Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

I met Ronna a year ago last month at Dr. Fuhrman’s Health Immersion for Whole Foods Market team members. She wasn’t significantly overweight at the time but knew she was not in the zone of where she could be health-wise. Thinking she was eating ‘clean’ and ‘in moderation’, lingering cravings for processed foods, sugar and caffeine, and her attachment to limited thinking about her own health held her back. Today, with a healthy body and mind free of self judgement and food deprivation, she happily spends more time enjoying life in the present moment. Welcome to Disease Proof, Ronna.

 

What was your life like before discovering Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian approach?

Before I found Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian diet-style my head was filled with a myriad of nutrition theories. Self help books and fad diets dictated my rules for weight loss as far back as high school. My focus back then wasn’t on acquiring energy, mental clarity, a sense of balance, loss of cravings, and disease prevention; but more on finding the right diet program.

Increasing vitamins and minerals meant consuming fortified foods - orange juice and cereals, a salad or side of something steamed and green. I thought if I avoided junk food, moved more, and ate less, observing the food pyramid serving suggestions, I could win at losing weight. 

At age 11, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroiditis, an auto-immune disease commonly referred to as underactive thyroid. In my late teens losing weight meant extreme calorie restriction and/or excessive physical activity. Sugar was my constant companion.  I was the classic yo-yo dieter; in fact, I followed fad diets for sport. I became a runner to try to outsmart and outrun my inner sugar addict.

My cravings followed me to college, and even though I was thin when I was a freshman, I was “under the influence” of the sweet stuff. By the time I graduated I was 40 lbs heavier, and I hated walking across the platform to receive my diploma with my obvious weight loss failures showing. 

After knocking off the excess weight from college by dieting, my sweet tooth, and a honed ability to satisfy my fix led me to open a sweet shop in 1990 called Ronna’s Sweet Necessities. I now had complete access to my vice – at wholesale - and I became an enabler of others' sugar habits too! Then I became a candy buyer for an internet giant, and samples piled in right out of the test kitchen. Trips to Belgium to visit with multiple chocolate factories followed and samples flowed.

My mother, a Certified Diabetes Educator and practicing nutritionist, was a constant source of support and encouragement, but my sugar addiction was a private matter. She was there for me, and I probably skirted anorexia and bulimia because of her presence in my life, but I sought to slay this dragon myself. I evenutally left the candy business with a commitment to go to school to become a holistic health coach, and then I started a nutrition practice. Eventually Whole Foods Market hired me as a Healthy Eating Specialist and that’s how I was introduced to Dr. Fuhrman’s teachings.

In May 2012, I attended the Whole Foods Health Immersion led by Dr. Fuhrman, and his nutritarian diet-style dramatically shifted my perspective. Prior to the immersion I fed my desire, often daily, for coffee with cream, a little wine and cheese, and several bites of a gluten-free ice cream sandwich. These habits and “healthy snacking” kept the sugar and caffeine rushes coming.

How do you feel now?

Becoming a Nutritiarian has been a game changer for me. I don’t just look different, I think and live differently. I’ve shed 30 lbs from my 5’2” frame, and my body fat has gone from 44% to 18%. You could say my battery is fully charged now. I feel mindful about food choices rather than being a slave to addictive eating habits. I’m happier, I think more clearly, and I also feel a sense of balance, ease in movement, and confidence about my body. Most importantly, my cravings and the constant “noise” in my head related to food, body weight, and self-image are now completely gone!

Do you have any success tip(s) to share with others?

  

KEEP GOING

Two days into the nutritarian style of eating I hit a rough patch with severe detox symptoms (headache, all-over achiness and lack of energy). This bout lasted for 48 hours.

Having endured the detox phase, the potential for feeling good every day seemed to increase exponentially. Cravings ceased, pain faded, and longing for old comfort foods got replaced with delicious alternatives. I’m now equipped with recipes provided on Dr. Fuhrman’s website, and in his books and DVD’s that keep me satisfied without feeling deprived. 

 

COOK MORE

Cooking is truly the cornerstone of health, and learning to cook, fast, simple, tasty, micronutrient-rich foods is one of the keys to success. Previously, I played around in the kitchen. Today I cook!

 

LET GO OF LIMITED THINKING

I self diagnosed myself as hypoglycemic, but I was not; it was just my rationalization for incessant snacking. I also believed that as I aged my decreased metabolism would cause an inability to shed weight. This proved to be false too. And I always thought that my hypothyroidism was working against me which proved to be untrue. Correct information cleared the path for change.

In a nutshell, what has nutritarian eating done for you?

Nutritarian eating has quieted the dieting chatter in my head. I no longer count calories and fat grams, or wake up wondering if I’m going to be ‘good’ today (in my eating), or if cravings are going to sabotage my best efforts. With less time spent counting calories and being overwhelmed by diet propaganda I have acquired more time to live in the moment, and that’s priceless to me.

I never have to diet again! Dr. Fuhrman has taught me how to regulate my eating internally with my own sense of what I need – not externally with a set of dieting rules and rituals. Tips and rules are not the same. I can’t get enough healthy eating tips; they inspire me.

For me, the good life is not something that will be achieved when I hit a certain number on the scale. The good life is being a Nutritarian; eating high-nutrient, quality food. And that’s the sweet spot, sweeter than anything I used to crave.

And for me, that’s sweet freedom.

Congratulations Ronna for fully embracing the nutritarian diet-style and getting free from years of dieting entanglements!

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Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death in the United States. About 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke each year. A stroke occurs when blood flow to a portion of the brain is interrupted, preventing oxygen and nutrients from reaching brain tissue; ischemic strokes, the most common type, are usually caused by a blood clot obstructing an artery leading to the brain. Elevated blood pressure is the chief risk factor for stroke; elevated blood pressure accounts for 62% of strokes.^1,2 There have been countless studies on dietary factors and their relationship to stroke risk; within the past few years, new meta-analyses have strengthened these dietary links to stroke. In particular, higher fiber intake is associated with reduced risk, and higher red and processed meat intake is associated with increased risk.

Fiber and stroke:

Fiber and fiber-rich foods are known to be beneficial for colon health and healthy blood glucose regulation. For stroke prevention, the blood pressure-lowering effects of fiber and fiber-rich foods are thought to be primarily responsible. Elevated blood pressure is the primary risk factor for stroke, and greater intake of high-fiber foods (like beans) is consistently linked to lower blood pressure.³   Foods that are higher in fiber tend to have a lower glycemic load, which limits the rise in insulin after a meal; elevated insulin levels contribute to elevated blood pressure. Also, high-fiber foods are usually rich in phytochemicals and minerals like potassium and magnesium, which help to keep blood pressure in a healthy range.^4-10  In addition to reducing blood pressure, high fiber foods improve several factors relevant to atherosclerotic plaque formation, such as cholesterol and triglyceride levels.^11-13

A recently published meta-analysis on fiber intake and risk of stroke analyzed data from six prospective studies, including over 300,000 subjects.¹⁴ In this analysis, for every 10 gram increase in daily fiber intake, there was a 12% reduction in risk. A previous analysis of data from ten studies found that each 10 gram/day increase in fiber intake was associated with a 24% decrease in risk of death from heart disease.¹⁵ Ten grams is the approximate amount of fiber contained in 2/3 cup of beans or lentils, 2 cups of cooked collard greens, or 2 ½ cups of blueberries. The average daily intake of fiber in the United States is a meager 16 grams,¹⁶ but a Nutritarian diet, depending on one’s calorie needs, provides about 60-80 grams of fiber daily.  I want to make it clear it is the use of high fiber, whole foods that enable this degree of protection against stroke, not adding fiber to a standard American diet.  It is more than just the fiber in fiber-rich foods that offers protection.

Red/processed meat and stroke:

Red and processed meats are calorie-dense, micronutrient-poor, saturated fat-rich foods. Another major concern regarding red and processed meats when it comes to heart disease and stroke is heme iron. The human body absorbs heme iron, the form of iron found in animal foods, more readily than nonheme iron from plant foods. Iron is an essential mineral that transports oxygen in the blood and has many other crucial functions, but can promote free radical damage, called oxidative stress when excess is present. .  As a result, high body iron stores are associated with increased risk of chronic diseases that have an oxidative stress component: for example, diabetes, heart disease, and dementia.^17-21 When it comes to increasing stroke risk, heme iron promotes oxidation of LDL cholesterol and elevated blood pressure. Several previous studies have found that higher heme iron (or red and processed meat) intake was associated with higher blood pressure, and higher non-heme iron intake (or plant food intake) was associated with lower blood pressure.^22-26  Again, it is not merely the high iron in meats, many other factors play a role including their hormonally-induced growth-promoting effects that promote atherosclerosis. 

Another recent meta-analysis reported on five studies of red and processed meat and stroke risk, and found substantial risk increases in ischemic stroke risk (the most common type of stroke):  for each 100 gram daily increment red meat eating daily, there was a 13% increase in risk, and a 13% increase in risk for every 50 grams daily of processed meat. Processed meats are nutrient-poor and high in heme iron like red meat, but have additional sodium, which is likely why the authors found a steeper association with stroke.²⁷

These studies add to the already huge body of evidence showing that whole plant foods are health-promoting, while red and processed meats are disease-causing.

Between the excessive amounts of protein and heme iron, new findings on detrimental effects of red meat compounds Neu5GC²⁸  and carnitine, and the volume of evidence linking red and processed meats to cancer and premature death,^29-36 there is no question – these are dangerous foods. People who still desire to eat meat, should think of it as a condiment, only to be used a few times a week in small amounts.  

References:

1. He FJ, MacGregor GA: A comprehensive review on salt and health and current experience of worldwide salt reduction programmes. J Hum Hypertens 2009;23:363-384.
2. Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, et al: Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics--2013 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation 2013;127:e6-e245.
3. Papanikolaou Y, Fulgoni VL, 3rd: Bean consumption is associated with greater nutrient intake, reduced systolic blood pressure, lower body weight, and a smaller waist circumference in adults: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002. J Am Coll Nutr 2008;27:569-576.
4. Landsberg L: Insulin-mediated sympathetic stimulation: role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related hypertension (or, how insulin affects blood pressure, and why). J Hypertens 2001;19:523-528.
5. Streppel MT, Arends LR, van 't Veer P, et al: Dietary fiber and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Arch Intern Med 2005;165:150-156.
6. Houston MC: The importance of potassium in managing hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rep 2011;13:309-317.
7. Houston M: The role of magnesium in hypertension and cardiovascular disease. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2011;13:843-847.
8. DeFronzo RA, Cooke CR, Andres R, et al: The effect of insulin on renal handling of sodium, potassium, calcium, and phosphate in man. J Clin Invest 1975;55:845-855.
9. Chiasson JL, Josse RG, Gomis R, et al: Acarbose treatment and the risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension in patients with impaired glucose tolerance: the STOP-NIDDM trial. JAMA 2003;290:486-494.
10. Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Augustin LS, et al: Effect of Legumes as Part of a Low Glycemic Index Diet on Glycemic Control and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Intern Med 2012:1-8.
11. Bazzano LA, Thompson AM, Tees MT, et al: Non-soy legume consumption lowers cholesterol levels: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD 2011;21:94-103.
12. Brown L, Rosner B, Willett WW, et al: Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;69:30-42.
13. Anderson JW: Dietary fiber prevents carbohydrate-induced hypertriglyceridemia. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2000;2:536-541.
14. Chen GC, Lv DB, Pang Z, et al: Dietary fiber intake and stroke risk: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Eur J Clin Nutr 2013;67:96-100.
15. Pereira MA, O'Reilly E, Augustsson K, et al: Dietary fiber and risk of coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of cohort studies. Arch Intern Med 2004;164:370-376.
16. King DE, Mainous AG, 3rd, Lambourne CA: Trends in dietary fiber intake in the United States, 1999-2008. J Acad Nutr Diet 2012;112:642-648.
17. Luan de C, Li H, Li SJ, et al: Body iron stores and dietary iron intake in relation to diabetes in adults in North China. Diabetes Care 2008;31:285-286.
18. Rajpathak SN, Crandall JP, Wylie-Rosett J, et al: The role of iron in type 2 diabetes in humans. Biochim Biophys Acta 2009;1790:671-681.
19. de Oliveira Otto MC, Alonso A, Lee DH, et al: Dietary intakes of zinc and heme iron from red meat, but not from other sources, are associated with greater risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. J Nutr 2012;142:526-533.
20. Ahluwalia N, Genoux A, Ferrieres J, et al: Iron status is associated with carotid atherosclerotic plaques in middle-aged adults. J Nutr 2010;140:812-816.
21. Brewer GJ: Iron and copper toxicity in diseases of aging, particularly atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Exp Biol Med 2007;232:323-335.
22. Kiechl S, Willeit J, Egger G, et al: Body iron stores and the risk of carotid atherosclerosis: prospective results from the Bruneck study. Circulation 1997;96:3300-3307.
23. Steffen LM, Kroenke CH, Yu X, et al: Associations of plant food, dairy product, and meat intakes with 15-y incidence of elevated blood pressure in young black and white adults: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;82:1169-1177; quiz 1363-1164.
24. Tzoulaki I, Brown IJ, Chan Q, et al: Relation of iron and red meat intake to blood pressure: cross sectional epidemiological study. BMJ 2008;337:a258.
25. Wang L, Manson JE, Buring JE, et al: Meat intake and the risk of hypertension in middle-aged and older women. J Hypertens 2008;26:215-222.
26. Miura K, Greenland P, Stamler J, et al: Relation of vegetable, fruit, and meat intake to 7-year blood pressure change in middle-aged men: the Chicago Western Electric Study. Am J Epidemiol 2004;159:572-580.
27. Chen GC, Lv DB, Pang Z, et al: Red and processed meat consumption and risk of stroke: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Eur J Clin Nutr 2013;67:91-95.
28. Padler-Karavani V, Yu H, Cao H, et al: Diversity in specificity, abundance, and composition of anti-Neu5Gc antibodies in normal humans: potential implications for disease. Glycobiology 2008;18:818-830.
29. WCRF/AICR Expert Report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective.: World Cancer Research Fund; 2007.
30. Lunn JC, Kuhnle G, Mai V, et al: The effect of haem in red and processed meat on the endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Carcinogenesis 2007;28:685-690.
31. Kuhnle GG, Story GW, Reda T, et al: Diet-induced endogenous formation of nitroso compounds in the GI tract. Free Radic Biol Med 2007;43:1040-1047.
32. Pan A, Sun Q, Bernstein AM, et al: Red Meat Consumption and Mortality: Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies. Arch Intern Med 2012.
33. Sinha R, Cross AJ, Graubard BI, et al: Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people. Arch Intern Med 2009;169:562-571.
34. Major JM, Cross AJ, Doubeni CA, et al: Socioeconomic deprivation impact on meat intake and mortality: NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Cancer Causes Control 2011;22:1699-1707.
35. Key TJ, Fraser GE, Thorogood M, et al: Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:516S-524S.
36. Fraser GE: Associations between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and all-cause mortality in non-Hispanic white California Seventh-day Adventists. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:532S-538S.

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Mike wasn’t significantly overweight when he discovered the nutritarian diet-style, yet the quality of his life has improved considerably since fully committing to it.  And it has had a rippling effect on his family and those around him as well. Welcome to Disease Proof, Mike.  

 

What was your life like before discovering Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian approach?

As a boy I was frequently sick.  I suffered with asthmatic bronchitis which would always get bad during the winter.  I remember plenty of times when I was sick in bed for my birthday or while my friends were playing outside during the winter school break.  I always had a stuffy nose which led to frequent sinus infections and, well into my thirties, there was hardly a year that I didn’t take antibiotics.

Like most Americans, processed foods and animal products comprised the bulk of my diet.  In elementary school I was “chubby”, and I was picked on for being fat.  By the time I graduated high school I was six feet tall and weighed 225 lbs.  During college I became more active with sports and lost a decent amount of weight.  Over the next twenty or so years my weight fluctuated between 165 lbs and 200 lbs, typically hovering around 175 lbs which I thought was my “ideal weight.”

I was pretty fit just before discovering Dr. Fuhrman.  I was exercising vigorously at least four times a week. and I thought I was eating sensibly, because I was completely avoiding fast food.  I weighed 170 lbs, I wasn’t on any medications, and I felt good about myself.

How did you find out about Dr. Fuhrman?

One day I asked someone at a Vita Mix demonstration booth how I could learn to make green smoothies like she had just made.  She gave me the address of Dr. Fuhrman’s website.  Later that day, I started watching the documentary, “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” and Dr. Fuhrman appeared on the screen.  I wondered, “Where have I been and why haven’t I heard of Dr. Fuhrman before?”  I went online and ordered Eat for Health.  Within days I read the book, and it made a lot of sense.  I knew it was real and not just another fad diet.  I decided that becoming Nutritarians was something my family and I had to do, because I wanted better health for all of us.

How do you feel now?

I feel great!  I didn’t think I needed to lose any weight; yet, I lost 20 lbs in the first two and a half months and my weight quickly stabilized at 150 lbs.  The last time I weighed that much I was in middle school and six inches shorter.  The amazing part was that I never felt like I was starving myself.  To the contrary, I was eating generous portions of food and enjoying food more than ever.  Much more importantly, I’m healthier now.  It’s been over eighteen months since I became a Nutritarian, and I haven’t had a single sick day.

What are your success tips?

• Don’t wait until your health suffers before taking better care of yourself.  Our leading causes of death are primarily the result of the foods we eat.  Regardless of your health condition, start taking care of yourself now.

• Read, listen to, or watch Dr. Fuhrman at least five minutes a day.  The deeper your understanding, the more conviction you’ll have for making good nutritional decisions and the more likely you’ll succeed.

• Put the principles you learn into practice.  There are plenty of recipes and cooking tips available in books, online, and from other Nutritarians through Dr. Fuhrman’s member center.

• If you have a spouse or partner then start educating them and enlist their help and support.  It’s easier to succeed if you don’t go it alone.

• Order off the menu when dining out by choosing healthy ingredients listed among the various menu items.  Clearly communicate your order to the chef by writing out your meal preparation instructions and handing them to the wait staff.  Bringing a healthy salad dressing and ordering fresh fruits and vegetables generally works well.

• Avoid feeling trapped into eating the wrong foods.  Consider “pre-gaming” with a high-nutrient snack just prior to dining out, and take a nutritarian dish or two along when dining at someone else’s home.

• Help address our health care crisis by helping others take better care of themselves by becoming Nutritarians.  The greatest gift anyone can receive is the gift of good health.

What has the nutritarian diet-style done for you?

Becoming a Nutritarian has improved my health dramatically, I’m full of energy and I don’t get sick.  I’m enjoying more out of life. It has also empowered me to help others.  My wife and children are benefiting with their own weight loss and improved health, and this is bringing us even closer together as a family.  I've also helped a friend avoid heart surgery, and he is doing incredibly well now.  By improving my health and the health of others around me, I have developed a greater sense of meaning, purpose, and well-being in my own life.

Congratulations Mike for not only improving your health but being a great role model for others, including your family ~ keep up the good work!

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Angelina Jolie’s choice to undergo a preventive double mastectomy because of a family history of breast cancer and a mutation in the BRCA1 gene has made news and raised important questions. Complex medical decisions like these are personal must be made on an individual basis. The appearance of this story and subsequent debate in the global media, however, brings up critical issues about the relative contributions of genetics and lifestyle to breast cancer risk. Also it begs the question, if you are indeed genetically susceptible to breast cancer, can you reduce this risk through nutrition?

The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are tumor suppressors.¹ Having one of several known mutations in one of these genes is known to impair their function and produce a predisposition for breast cancer and several other cancers. There are mutations in other genes that also increase risk; however the majority of hereditary breast cancer cases are attributed to BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. These mutations produce a substantial increase in breast cancer risk. About 12 percent of women in the general population will develop breast cancer throughout their lifetimes,  but about 60 percent of women who carry a BRCA mutation will develop breast cancer;² women with a family history and a BRCA mutation could have a risk of breast cancer as high as 87 percent.³   This is frightening, but keep in mind that most breast cancers are not due to these mutations. The percentage of breast cancer cases that are due to BRCA1 mutations is estimated at 3.5-6.2 percent and 2.1-3.4 percent for BRCA2 mutations.³

Breast cancer is a complex disease with many contributing factors. Even those with a genetic issue can dramatically reduce their risk of breast cancer and other cancers through strong dietary decisions. Natural plant foods contain a huge quantity and variety of phytochemicals, micronutrients with a variety of anti-cancer effects: anti-estrogenic, anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, anti-angiogenic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. All of these different functions act synergistically to prevent the development of cancers, regardless of a person’s genotype.

For example, studies have demonstrated that vegetable and fruit consumption or an overall healthful diet is associated with decreased breast cancer risk, even in carriers of BRCA mutations.^6,7 The fact that not every woman who has these mutations gets breast cancer suggests that environmental factors can have a preventive effect.  An important study demonstrated that higher cruciferous vegetable intake cut risk in half for women with a breast cancer-associated genetic mutation.^8,9  This significant reduction in risk was only from the green vegetables at modest intake, it was not the the entire Nutritarian diet – a diet consisting primarily of nutrient-rich foods - designed to maximize protection with all the anti-cancer foods present simultaneously.  So even with heightened genetic risk, healthful foods are significantly protective. Since several populations around the world 25 years ago had only about one-tenth of the breast cancer rates that we had in the U.S.,^10-12 it is clear that even in the context of increased genetic risk, diet and lifestyle trump genetics. 

Regardless of family history, genetic mutation, or even double mastectomy, a Nutritarian diet is essential for reducing cancer risk.

A Nutritarian diet consists of the following key foods referred to as G-BOMBS (Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds). Unfortunately because every cancer prevention study focuses only on one variable, not the synergistic benefits that add up from the entire Nutritarian lifestyle: isothiocyanates from cruciferous vegetables¹³, organosulfur compounds from onions and garlic, aromatase inhibitors from mushrooms, flavonoids from berries, lignans from flax, chia and sesame seeds, angiogenesis inhibitors from beans, anti-estrogenic effects of  fiber, plus the protective effects of exercise have yet to be calculated. That said, each of these factors has been shown to be powerfully protective; for example, one interesting study on lignans followed women for up to 10 years and found a 71 percent reduced risk of breast cancer mortality in women with the highest lignan intake.¹⁴  This demonstrates dramatic anti-cancer potential from the Nutritarian approach, because this study was performed on women late in life who already had a diagnosis of breast cancer, and their lignan intake was only minimal.  In other words, even more significant protection can be assumed when these changes are much more significant and started earlier in life before breast cancer occurs.

An important point this news story has brought up is empowerment, and I want to emphasize that when faced with simple, every day choices – what to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner – all women have the power to achieve substantial protection against breast cancer. Many women can’t afford to get genetic testing, or a preventive mastectomy if they are positive for a mutation, but all women can’t afford NOT to eat a Nutritarian diet for their hearts, their brains, their breasts and their peace of mind.  

References:

1. Fan S, Meng Q, Auborn K, et al: BRCA1 and BRCA2 as molecular targets for phytochemicals indole-3-carbinol and genistein in breast and prostate cancer cells. Br J Cancer 2006;94:407-426.
2. BRCA1 and BRCA2: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA. Accessed
3. Robson ME: Clinical considerations in the management of individuals at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Cancer Control 2002;9:457-465.
4. Bosviel R, Durif J, Dechelotte P, et al: Epigenetic modulation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene expression by equol in breast cancer cell lines. Br J Nutr 2012;108:1187-1193.
5. Fustier P, Le Corre L, Chalabi N, et al: Resveratrol increases BRCA1 and BRCA2 mRNA expression in breast tumour cell lines. Br J Cancer 2003;89:168-172.
6. Ghadirian P, Narod S, Fafard E, et al: Breast cancer risk in relation to the joint effect of BRCA mutations and diet diversity. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2009;117:417-422.
7. Nkondjock A, Ghadirian P: Diet quality and BRCA-associated breast cancer risk. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2007;103:361-369.
8. Lee SA, Fowke JH, Lu W, et al: Cruciferous vegetables, the GSTP1 Ile105Val genetic polymorphism, and breast cancer risk. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:753-760.
9. Huang MY, Wang YH, Chen FM, et al: Multiple Genetic Polymorphisms of GSTP1 313AG, MDR1 3435CC, and MTHFR 677CC highly correlated with early relapse of breast cancer patients in Taiwan. Ann Surg Oncol 2008;15:872-880.
10. International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization. CI5plus: Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Annual Dataset [http://ci5.iarc.fr/CI5plus/ci5plus.htm]
11. Ahn YO, Park BJ, Yoo KY, et al: Incidence estimation of female breast cancer among Koreans. J Korean Med Sci 1994;9:328-334.
12. Bah E, Hall AJ, Inskip HM: The first 2 years of the Gambian National Cancer Registry. Br J Cancer 1990;62:647-650.
13. Liu X, Lv K: Cruciferous vegetables intake is inversely associated with risk of breast cancer: A meta-analysis. Breast 2012.
14. McCann SE, Thompson LU, Nie J, et al: Dietary lignan intakes in relation to survival among women with breast cancer: the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) Study. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2010;122:229-235.

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I met Nancy on Dr. Fuhrman’s Member Center this past year, and she’s now a totally different person than she was just nine months ago. Her enthusiasm for living life to the fullest is contagious! However, just last summer she felt like she had no life. It’s amazing what nine months of nutritarian eating can do to a person! Welcome to Disease Proof, Nancy.      

What was your life like before discovering Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian approach?

What life?? I had no life!

I barely left the house, and I had removed myself from all social functions, because I was just too ashamed of the way I looked and felt. I felt physically uncomfortable all the time; whether I was sitting in a chair, or the car, or lying in bed, my body felt awful. My feet would hurt even if I walked just a little bit. I ached from head to toe, and I was exhausted most of the time and had very little energy to do normal every day tasks. My life was on hold.  I'm not even sure how much I weighed, because I didn't have the courage to actually get on the scales when I started following Eat to Live. I waited about a week before I actually weighed myself, and I was 195.5 lbs, so I'm pretty sure I was close to 200 lbs when I started . . . and I’m only 5'2"!

Prior to following Eat to Live my weight had gone up and down most of my adult life. I was a typical yo-yo dieter; never able to maintain an optimal weight because every "diet" always came to an end. I needed an absolute, complete lifestyle change; a way of living, not some diet fad that would be tossed aside once I reached my goal weight.

How did you find out about it?

I’d decided to start a healthy diet in July 2012, but I knew that I needed something different than what I’d tried in the past. Previously, I had gone vegan in an attempt to regain health and reduce my weight, but that never lasted longer than a few weeks at a time. I instinctively felt that I didn’t have a complete picture of truly healthy eating. I searched online for some help and stumbled across Dr. Fuhrman's website. I devoured everything I could and purchased the books Eat to Live and Eat for Health. The knowledge I gained from reading those books, and joining the member center, was invaluable and were the missing pieces for me.

How do you feel now?

My life has totally changed! I’ve lost 75.5 pounds and reached my goal of 120 pounds in just nine months. I weigh less than I did in high school, and I feel absolutely wonderful! Aches and pains are gone, energy has greatly increased, and my social life is back to normal. I have a completely new wardrobe and feel good in my skin now. This is not just about vanity; it is so much more than that. I can sit on the floor and play with my grandkids and not even know I have a body. I’m at peace with the knowledge that I’m doing what's best for my health, and I feel free!

 

What are your success tips?

• I dived into the program 100% and did not deviate from it. I followed everything to the letter, and I was determined that this would be the way I would eat for the rest of my life.

• I completely changed my relationship with food. Initially, I stayed away from restaurants (too much temptation), and if I did eat out, I brought my own dressings with me.

• I participated in Dr. Fuhrman’s Member Center which helped me tremendously! Reading about others’ successes and failures in the discussion forums has been extremely helpful. There were times that I needed a kick in the pants to help get me out of temptation and reading the remorse that others felt when they had "fallen off the wagon" was the impetus I needed to keep going. And of course, reading about others who had been successful convinced me that this can be done.  Receiving encouragement from the Member Center is a tool which will be useful indefinitely. I am now acutely aware that one food indiscretion has the potential to send me back into unhealthful eating, and I will use every tool I can to prevent that from happening.

Congratulations Nancy for making that decision to dive-in 100% for the rest of your life!

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In recent years, you have most likely heard about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a mysterious and devastating loss of bee colonies in the U.S., Canada and Europe.  The first reports of these unexplained and catastrophic bee deaths began in 2006. In the 2006-2007 season, CCD affected about 23% of commercial U.S. beekeepers, and some beekeepers lost 90% of their hives. Since then, CCD has showed no signs of slowing; substantial yearly losses of bees, 30 percent or higher, have become the norm.^1,2

In 2007, some answers began to surface. Scientists began to identify viruses in U.S. bee colonies that had suffered CCD.¹ Soon, it was known that healthy and CCD-stricken colonies were plagued with numerous viruses and parasitic microbes, and seemed to have impaired ability to produce proteins that protect against infection.^2,3  Scientists then began to ask whether there was an environmental factor that was causing the bees to be vulnerable to viral attack.

In early 2012, two studies published in Science implicated a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids.

In these studies, bees exposed to neonicotinoids exhibited a reduced growth rate, produced fewer queens, or  had impaired navigation and food-gathering abilities; the scientists concluded that neonicotinoids, although the commonly encountered doses may not be directly lethal to bees, could contribute to CCD in an indirect way, by harming bees’ abilities to grow, return home to their hives or get adequate nutrition.^4-6 Now that several additional studies have now found similar negative effects on bee behavior and cognition, evidence that neonicotinoids harm bees and are a major contributor to CCD has grown more convincing.^7-9

Neonicotinoids began to be used in the 1990s, as less-toxic-to-humans alternatives to organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides.  An important point about these pesticides is that they are usually used in a “systemic” manner; when crops are treated, the pesticides spread throughout all parts of the plant, including the nectar and pollen. Bees are exposed to these pesticides via many major commercial crops including canola, corn, cotton, sugar beet and sunflower; plus many vegetable and fruit crops.^5,6,10

Bans on neonicotinoids in Europe; not in the U.S.

The pesticide industry and some scientists claim that the evidence against neonicotinoids is not yet conclusive, but it has been convincing enough for some agencies to propose bans on these pesticides as a safety measure. The European Food Safety Authority, for example, produced a report in January 2013 concluding that neonicotinoids pose unacceptable risks for bees and should not be applied to flowering crops. As a result, a 2-year suspension was proposed in the European Union, and  was passed in late April – it will go into effect December 1.^11,12 Currently, France and  Germany have partial bans on neonicotinoid use.¹³

In March, a coalition of beekeepers and environmental interest groups filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging that they have failed to protect bees and the crops they pollinate by rushing neoniconitnoids to market with inadequate review. The EPA has accelerated its schedule for reevaluating the safety neonicotinoids, however the review itself is scheduled to take another five years.  The USDA and EPA released a joint report last week on U.S. honeybee health, stating that multiple factors contribute to bee colony declines, and that further research is required to determine the risks posed by pesticides. However, the report does acknowledge , “Laboratory tests on individual honey bees have shown that field-relevant, sublethal doses of  some pesticides have effects on bee behavior and susceptibility to disease.”

What can we do?

This is a sincere emergency to our organic farming movement and to the global food supply, to lose the natural way flowering plants are pollinated.   Bees are crucial for pollination of many crops such as apples, almonds, and citrus fruits. According to the U.N., about 70% of the crops that provide 90% of human food are pollinated by bees.¹⁴ We are dependent on bees, and they are disappearing rapidly. It is alarming to say the least.

Online petitions (sign here and/or here) have been started, aiming to urge the EPA to take action before 2018 and suspend neonicotinoid use on flowering crops frequented by bees as a safety precaution.  You can also take action at home.  Since wild bee populations are also declining, in part due to loss of habitat, you can help by providing bees with new habitats. You can plant a garden of vegetables and plenty of bee-friendly flowers, or even become a backyard beekeeper (find information and resources here and here). Additionally, by purchasing local and/or organic produce and eating primarily unrefined plant foods, you avoid monetarily supporting the largely genetically modified crops (corn, canola, sugar beets, etc.) that neonicotinoids are primarily used on.

Image credit - Flickr: blathlean 

References:

1. Grant B: Culprit of bee woes identified? 2007. The Scientist. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/25405/title/Culprit-of-bee-woes-identified-/. Accessed May 9, 2013.
2. Runckel C, Flenniken ML, Engel JC, et al: Temporal analysis of the honey bee microbiome reveals four novel viruses and seasonal prevalence of known viruses, Nosema, and Crithidia. PLoS One 2011;6:e20656.
3. Grant B: Bee calamity clarified. 2009. The Scientist. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/27605/title/Bee-calamity-clarified/. Accessed May 9, 2013.
4. Richards S: Pesticide Problems for Bees. 2012. The Scientist. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/31886/title/Pesticide-Problems-for-Bees/. Accessed May 9, 2013.
5. Henry M, Beguin M, Requier F, et al: A common pesticide decreases foraging success and survival in honey bees. Science 2012;336:348-350.
6. Whitehorn PR, O'Connor S, Wackers FL, et al: Neonicotinoid pesticide reduces bumble bee colony growth and queen production. Science 2012;336:351-352.
7. Gill RJ, Ramos-Rodriguez O, Raine NE: Combined pesticide exposure severely affects individual- and colony-level traits in bees. Nature 2012;491:105-108.
8. Williamson SM, Wright GA: Exposure to multiple cholinergic pesticides impairs olfactory learning and memory in honeybees. J Exp Biol 2013.
9. Palmer MJ, Moffat C, Saranzewa N, et al: Cholinergic pesticides cause mushroom body neuronal inactivation in honeybees. Nat Commun 2013;4:1634.
10. Grossman E: Bee protection: US in spotlight as EU bans pesticides. 2013. Guardian Environment Network. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/30/bee-protection-us-eu-bans-pesticides. Accessed
11. Flores G: A Political Battle Over Pesticides. 2013. The Scientist. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/35058/title/A-Political-Battle-Over-Pesticides/. Accessed May 9, 2013.
12. Cossins D: Europe to Ban Neonicotinoids. 2013. The Scientist. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/35355/title/Europe-to-Ban-Neonicotinoids/. Accessed May 9, 2013.
13. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Colony Collapse Disorder: European Bans on Neonicotinoid Pesticides [http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/about/intheworks/ccd-european-ban.html]
14. Jolly D: Europe Bans Pesticides Thought Harmful to Bees. 2013. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/business/global/30iht-eubees30.html?_r=0. Accessed

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful Moms out there!  Whether you are called Great Grandma, Grandma, Mom, or Mommy we honor all of you this special day! 

I thought it would be inspirational to feature a new mom, Katie, that I met a couple of years ago on Dr. Fuhrman’s Member Center.  We eventually became Facebook friends, and then I finally got to meet her in-person last summer at Dr. Fuhrman’s Health Getaway on Amelia Island.  I’ve been so impressed how she’s radically changed her eating habits and now enables her young family to eat for the best health possible too.  [In fact, she even went on to become a certified nutritional trainer through Dr. Fuhrman’s NET program!] When pictures of her relatively recent, second pregnancy started showing up on Facebook, she glowed with health and vitality!  It’s amazing what eating for health can do to a young woman’s life.  Welcome to Disease Proof, Katie.

What was your life like before discovering Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian approach?
I ate a very unhealthy diet before learning about Dr. Fuhrman. My favorite foods were things like pizza and chocolate. I was a vegetarian for a few years; but a very unhealthy one. Since I was slim I figured I was healthy enough.

I always had terrible allergies and also struggled with sinus issues. A few years before becoming a nutritarian an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor told me I would need to have surgery to alleviate my severe sinus infections. I also had debilitating migraine headaches. Finally, I also developed severe and painful cystic acne when I was around 18 which continued into adulthood.
 

How do you feel now?
I feel so much better now it is amazing. I didn't know how bad I felt until I realized how good I could feel. My allergies, sinus issues, migraines and acne all resolved after becoming a nutritarian.  And I have more energy and am able to think more clearly now.

Since you weren’t a nutritarian yet during your first pregnancy, did you notice a difference between the two pregnancies, labor and delivery, and postpartum recovery time?

Towards the end of the pregnancy with my first daughter my mom gave me a copy of Dr. Fuhrman’s book, Disease Proof Your Child.  It completely changed my perspective on nutrition.  Each of my pregnancies were uncomplicated, but I had gained 15 pounds more during my first pregnancy than my second.  I also had horrendous heartburn with my first, and just mild heartburn with my second.

With my first, I went two weeks past my estimated due date and had to be induced.  The labor was very difficult, and my recovery was rather slow.  With my second daughter I went into labor naturally two days after my due date and overall it was a wonderful, drug-free experience.  My recovery time seemed to be much easier as well.  

Do you have any success tip(s) to share with others; especially to young mothers of small children?

• The most important factor to changing my way of eating was learning as much as I could about the science behind Dr. Fuhrman's recommendations. I spent hours poring over the information in Dr. Fuhrman's books and on his Member Center.

• We keep meals very simple at our house and cook large batches of soups over the weekend so we don't have to cook much during the week. I also like to make green smoothies or micro salads so I can get large amounts of greens in quickly while taking care of my kids.

Katie’s favorite micro salad: 

4 cups chopped kale

2 cups mixed greens

2 cups chopped green or purple cabbage

3 medium carrots, chopped into chunks

1 apple, chopped into chunks

Place all ingredients in a food processor (you may have to process each ingredient individually depending on the size of the container) and process to desired consistency. Top with beans and a nut based dressing.  Enjoy!           

In a nutshell, what has nutritarian eating done for you and your young family?

It has changed me and my family forever. My husband and I will definitely eat this way for the rest of our lives, and we hope our daughters will continue to as well. My 3-year- old loves the food she eats and has been healthy her whole life. She’s never had an ear infection or needed antibiotics. I'm incredibly grateful to Dr. Fuhrman for this life-changing information and to everyone on the Member Center for sharing such personal and inspiring experiences. I'm also very thankful to my mother for giving me Disease Proof Your Child and for providing a wonderful example of what it means to eat to live.  I also want to thank my husband for all of his support who, despite his initial hesitation, has fully embraced nutritarian eating.

Katie, you are truly a wonderful role model for all mothers, young and old!  Congratulations on radically improving you and your family’s health by choosing the nutritarian diet-style.

Blessings to all mothers today, and keep up the great job of leading your family’s health destiny!  

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Felicia was recently interviewed on Disease Proof. [click here to read her interview]  She’s lost over 160 lbs in less than a year, and she’s still losing!  I asked her if she’d be willing to share what her life is like now that she's free from food addiction, and she wrote the following. May it inspire you with renewed hope and encouragement in your journey to live in the best health that’s possible!

What is it like to be free from food addiction?

by Felicia Ricks

The definition of addiction according to the dictionary is “a compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit forming substance.”

I never thought of food as a habit forming substance, but I always thought of it as a necessary requirement for the body to survive. It wasn’t until I heard Dr. Fuhrman talk about toxic hunger that I came to the realization that I had a food addiction and had a compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit forming substance.

When I initially started on Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian program, I experienced toxic hunger and I didn’t feel very well for several days. I asked myself, “Is this how drug addicts feel when they’re going through detoxification? This doesn’t feel good at all!” Although, I was experiencing some withdrawal symptoms I was determined to break the vicious cycle of food addiction by not eating the foods that caused the addiction. After enduring the “not so good days” I noticed that I wasn’t jittery, the headaches were non-existent and I didn’t feel the desire to put a Snickers bar in my mouth. I knew I was on the road to recovery.

Being free from my food addiction was an answered prayer because one of my prayers was to be self-controlled in my eating habits. However for many, many, years I was never able to consistently maintain self-control. It wasn’t until I totally committed to eating the foods that were originally intended for our bodies to absorb and digest such as, green vegetables, berries, onions, mushrooms, beans, seeds/nuts (GBOMBS) and COMPLETELY eliminated the refined, sugary, processed and synthetic foods and drinks, that I began to feel spiritually and physically liberated. I feel as though I am no longer bound and enslaved by the self-inflicted chains of food addiction and I am no longer defiling my body. I also feel as though a weight, figuratively and literally has been lifted from me and now I can honestly and unequivocally say that, “I am free indeed!”

Thank you Dr. Fuhrman for spreading the message and informing people about the benefits of healthy nutrition. Also for holding fast to the statement by Hippocrates, “Food shall be your medicine and your medicine shall be your food.”

“It will take strength. It will take effort. But the pleasure and rewards that you will get from a healthy life will be priceless.”
-Dr. Fuhrman

 

 

image credit:  flickr by Marin Cathrae

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Statin drugs inhibit an enzyme that is crucial for the production of cholesterol; they are the most widely taken drugs among adults in the U.S, and their use has expanded dramatically in recent years.  About 20% of Americans age 45-64 and 45% of those 65 and older take statin drugs.¹ Between 1988 and 2006 the use of statin drugs in U.S. adults over 45 increased by a factor of 10.²

The benefit-to-risk ratio of giving statins to individuals with elevated cholesterol but no prior history of coronary heart disease remains controversial among many scientists and physicians.^3-6 It is especially worth questioning the risk of side effects when there is a safe, effective alternative to these medications – excellent nutrition and exercise – that carries only health benefits along with its cholesterol-reducing efficacy.

Of course, dropping elevated cholesterol back into the favorable range is beneficial, but we know that medication is not required to achieve this result. Furthermore, we now have evidence that statins expose people to unnecessary risks. A 2010 analysis of medical records in the U.K. found increased likelihood of liver dysfunction, impaired muscle function, acute kidney injury and cataracts during the first five years of statin use. Moreover, two meta-analyses in 2009 and 2010 reported a moderately increased risk of diabetes in statin users.

Now, new data has confirmed the connection between statin use and acute kidney injury. Acute kidney injury is a sudden loss of the kidneys’ filtering capability; the normal functions of removing waste products from the blood and balancing fluid and electrolytes cannot be carried out. Acute kidney injury is a serious condition that can lead to permanent damage or loss of kidney function or even death.  In the current study, high-potency vs. low-potency statin doses were compared (high potency was defined as minimum 10 mg rosuvastatin, 20 mg atorvastatin, or 40 mg simvastatin).  The study examined Canadian healthcare records to investigate a total of 2 million patients who had been newly prescribed a statin, and the incidence of hospitalization for acute kidney injury during early statin use.  Those who began taking high potency statins had a 34% increased risk of being hospitalized for acute kidney injury within the first six months of statin therapy compared to those on lower doses.  Although this study did not evaluate the risk associated with low-potency statin use vs. no statin use, the data does establish that statin drugs may have harmful effects on the kidney.⁷

The reason for the link between statins and acute kidney injury remains unclear, but there are preliminary theories. Some scientists have hypothesized that muscle breakdown associated with statin use may be responsible, since this leads to the release of kidney-toxic muscle components into the bloodstream. Another hypothesis centers on oxidative stress due to statin-associated diminished production of coenzyme Q10, one of the body’s most powerful natural antioxidants.⁷

Never forget: all medications have side effects, many of them serious; we must exercise appropriate caution before taking medications. Statin drugs are a ubiquitous treatment for a preventable condition; elevated cholesterol can be easily reduced with lifestyle measures in almost all cases.

If you have elevated cholesterol levels, you have a choice. You can take a statin drug that will expose you to increased risk for diabetes and the potential for damage to your liver, kidneys and muscles; or, you can make dietary changes that will not only reduce cholesterol but blood pressure as well, and at the same time reduce your risk of cancer, diabetes and dementia. Which will you choose?

To learn more about the preventive and therapeutic potential of a Nutritarian diet, read my book Eat For Health.

References:

1. Health, United States, 2011: With Special Feature on Socioeconomic Status and Health. In. Hyattsville (MD); 2012: Health, United States].
2. Latest Report on the Nation's Health Shows Growing Medical Technology Use. 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/10newreleases/hus09.htm. Accessed May 2, 2013.
3. Cholesterol Treatment Trialists C, Mihaylova B, Emberson J, et al: The effects of lowering LDL cholesterol with statin therapy in people at low risk of vascular disease: meta-analysis of individual data from 27 randomised trials. Lancet 2012;380:581-590.
4. Ray KK, Seshasai SR, Erqou S, et al: Statins and all-cause mortality in high-risk primary prevention: a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 65,229 participants. Arch Intern Med 2010;170:1024-1031.
5. Moyer MW: The Stats on Statins: Should Healthy Adults Over 50 Take Them? 2012. Sci Am. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=statins-should-healthy-adults-over-50-take-them. Accessed
6. Green LA: Cholesterol-lowering therapy for primary prevention: still much we don't know. Arch Intern Med 2010;170:1007-1008.
7. Dormuth CR, Hemmelgarn BR, Paterson JM, et al: Use of high potency statins and rates of admission for acute kidney injury: multicenter, retrospective observational analysis of administrative databases. BMJ 2013;346:f880.

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Felicia didn’t own a scale, and she had stopped going to the doctor because she didn’t want to get on one. Then one day Felicia was visiting her sister and decided to weigh herself. She was shocked to discover that she weighed almost 350 lbs! Thankfully, soon after that she was channel surfing and found the local PBS station broadcasting Dr. Fuhrman’s 3 Steps to Incredible Health, and her life was radically changed! Welcome to Disease Proof, Felicia. 

What was your life like before discovering Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian approach? 

I was a “vegetarian”, or so I thought; not realizing the food I was eating contained animal products. I’d been a vegetarian for many years but continued to gain weight. I got to the point where I didn’t even want to tell people that I was a vegetarian because of my weight. Most people think vegetarians are thin and healthy, and I was not.

I didn’t own a scale because I didn’t want to know how much I weighed. I even stopped going to the doctor, because I didn’t want to get on a scale.

I continued going through life ignoring some of the signs indicating I needed to lose weight. For example, I would get out of breath if I walked a certain distance or if I had to climb a flight of stairs. If I sat on the floor, it was difficult to get back up. My daughter would ask me to go to the mall with her, and I wouldn’t go because my back would hurt if I stood or walked around, and I would get tired or start sweating profusely. I was not living my life to the fullest, because my weight was a hindrance. I felt limited in my activities.  

One day I was visiting my sister, and I decided to get on her scale and was shocked to discover that I weighed almost 350 pounds! I thought, “Gee, I’m bigger than a lot of football players!” I decided to go on a diet and lost a few pounds but gained them back and more. That’s when I said to myself, “I have to do something soon, because I refuse to purchase bigger clothes.”

How did you find out about it?

One Saturday I was supposed to go to the movies with my daughter and nephew, but I opted not to go. They went on and I stayed at home and watched television instead. I started scanning through the channels and saw Dr. Fuhrman on our local PBS station, and he was talking about his Eat for Health book. It was refreshing to hear a doctor talk about eating our way back to health instead of using medicine to treat chronic illnesses. As a rule I would’ve turned the channel, but for some reason I continued to watch it. I took notes and started on the program the next day. Soon afterwards my daughter gave me Dr. Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live, and I used that as a guide.

How do you feel now?

I feel fantastic! I’ve lost 161 pounds so far (my goal is to lose 30 more pounds). My back no longer hurts, I have energy, and I don’t have vertigo episodes anymore. I feel physically liberated from the chains of obesity.  It has completely changed my life for the better!

What success tip(s) to you have to share with others?

• Make nutritarian eating a lifestyle; not a weight loss program.

• Be 100% committed.

• Take it one day at a time. 

   

Congratulations Felicia ~ you are a wonderful inspiration! Keep up the great job!

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I recently came across Helyn’s success story on Dr. Fuhrman’s Member Center, and her excitement for healthy eating is contagious! However, when she was first introduced to Eat to Live by a friend she didn’t think she could ever eat foods without oil and salt. Now, over a year later, she can’t imagine life without eating high-nutrient foods and the benefits of getting her health back! Welcome to Disease Proof, Helyn. 

What was your life like before discovering Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian eating-style?

I’ve always had a busy life and finding balance in my diet was insane. I was always searching for answers regarding nutrition. I’d taken a great interest in health and nutrition in my 20s. I read a lot of books and tried many different eating plans. I wasn’t looking for weight loss, per se, but more for health in all these different diets. My “favorite” was the blood type diet because the author said that I should drink coffee!  That’s when I realized that something was seriously amiss. Deep down I knew that coffee was not a healthy substance, that I didn’t feel well when I tried to eliminate it, and that I was addicted to it. How could it possibly be good for me?

After all this study and the many trials and errors I decided that I’d create my own diet, based on the things I'd learned. I settled into a regimen of eliminating red meat, most sugar, all processed foods and wheat. Yes, I still drank coffee!

Obviously my self-prescribed diet wasn’t working, because I had slowly become borderline obese… 183 pounds!  [I’m 5’5”]

How did you feel then?

I started experiencing ailments that I never had before, such as bursitis, which can be crippling. I had such pain in my hip that I couldn’t walk for weeks. My mother said to me, “Welcome to old age. Do you want to borrow my cane?” What!? That was last year, and I was 56 at the time. My shoulder hurt, and I was not sleeping soundly. I was tired and felt bloated all the time. My blood pressure was high. At one point it was 190/118, and I was taken to the ER. They told me I needed blood pressure medication. I refused, because I knew that was not the answer.

How did you find out about Dr. Fuhrman's nutritarian approach?

I had heard about Eat to Live from a dear friend of mine. She even had me over for lunch to introduce me to “Fuhrman Foods”, but when she told me that she didn’t add oil or salt to anything she ate, I just “knew” I could never do it! I thanked her and went on with the same unsuccessful routine I was holding onto. But after the bout of bursitis, I thought about my friend again and decided that I’d read the book. This was it! I had finally found the answers I’d been searching for condensed into one book. I immediately started Dr. Fuhrman’s Six-Week Plan and lost eight pounds the first week.

How do you feel now?

I feel exhilarated! I am pain-free, sleeping soundly, and my skin is smooth. I have a lot more energy now and weighing 40 pounds lighter is such a gift. My hair is growing like a weed, and I no longer have the beginning signs of fungus growing on my toenails; they now look exactly like my fingernails: thin, pink and healthy. That may seem trivial to some, but it’s an example of how eating nutrient-dense foods can affect the body as a whole in positive ways!

Every day is such a blessing. I now enjoy healthy foods, and I’m excited for the future; knowing that I’ll be strong and healthy for the rest of my life.

Do you have any success tip(s) to share with others?

1. If you are drinking coffee, wean yourself off immediately.

2. Read Eat to Live, and read it thoroughly so you make sure you understand the content.

3. Follow the Six-Week Plan 100%.

4. Find others who are becoming, or already are nutritarians. Some cities have meet-up groups. Find  them or create your own.

5. Join Dr. Fuhrman’s Member Center. It is so worth the small fee to be able to have a support group around you.

6. Purchase and watch Dr. Fuhrman’s Immersion Excursion DVD set. There is so much vital information in these DVDs. You will know more than most doctors after you watch them. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER and when you really know this information nothing can take you off this path.

7. After six weeks you’ll be feeling so well that you won’t want to change; however, chances are you won’t be completely rid of some food addictions. To avoid falling for your old SAD (Standard American Diet) foods until your good eating habits have stronger roots I suggest the following:

• Don’t eat out! This is disaster in the making for a new nutritarian. Even in “health food restaurants” you’ll be fighting with the menu over salt and oil, and the menu will usually win.

• In the beginning, avoid holiday eating traditions, because you’ll be so tempted to eat all the addicting foods that you grew up with.  Dr. Fuhrman always has a “Holiday Challenge” for us. Accept the challenge and stick to the plan.

• Create menu plans each week; otherwise, you may not have what you need on hand to make a healthy meal. I make my menu plans on Saturdays, before I do my food shopping so I know what to buy. Then in the middle of the week I replenish my greens.

• Don’t weigh yourself every day. Once a week is better, and don’t stress about it.

• Try new recipes and find healthy, new foods that you love. Create NEW traditions for yourself and your family. If you don’t yet have a high-powered blender, this is a must! Invest in a VitaMix to create delicious smoothies. 

 

 

In a nutshell, what has nutritarian eating done for you?

Nutritarian eating has given me the confidence that I’m feeding my body what it needs, and that I’m getting stronger and healthier. Growing old does not have to come with disease and dementia. With this comes a serenity that you can’t put a price on. It’s been one year since I started nutritarian eating, and I’m finally rid of my food addictions and toxic hunger. I can now taste all the natural flavors in my foods, down to the smallest nuances.

I’m now planning on becoming a Nutritional Education Trainer (NET), because I want to help others to achieve the same miracles that I have through this amazing adventure! I will start my studies next month, and I can’t wait!

 

	BEFORE	AFTER
BP	190/115 (highest)	123/79 (still dropping!)
Weight	183	145 (still losing!)
Triglycerides	168	114 (after 3 months of nutritarian eating-- no recent recording)

 

Congratulations Helyn and keep up the great job! 

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