Lutheran General Center for Clinical Ethics. This center was one of the first to offer advice on ethical issues in hospitals in the U.S.

Later, he also studied cooking at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. He earned a certificate in Professional Cooking. He also got certificates in Permaculture Design and as a Professional Naturalist. These studies helped him learn about growing food and connecting with nature.

John La Puma's Career and Work

John La Puma taught about nutrition at Kendall College in Chicago. While teaching and working as a doctor, he also cooked with famous chef Rick Bayless. He cooked weekly at Bayless's restaurants, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, for four years.

Dr. La Puma created the CHEF Clinic. CHEF stands for Cooking, Healthy Eating, and Fitness. This program helps people prevent and treat obesity. It also helps them keep weight off and feel healthier.

He also co-founded ChefMD^R, a company focused on health and media. He started GlutenFreeQuiz for checking for celiac disease. He also created "Do You Need More Nature?" for people who might have nature deficit disorder.

Dr. La Puma was the first doctor to teach cooking and nutrition in a U.S. medical school. He has written over 250 articles, book chapters, and books. His work focuses on weight control, how nature affects health, and using food as medicine. He also studies how stress affects health and medical ethics.

Many of his books have become very popular. His first book for the public, The RealAge Diet, became a New York Times Bestseller. He also wrote Cooking the RealAge Way. He contributed recipes to another bestseller, YOU: The Owner’s Manual.

His book, ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine, also made the New York Times Bestseller List. In this book, he talks about culinary medicine. This is a new field that combines cooking skills with medical science. By 2016, 22 U.S. medical schools were teaching culinary medicine.

He later wrote Refuel: A 24 Day Eating Plan. This book helps men understand how food works in their bodies. He has given talks at TEDx and TEDMED events about culinary medicine. In 2019, he recorded GreenRx. This is a short series about using nature therapy for anxiety and well-being.

In 2019, he gave a lecture at Harvard University. He spoke about "The Scientific Basis for Nature as Medicine." He believes that spending time in nature can help prevent and treat health problems. He sees nature experience as an important part of a healthy life.

About John La Puma's Life

John La Puma lives in Santa Barbara, California.

TV Shows Featuring John La Puma

• A GreenRx with Dr John La Puma: Nature Heals on YouTube, 2019
• Eat and Cook Healthy with Dr John La Puma! on PBS, a quarterly PBS Special, 2011-2014
• ChefMD Shorts with Dr John La Puma! on PBS, national carriage, 2014-2017
• What’s Cookin’ With ChefMD? on Lifetime Television's Health Corner Series, 2006-2010
• Guest appearances on The Dr. Oz Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The 700 Club, 2008-

Books by John La Puma

• Refuel: A 24-Day Eating Plan to Shed Fat, Boost Testosterone, and Pump Up Strength and Stamina, by John La Puma, 2014, ISBN: 978-0770437466
• ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine: A Food Lover's Road Map to Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Getting Really Healthy by John La Puma, Rebecca Powell Marx ISBN: 9780307394620
• YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger, by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet Oz, 2005, ISBN: 0-06-076531-3 (recipes)
• Cooking the RealAge Way: Turn Back Your Biological Clock with More Than 80 Delicious and Easy Recipes by Michael F. Roizen, John La Puma, 2003, ISBN: 0-06-000935-7
• The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat by Michael F. Roizen, John La Puma, 2001, ISBN: 0-06-008612-2
• Managed Care Ethics: Essays on the Impact of Managed Care on Traditional Medical Ethics John La Puma, 1998, ISBN: 1-57826-012-4
• Ethics Consultation: A Practical Guide by John La Puma, David Schiedermayer, 1994, ISBN: 0-86720-797-3
• Numerous contributions to The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, The Annals of Internal Medicine, JillianMichaels.com, Intent.com, Guideposts, Tribune Media Syndicate