Tom Clark, and Zorba Paster, MD

Zorba Paster On Your Health
Saturday Noon

Zorba Paster On Your Health is a lively, refreshingly down-to-earth talk show on personal health and fitness. Each Saturday at noon, Zorba Paster, MD, and Tom Clark take callers' questions from around the country, covering what's new in medicine and sharing tips for healthy living. By dialing 800.462.7413, you can get straight answers to your fitness and health questions.

The show emphasizes a healthy lifestyle and diet -- right down to a "Heart-Healthy Recipe of the Week." As a family physician, clinical researcher, and university professor, Paster has a depth and range listeners can count on during this friendly "house-call."

For This Doc, Good Health Starts in the Kitchen
For Dr. Zorba Paster, good health begins in the kitchen. And when he's not giving advice, the kitchen's his favorite place to be.

In fact, the father of four breaks stereotypes as the main cook in his family. "I've always loved to eat," says Dr. Paster, "so I cooked for my roommates when I was in college, and I guess I never stopped."

That makes for a pretty full plate, given his national radio show Zorba Paster On Your Health, a family practice in Oregon, Wl, and teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School. But these days, Dr. Paster has turned recipe-maker, as well, coming up with a new "Heart-Healthy Recipe" each week for his radio show.

"You can't talk about good health without talking about good food," he says, "because good health starts with a healthy diet."

Dr. Paster and a few colleagues adapt conventional dishes, substituting low-fat alternatives for high-fat and cholesterol-rich ingredients. "It's not that hard to turn a high-fat recipe into a healthy one," he says. "All it takes is substituting a few low-fat ingredients, like yogurt for sour cream or low-fat cream cheese for butter."

They've turned out low-fat versions of old-standards -- like macaroni and cheese, pizza and chili -- as well as vegetarian dishes, meals for die-hard meat-and potatoes fans, and desserts for persistent sweet tooths. The idea, he says, is to create guilt-free foods that look and taste like their forbidden prototypes.

Does he use the same low-fat foods at home? Dr. Paster says he does try out recipes at the dinner table. But, he admits, his four children are a tough sell. "You try getting a kid to eat mushrooms," he laughs. "It's not that easy sometimes."

Listeners know Dr. Paster also often finds a culinary challenge in co-host Tom Clark.

Both halves of the radio talk show duo have very different opinions on what constitutes a good meal.

"A cheeseburger, fries, and a large Coke," Clark quips, admitting his cholesterol level actually doesn't allow the indulgence.

Dr. Paster has two words to describe Clark's dietary preferences: Pretty junky. "He's beyond conversion; but he's so stubborn, he'll live a long life anyway."

LOW-FAT CHEESE CAKE
(Serves 10)
3 1/2 Oz.Graham crackers
2 Tbsp.Orange juice
1 Lb.1% (lowfat) cottage cheese
1 Lb.Part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 CupSugar
1 Tbsp.Vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 tsp.Salt
1Egg
2 Tbsp.Sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulverize the graham crackers in a food processor or blender. Moisten the crumbs with orange juice and press into the bottom of a 9 1/2 inch pie pan coated with cooking spray. Place in preheated oven for 12 minutes.

Beat together all the remaining ingredients except the almonds. Pour into the graham cracker crust. Sprinkle almonds on top. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and chill 2 hours.

URL: http://www.wpr.org/zorba/