Eat For Health: A Nutritarian is Different Than a Vegetarian

Source: Dr. Fuhrman’s book Eat For Health.


In living the Eat For Health plan, you will become a nutritarian and learn to include more nutrient rich foods in your diet. A vegetarian or vegan diet that is plant-based also contains a portfolio of natural substances that have various health advantages, including protection against cancer. I am taking the liberty here to use the words vegan and vegetarian interchangeably, but a vegan diet is one that contains no foods of animal product origin whereas a vegetarian diet may contain some dairy. The advantages of a vegetarian (or vegan) diet are mostly because vegetarians are more likely to consume more vegetables, beans, fruit, nuts, and seeds compared to those eating more conventionally, not simply because they are refraining from meat products. Vegans who live on processed cereals, white flour products, rice, white potato, and processed soy products should not be expected to significantly extend their lifespan because their diet cannot be considered nutrient-rich.


Being a nutritarian differs from being a typical vegetarian because the focus on high-nutrient vegetation improves health dramatically, and one can reduce the level of animal products to a safe level without having to exclude them completely. Without considering nutrient density, a vegetarian diet could be just as bad as one that includes a lot of animal products. A vegan diet is an option for excellent health as long as care is taken to eat healthy, nutrient-rich foods. Making animal products the disease-causation villain while filling up on low-nutrient plant foods or processed soy foods will not suffice to achieve health excellence. The reduction in consumption of animal products is only one important feature of this eating-style, not the focal point. Even though you could consider yourself a nutritarian and vegan, the critical issue for disease reduction is not whether one is a strict vegan or not; the issue is the nutrients per calorie of a given diet.


People advocating a meat-based diet may be able to critique a grain and flour-heavy vegan diet as having metabolic deficiencies, but not a diet that is low in animal products and based on nutrient-dense plant foods. This program contains the health benefits of a vegetarian diet, gleaned from the reduction of animal products, without the risks from all those lower-nutrient, higher-glycemic foods such as sugar, French fries and processed grains.


In addition, you do not have to exclude all animal products from your diet to follow this plan and to receive profound benefits to the health of your blood vessels and the rest of your body. You just have to reduce them to safe levels. Humans are primates, and all other primates eat a diet of predominantly natural vegetation. When the great apes eat animal products, it is a very small percentage of their total caloric intake. Likewise, modern medical studies confirm that in order for humans to maximize their potential for a long, disease-free life, they have to keep animal products to a relatively small percentage as well. Animal products are low in micronutrients, contain almost no antioxidants and phytochemicals, and are rich in calories. Thus, they should be limited for health excellence. We want to thrive in our later years, not just survive long enough to reproduce and then deteriorate.


The main point here that I want to emphasize, as always, is the benefit of nutritional excellence. In the Standard American Diet, less than five percent of the total caloric intake comes from nutrient-rich foods. This dangerously low intake of unrefined plant foods guarantees a weakened immunity to disease, leading to frequent illnesses, and a shorter lifespan. When you eat a truly health-supporting diet, you can expect not only a drop in blood pressure and cholesterol and a reversal of heart disease, but your headaches, constipation, indigestion, and bad breath should all resolve. To achieve this means eating less animal products, processed foods, sugar, and flour, and eating more high-nutrient plant foods and exercising. This lifestyle shift is the key to disease protection in general.

The Monday Diet

How many of you have a new diet you plan to start on Monday?

I can't tell you how many Mondays in my life I have:

• Started a new diet
• Planned to start a new diet
• Never actually got started on the planned new diet
• Never made it through the first full day of the new diet

I see people that haven't been active in a while decide on Monday they are going to start working out hard and they are miserable after the first day. Or they decide on Monday they will never eat chocolate or any other of their favorite foods again because you can't have certain foods on the diet they are about to start.

And some decide to do both and add in the activity and drastically restrict their food on the same day. I'm guilty of doing all of that for years. There were times I could even keep it going for months, but there was always a breaking point that I just couldn't do it any longer. And eventually I would gain it all back. It was just a matter to time.

I always believed every time this happened the problem was me. It took me a long time to realize I was not the problem, but all of the rules and restrictions that come with so many of the diets was the real problem.

I'd do the big before the Monday Diet Weekend Binge because I wanted one last taste of all of the foods I had to give up on Monday. My stomach would be hurting, but I still kept eating all weekend long to prepare for the new diet I would be starting on Monday.

Often, by Monday afternoon I had already "cheated", was on another binge and already planning my diet I was going to start the next Monday. That's just the way it works when you are a compulsive over-eater.

The one thing that I have used my whole life to bring me comfort and happiness the diets wanted to totally take away from me. So even when I succeed on diets and did lose large amounts of weight guess what the first thing was I reached for to celebrate my success? Food.

When I decided to stop depriving myself and focusing on my health my life really started changing that very day. I still have days that I make choices that aren't totally healthy, but the wonderful thing is that instead of thinking "I Cheated" I think to myself I will make better choices for my next meal or snack and it will all even out. And it does. In the past I would have felt like I had cheated on my diet, so I might as well go ahead and go crazy.

You can't "cheat" on your lifestyle because nothing is off limits. When you are on a lifestyle instead of being on a diet your goal is a life long journey of learning, doing a little better each day and always moving forward.

I know for some people this is so hard to hear and wrap your mind around because we have been told for years we must be tough on ourselves and deprive ourselves. Has it worked it for you so far?

If you woke up today ready to start a new fad/crash diet, just stop and think for a moment and ask yourself if you want to be on another diet or start living a healthy lifestyle.

Instead of deciding to restrict all of your foods and pushing yourself to do a hard workout your body isn't ready for give something new a try. Add in healthier foods today or a 10 minute walk.

Set yourself up for success and believe you deserve to live a healthy and happy life.

Different Causes Of Weight Loss

This article is everybody's concern, and there are so many causes of weight loss; but before that, do you have an idea of what can cause weight loss? It can be caused either intentionally or not. Obesity is something that everyone despises; even the ones who are carrying it despise it and they are not doing anything to reduce it. Obesity can be caused when you overeat it will give you a terrifically poor body shape.

Also, it can be caused when a person has health problems like diarrhea, hypothyroidism and others. It will cause the retention of fluid and will make the person look fluffy. Overweight leads to health problems and it might lead to death. This brings us to the causes of loss of weight, and they will be listed out to you in a jiffy.

The intentional ways of losing weight are;

1. Dietary plan: what you eat determines the amount of weight to be lost. This can be done when you eat the ideal meal, which should be rich in the six classes of food with less carbohydrate in them.

2. Hand workout: This means that you can begin to perform exercises and do things with your hand. This helps in the flexing of the muscles and also the burning of fat in the arms and the strengthening of the bones.

3. Weight loss pills: These can be taken along with the necessary diet plan for a speedy loss of weight. These help in the reduction of the fat in the stomach, and the absorption of fat.

4. Surgery: This can be done depending on your pocket and it helps in the reduction of body fat.

Other factors are:

5. Nutritional therapy;

6. Dietary restrictions;

7. Exercise.

The other cause of loss of weight is the unintentional causes which are:

1. Cancer;

2. AIDS;

3. Gastrointestinal disorders such as ulcer and diarrhea;

4. Parasitic attack;

5. Renal diseases;

6. Cardiac diseases: This is related to the heart and its surrounding areas. Such diseases are heart attacks, hypertension and high blood pressure.

7. Pulmonary diseases;

8. Connective tissue disease; and

9. Neurological diseases.

These are the causes of weight loss and I would like to know the one you prefer. Do you prefer the intentional one to the unintentional one or vice versa? It's your choice; but, understand that the unintentional one can lead to what we call "DEATH". So, choose right and live right.

What You Didn't Know About Omega 3 and Weight Loss

For long, the role of omega 3 has been identified as a therapeutic agent that helps in the prevention/treatment of various cardiovascular ailments, degenerative neuronal diseases, allergies, cancer, and skin disorders.

Apart from these therapeutic effects, recent research reports suggest an interesting association between omega 3 and weight loss.

What are Omega 3 fatty acids?

Omega 3 fats are a group of long chain polyunsaturated essential fatty acids that are abundantly available in cold water fish such as salmons, sardines, mackerel, and hoki.

In addition, omega 3 fats are also available in foods such as walnuts, canola oil, flax seed oil, and hemp seeds. Since these fats cannot be synthesized inside the human body, they need to be supplemented through dietary sources.

How do omega 3 fats help in weight loss?

Million of people in US are suffering with excess weight gain and obesity. One of the reasons for this problem is consumption of less nutritious and high-calorie diet, which leads to increased secretion of insulin and promotes adipogenesis: excess fat is stored as fatty bodies inside the adipose tissue.

According to recent research study that has been published in the International Journal of Obesity, eating large portions of omega 3 fatty acids causes an exceptional increase in the number of calories burnt on an average in a day.

In this study, when subjects were fed with omega 3 fish oil, they burned 26% more calories compared to the calories burned up by the subjects given omega 6 and omega 9 oils, which proves that there exists a connection between omega 3 and weight loss.

In the omega 3 and weight loss research, it has been proved that a daily intake of omega 3 fish oils causes a decreased response of body cells to insulin hormone and activation of a lipid-breaking enzyme called lipase, thereby promoting the breaking down of stored fats.

In addition, omega 3 fatty acids consumption also causes a marked reduction in the carbohydrate metabolism, thereby preventing the conversion of dietary carbohydrates into fat bodies.

Moreover, omega 3 fats even improve the blood circulation in the body, thereby facilitating better oxygen supply and increased fat breakdown. Simply put, increased omega 3 fish oil intake propels better utilization of stored fat as a body fuel source.

If you're interested in learning more about the best fish oil supplements for weight loss, visit my website, where I share what products I have personally been using daily for several years.

Surviving the Buffet

Healthy tips to get you through that frighteningly tempting buffet line, or just the massive amount of options in the dining hall!

1) Walk by the entire buffet BEFORE grabbing your plate. Look at all the things offered, and decide what it is you want MOST of everything. Make a mental priority list.


2) Use the smaller plate. It’s a lot harder to cram large portions of every food onto a smaller plate. Plus studies have proven, eating off a smaller plate might make you feel more full later. At the buffet, your eyes may be bigger than your stomach, but don’t worry. Cause that plate? It’s not.


3) Load up on veggies and salad, filling AT LEAST half your plate (hell, if you want to get a half plate of cooked veggies and a half plate of salad greens, and get a second plate for your other goodies, that’s great too!) And when I say veggies, I mean VEGGIES. Not starch-based, like mashed potatos or corn. You’re welcome to get those too, but get more of the non-starchy, less-calorie-more-fiber-dense veggies.


4) When you get veggies, pick the ones that aren’t cooked with lots of oils or creamed. Go for the steamed spinach over creamed spinach. Get the baked zucchini/squash blend over the squash casserole. Basically, the closer the vegetable is to a fresh-from-the farm veggie, the better.


5) Remember that mental priority list? Take it out! Chances are you don’t have that much space left on your plate, so remember what you wanted most and go straight too it, adding some of that goodness to your plate. Basically,


6) DON’T walk through the buffet line like some dazed, wide-eyed animal. At buffets, your eyes ALWAYS seem to be bigger than your stomach, and more than that your curiosity can MAJORLY take over. [I know, I’m one of those people that wants to try everything.


7) Keep going down your priority list, adding a little here and there to your plate, until the plate is FULL. As far as what you should definitely have on your priority list:
7a) Lots of veggies (of course, we’ve been over this.)
7b) Some sort of protein.
7c) Some sort of grain (whole grains, like brown rice, or a good starch like a 4oz sweet potato, are much better than a white dinner roll. Not only will that roll make you less full, but it might also be secretly smothered in butter.)
7d) NO dessert. (Hold up, I’m not saying you can’t have any. Just wait.)


8) Once your plate is full, go back to your table and enjoy it. Don’t scarf it down to eat more. Once you’re finished, ask yourself if you are still hungry. If you are, by all means, go back and get more (ON A SMALL PLATE), but keep in mind how hungry you still feel. You might want to get less this time. 


9) FINALLY, if you get to the point that you are full, but not so full you can’t have a dessert, go back to the buffet, and get the SMALLEST plate, and get the dessert that’s HIGHEST on your priority list. Or get half of that (people won’t be annoyed if you cut that already-sliced cake slice in half), and half of the thing next on your priority list.


10) OR, you may not want dessert, because you just enjoyed that second portion-controlled helping of mac and cheese, and you are so full! That’s fine. You don’t need dessert. Just sit, pat your happy yummy, and keep up the fun conversation with those around you. 

Clean-Your-Plate Syndrome: Causes and Solutions

Some of you are all too familiar with this (unofficial) mental disorder. It’s that one that developed over time. From your parents reminding you to “Clean your plate, because there are starving kids in China!” or your friends saying, “I can’t eat another bite of this dessert! But someone has to finish it! It’s so good!” or you saying “These cookies my friend made are delicious! AND WHO KNOWS WHEN SHE’LL MAKE THEM AGAIN?” or your pockets saying “Hey, you spent money on that stuff that I’m not getting back! You better enjoy ALL of that shit!”

Yup. You have a problem. And it’s that you feel guilty whenever your plate is, well, unfinished.
I had this too. But you know what? It’s something you’ll have to learn to get over if you, 
1) Want to lose that weight faster 
2) Want to develop a more positive relationship with food 
3) Want to avoid another food-baby pregnancy—you know, when your belly is so tight and full you just want to lie down, rub it, and possibly get a C section? Anyways.


I suffered with this syndrome for as long as I can remember. I’d worry that I’d be missing out if I didn’t try a bite (or ten) of everything at the buffet, or that I’d offend someone at the party if I didn’t try some of everything everyone bought. Or if I didn’t finish all of the meal someone made for me, and go for seconds. Or that, well, “I should be thankful, because there ARE starving kids in the world.” Or “This was a $15 plate of pasta. That’s already a waste of money. If I don’t finish it, it’s even worse!”


Don’t worry, the doctor is in.
My self diagnosis for this problem was as follows: 
1) Recognize you have a problem, 
2) Get a reality check. 


And by that I mean:


1) Yes, sadly, there are starving kids in China. And Africa. And probably even America. But a) those last few bites of that cheesecake are not going to magically transport themselves to those kids bellies if YOU eat it, b) nor are they going to magically make some amount of nourishment transport OUT of those kids bellies if you DON’T eat it, and c) Even if it did magically pass from your lips to theirs—it’s cheesecake. What good will that really do them in the long run? Why don’t you eat some grilled chicken next time? (*ahem* Sorry.)


2) If your friend says it’s “SO GOOD!” but they “JUST CAN’T FINISH IT!” then it probably isn’t THAT to-die-for, and you shouldn’t have to finish it either. Especially if you are just as full as your friend is.


3) Trying things is fun, but if you try everything, where’s the MYSTERY? (Okay. Not as convincing. I still want to try everything.) Compromise: Just try a TEENSY BITE.


4) Yes, you may not ever get those cookies your friend made ever again. But once you tried one, you’ve tried them all. Think about it. They aren’t going to get any more delicious.


5) You can be gracious in OTHER WAYS than eating every last bite. Thank your friends for the delicious meal—you ate so much already you can’t take a bite! Thank your baker-pal for the offer of another cookie, but you don’t want another one right away—you’ll save it for later! Or just compliment the one cookie and don’t reach for another.


6) Yes, you spent money on it. But there are way more ways not to waste it than eating it RIGHT NOW when your stomach can’t even fathom fitting another crumb inside of it. You can offer it to someone else, you can take home the rest and have it for lunch tomorrow, or, you CAN LEAVE IT, and think of it this way: By eating it, you are wasting all the hard work you did, exercising and eating well, to get healthier. By eating it, you are denying yourself the rewards you’ve been striving towards. By eating it, you are THAT MUCH closer to a stomach ache that will make it super hard to fall asleep tonight. (Yup, sometimes it’s really hard to sleep when you are uncomfortably full.)


I challenge you to do your own diagnosis, or use mine. A reality check can go a long way. And it’s not real money. So you don’t have to worry about wasting that, either. ;)

Eating Smaller Will Make You Smaller?

Or at least less hungry. Try serving your portion-controlled meal on a smaller plate. Packed smaller plates trick your mind into seeing a plate full of food, whereas bigger plates (with gaps between your food), conversely, makes you feel deprived, and as if you are eating less. Therefore, you’re appetite is seemingly bigger, and you consequently stuff yourself with food, until it’s too late and you are bloated and uncomfortably full.

Not to mention, if you are out at a buffet (or at your work), you can’t load up on EVERYTHING at once with a smaller plate. A smaller plate will help you prioritize and reevaluate if you are really hungry enough to get more food.


Think of it this way: We have all experienced the sensation of our eyes being bigger than our stomach. But that plate? It’s not.

Eating out advice

If you are trying to lose weight, eating out can be a daunting, and sometimes terrifying process. Everything on the menu looks so damn delicious, but at the same time, might have hundreds of unwanted calories hidden inside the cooking methods and dressings, which can make even a seemingly harmless veggie side your worst nightmare. Meanwhile, if it’s not a chain restaurant, they aren’t required to have nutrition facts.


But, you deserve a delicious meal. And you deserve to be healthy. Therefore, don’t be afraid to be a diva about it. Ask the waiter how things on the menu are prepared, and ask if you could have them prepared in a healthier way. They’ll usually say yes, or they’ll take a trip to the kitchen to ask. 

I’m pretty non confrontational myself (not that this is really a confrontation…), but I’m starting to get better at demanding (or rather, politely asking for) healthier alternatives. I used to just get “a salad, dressing on the side, please.” But, let’s be honest. That gets dull.


Today, I ordered a DELICIOUS omelet at a fancy restaurant, but only after asking if I could have it prepared with just egg whites. And I could! Not to mention, everyone at the table followed my suit. And the omelet, I must say, was very tasty.
So do it. Request your veggies steamed, not buttered. Get your chicken grilled, not breaded or fried. Ask for egg whites. Get the dressing on the side. Get the mayo on the side too. 


It may sound whiney or picky to you, but it’s really no big deal, especially if you ask with a smile and a “please.” :)