Sail to Health
Not a plan, but an adventure
From the galley of Dr. Melinda Sothern,
co-author of Trim Kids and The Handbook of Pediatric Obesity
Health advice with a heaping scoop of whimsical entertainment, Sail to Health is a mystifying blend of memoir and cookbook, comprising recipes punctuated with the music and memories bringing each dish to life.
With Dr. Sothern’s distinct history and expertise, Sail to Health reveals the quirky nature of Cajun-Caribbean culture in the real world, while also emphasizing easy methods to stay fit and live better, longer.
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Dr. Sothern’s story begins… I first learned how to cook on a boat when I was 25 years old.
It’s not that I didn’t cook before. I did… just… not very well.
The thick flour and oil-laden sauces of gumbo, étouffée, and bisque required hours of prep and an exhausting capacity for detail that I simply wasn’t born with like the rest of my Cajun family seemed to embody.
Growing up, instead of leaning into my bayou culture, my attention was always elsewhere: swimming and snorkeling or scuba diving, mixed with karate and even dancing, sometimes on bars… okay, a lot on bars…
But most of all, as far back as I can remember, I dreamed of sailing. To places far away from my swamp home of south Louisiana.
Long before I dared to attempt cooking, I learned to sail on a single-handler, a 1965 sunfish. On that boat I spent many days skipping along the chocolate brown water of Grand Caillou Bayou, dodging gators and snakes.
All the while I dreamed of crystal blue ocean waters, and would sneak up to the roof with my little brother Jim and look out, pretending to see the islands of the Caribbean in the distance.
When I was 6 years old, my dad brought his sailboat from Cocodrie, Louisiana (French for crocodile) to the bayou across the street from our home.
Appropriately named Rum Runner, Jim and I would climb aboard and play make-believe pirates.
My favorite memory is of us holding hands, dancing to Cuban music while[MS1] Dad sanded and varnished the mast.
Thus, my adventure began. And along the way I eventually did learn to cook.
Not only learn, but more importantly I figured out how to eat well, selecting foods that are delicious, healthy, and fun to prepare.
Unsure of the end goal, but following my interests… In between my sailing excursions I managed to complete my graduate education in exercise physiology/sports medicine and get a real job as a university professor and research scientist specializing in metabolism- seemingly unrelated to all the life experience I cooked up, until now.
I’ve since spent decades teaching parents how to feed their families and encourage physical activity in a way that doesn’t feel like work.
I’ve worked with scientists worldwide to build and understand the hard evidence behind this, conducting studies and developing guidelines for Pediatric and Family physicians in a proactive way.
More recently as I too have gotten older, my attention has pivoted more to aging. Seeing the struggles that my generation faces due to our upbringing before further research and understanding was done to the impacts of diet and lifestyle back then.
Unfortunately, healthcare today is a wreck (no pun intended)!
Physicians don’t have time to share eating and exercise recommendations, and it seems more and more folks are looking for immediate results and instant gratification.
(Want to tread lightly with this section, but highlight the pitfalls of social media influencers):
In comes social media, with good intentions but zero expertise, to fill that gap, sharing 30-second exercise videos or single-sentence highlights of encouragement that seem only to be “one size fits all,” and further frustrate and discourage folks on their individual journeys.
I now want to use my life and clinical experience and scientific knowledge to fill that gap by busting common health misperceptions about eating and exercise. To empower my reader to find the foods, movements, and methods that most resonate personally.
Come aboard and join me as I continue my sailing adventure to health.
As my guest, you will change the way you look at the grocery store, your pantry and refrigerator… your outdoor space… your work life… your vacation plans… your bucket list.
Along the way, you’ll reap many positive benefits to your health, including enhanced metabolism, improved brain function, and overall better physical and mental health.
Throughout each chapter, names and details were changed to protect the innocents (but mostly the guilty).
However, travel destinations and stories are based on very real events!
[MS1]Orquesta Aragón is a legendary Cuban orchestra, often referred to as the "mother of Cuban charangas," founded in 1939 by Orestes Aragón Cantero. Known for their distinctive "charanga" style featuring violins and a flute, they are renowned for their mastery of traditional Cuban music like danzón and son, having been major exponents of the cha-cha-chá in its early days. The orchestra, still active today, is celebrated for its high-quality musicianship, rhythmic innovations, and commitment to preserving Cuban musical heritage, earning them international recognition and the UNESCO Pablo Picasso Medal.
