The New Orleans Program: Eat, Exercise, and Enjoy Life recipe book is emphatically not a diet book. According to the authors, "Diets create unhappiness. We seek healthier and more vital lives for ourselves and our loved ones." With over 97 recipes tied to events and celebrations from Mardi Gras to Jazz Fest, Dr. Newsome and Chef Besh intend to inspire people around the country to embrace their belief in "sustained and pleasurable health." Dr. Newsome also includes a foreword about Hurricane Katrina and its impacts.