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

What would life be like

if we had no courage to attempt anything?

-Vincent van Gogh

Someone recently wrote on my facebook wall, “When you started (referring to nutritarian eating), what was most helpful?”

I began the journey to get my health back on July 10, 2008.  At that time, what helped me the most was taking the prior month of June to thoroughly study and assimilate Dr. Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live.  (Eat for Health was not available yet.)  

Now, fifteen months and plenty of battle scars later; plus observing many who have successfully overcome food addiction and made it to their weight loss goal and restored good health, my resounding response to everyone is, “Members’ center, members’ center, members’ center!”

I got free from food addiction and have successfully maintained excellent health because of the ongoing support of Dr. Fuhrman on “Ask the Doctor”.  The hurdles of life have been overwhelming at times, and Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritional and health guidance has helped me navigate the many obstacles that I’ve faced:

• advice during the hospitalization of a child
• guidance in overcoming food addiction, including several relapses
• practical instruction during a weight loss plateau
• advice concerning a major surgery
• navigating pain relief, bloating and continual weight loss after that surgery
• pain management after a serious bike wreck
• and a myriad of other bumps in the road

He gave straightforward and helpful answers that I couldn’t have received elsewhere.

Now I encourage everyone who is serious about living in optimal health to get involved in the members’ center of drfuhrman.com:

• read the tutorials
• listen to the teleconferences
• participate in the member forums, phone chats and Ask the Doctor
• share recipes, success tips, struggles and victories with other members

Dr. Fuhrman’s books and the members’ center are so much cheaper than medications, diabetic supplies, surgeries, frequent visits to doctors’ offices, rise in insurance premiums, weight loss meetings, and missed work due to illness. The investment will maximize and extend the quality and productivity of life for years to come!     

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Preface:  Over the next year or two, I'll be following the weight loss journey of Stephanie, age 39, who is 200% committed to getting her health back.  Her husband died recently and she’s currently raising four young children under the ages of nine, plus attending nursing school.  Stephanie has courageously volunteered to share her thoughts and medical stats with DiseaseProof readers as she undertakes the journey to optimal health.  Welcome Stephanie!

Why have you chosen to commit to nutritarian eating?  I currently weigh 398 lbs (5’10”) and I’m tired all the time.  I cry a lot and get easily irritated and aggravated.  My knees hurt, I have constant headaches and acid reflux.  My local doctor feels that I’m unable to lose weight on my own and is urging me to have gastric bypass surgery.  I want to play at the park, ride bikes and be a fit and healthy mother for my children.  Most importantly, I want to BE HERE for them.

What are some of the events in your life that have led you to this point?  I’ve been overweight my entire life, but have steadily added more pounds each year; especially after having babies.  Last year my husband died after a battle with congestive heart failure and a failed heart transplant.  In an instant, I became a 38-year-old widowed mother of four children ages eight to three, and the stress has been overwhelming.  During this past year I have been diagnosed with premature osteoarthritis in both knees, high blood pressure, ADHD, and major depression. 

Describe a typical day for you:  My alarm goes off at 6:45 am, but I hit the snooze button four times before I drag myself out of bed.  I struggle to pull myself together and prepare the kids’ breakfasts and get them off to school.  I plan my day by prioritizing how much energy and/or steps it will take to do an activity.  It’s difficult to do much with my children, because I’m unable to move fast due to my size. 

                                           I feel like I’m a prisoner in my own body. 

• Weight  398 lbs.
• BMI  57.1
• Blood pressure  140/100
• Waist measurement  58”
• Cholesterol  180
• Triglycerides  98
• HDL  48
• LDL  112
• Fasting blood sugar  87
• currently taking anti-depressants, amphetamines for ADHD, and medication for urinary incontinence

Stephanie’s “official” starting date is November 1,  2009, and I’ll be posting her progress updates the first week of every month.  We are cheering for Stephanie and wish her all the best as she takes this courageous step to get her health and life back!    

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I recently met Isabel, who’s been a nutritarian since the first Eat to Live book was published in 2003.  The following is a brief interview that I had with her:

What was happening in your life at the time you discovered the Eat to Live book?

It was the Christmas season of 2002, and I was terribly depressed. I’m only five feet tall and weighed 203 lbs., which is a lot of extra weight to carry on my frame. My back hurt, I had migraine headaches, acne, and was a couch potato. I was facing holiday work parties, and dreaded dressing up to go anywhere because I didn’t have anything pretty to wear, and didn’t want anyone to see me obese. Plus, I had two young children and I wanted to be healthy for them.

In desperation I was surfing the internet that December and discovered that Dr. Fuhrman’s newest book, Eat to Live was going to be made available to the public in January. After reading positive reviews about it I pre-ordered it. My copy arrived on January 4, 2003.

So then what happened?

I read the book and was impressed by Dr. Fuhrman’s scientific research and knowledge, plus everything made a lot of sense. I started to follow his nutritional guidelines right away and lost 50 lbs. by that summer. However, I didn’t have much support so over time I made wrong choices and gained back 25 lbs.

At that point, I was so discouraged and afraid that I would be fat forever so I decided to join the members’ center on drfuhrman.com for the support that was lacking in my life. That decision changed everything! I learned so much from the other members; things like how important it was to plan ahead to make sure I had healthy foods to eat, and how important it was to establish a routine of food preparation. Because of the ongoing support, I was able to lose a total of 77 lbs. That was four years ago, and I have kept it off all these years

Tell us how your life has changed.

[Big laugh!]  Oh my, where do I begin?!

I feel like a new woman!

I have energy now to be active! I can do things that I had absolutely no desire to try before.  Now that I feel great, I want to help others feel better so I’m a certified personal trainer, and next week I’m testing for certification in a special exercise program.

I’m not embarrassed to wear a bathing suit in public anymore.  When I was obese I wore men’s large water shorts and a tank top.  As you can imagine I only waded up to my knees; I never swam.  

I can fit comfortably into the seat of an airplane, and I no longer dread going places.  In fact, I love to get dressed up now and go out dancing with my husband!  When we’re out, people will say, “Hi” to my husband, and look at me like I’m his new girlfriend or something!

What would you like to share to give others hope who are reading this interview?

• Join the members’ center at DrFuhrman.com for support! You need ongoing support.

• Forget the scales and “deadlines.”

• Get into a routine which will support an upward cycle of success.

• Do something to get regular exercise.

• Don’t be afraid to say, “No” at social gatherings. Health and feeling good should come before pleasing others.

• It really DOES work! If anyone is struggling or contemplating, just go for it! Do as much as you can and NEVER give up!

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When you think amusement park, you don't think healthy food. Most people chose to eat the customary foods offered: French fries, hot dogs, deep-fried funnel cakes, pizza and all types of ice cream. Fortunately, Gail chose otherwise.

Gail attended Dr. Fuhrman's Health Getaway in Florida this past summer and she's a changed woman. She has a whole new outlook about what she puts into her mouth, as does her daughter, who is not following Eat to Live.

Mom and daughter recently visited an amusement park and all the sights and smells, not even funnel cake, were not enough to disrupt their new healthy choices. "(My daughter) made a comment about the funnel cakes, and how we can't have them," Gail said, "I told her I now pass that up easily but still enjoy the wonderful smells. It is enough for me."

Gail's perception of food has changed. She avoids "bad stuff" and chooses more healthy foods, like pomegranates, and delights in preparing orange cashew dressing and black bean hummus. She's surprising herself at the supermarket saying, "I spend a lot of time checking out stuff I've never given a second glance." Gail states she is now addicted to mango cut up with fresh blueberries.

And Gail is starting to get noticed. At her 50th birthday party, everyone wanted to know what happened to her, so she spilled the beans. "I tried not to be preachy, but did talk about the basic change in my eating habits," says Gail, "I had 5 or 6 people go home and buy Eat to Live  and Eat for Health as a result." She happily states her friends don't think she's weird, just "enlightened."

Gail credits all she learned at Dr. Fuhrman's Health Getaway for her newfound health. Since then she's been losing weight and riding her mountain bike more powerfully than ever before. Best of all, she's been fitting into clothes she hasn't been able to get into in years.

Gail's son has been somewhat stubborn about getting on board with her, but she is optimistic. "He's 20 and believes himself invincible, even though his cholesterol is 275," admits Gail, "He will come around. I have him on Dr. Fuhrman's LDL Protect for cholesterol control." Odd are Mom will win him over too!

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Happy Friday! Let’s go on a journey, a digital journey. Fire up the internet, we’re heading to The Vegetable Garden in Rockville, Maryland. And this place is loaded with veggie fare.

It took me awhile and several run-throughs to decide what I’d eat. So, after much deliberation, here’s of list of things I might order. Have a look:

Whole Wheat Steamed Dumplings

• Wheat flour, green chard, carrots, firm tofu and rice vermicelli; the vermicelli is a little iffy, but the chard is cool.

Spinach Roll

• Spinach, sesame and sesame dressing; rock on spinach!

Asparagus Seaweed Roll

• Fresh asparagus, carrots, lettuce, sea salt and sesame dressing; skipping the salt, but everything else is fine.

Vegetable Garden Salad

• Romaine lettuces, carrot, red cabbage, cucumber, grape tomato, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, roasted pine nuts, mandarin orange, dried cranberries and rice vinegar dressing; I’d get the dressing on the side.

Mugwort Soba Noodle Salad

• Wheat flour, buckwheat flour, sea salt, mugwort leaves, organic radicchio, organic cabbage, organic Romaine lettuce, organic carrots, organic maple syrup, organic marukan rice vinegar, black-pepper, roasted sesame seed, roasted sliced almond and virgin olive oil; I’ll ditch the salt and ask for the oil on the side.

Asparagus with Oyster Mushroom

• Yuba, oyster mushroom, asparagus and brown sauce; I’d ask about the brown sauce, the asparagus is awesome.

Eight Treasure Eggplant

• Dried eggplant, shitake mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, red bell pepper, lily bulb, pine nuts, dried cranberries, cashew nuts, firm tofu and spicy sauce; just ask about the sauce, otherwise a ton of veggies!

Bamboo Raft

• Marinated yuba, celery, carrots, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, jicama, steamed green cabbage leaves, curry and coconut milk sauce; go easy on the sauce.

Lo Hen Cantaloupe

• Yuba, cucumber celery, butternut squash, jicama, cantaloupe, black mushrooms, pecans, cashews, dried cranberries, curry and coconut sauce; same deal, watch the sauce.

Pearl Squash

• Butternut squash, fresh lily bulb, ginger, red bell peppers, beets and light black bean sauce; watch that sauce again.

Jian Pao Vegi-Gourmet

• Asparagus, firm tofu, lily bulb, sugar snap peas, oyster mushroom, yellow squash, red bell pepper and spicy sauce; yup, again with the sauce.

Bean Nest

• Red kidney beans, chic peas, baby lima, lentil, adzuki beans, pinto beans, black soy beans and brown sauce; all those beans, I wonder what will happen.

Alright, that is a lot of food to choose from. I mean come on! Now, as for my exact order, I’d either get the Vegetable Garden Salad, Bean Nest or any number of the veggie rolls.

I give The Vegetable Garden the seal of approval, but what about you? Check out their menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside.

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Hey, it’s Friday, time for Eating to Live on the Outside. This week, via the Internet, we’re visiting Lotus Vegan Restaurant, in California. And quite frankly, its looks REALLY good!

Tons of cool stuff, like sprouts, beets, lentils, pineapple and avocado. I love avocado! Alright, here’s ALL the stuff I liked. Take a look:

Fresh Rolls

• Rice noodles, Romaine lettuce, basil leaves, beans, carrots, sprouts and vegan house sauce; pretty good, rice noodles are iffy, you could ditch them, but everything else is cool.

Vegetable Soup

• Thai vegan soup, with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, Napa cabbage, onion, zucchini and celery; might be salty, but LOTS of great stuff!

Hot & Sour Vegetable Soup

• Savory sour soup with lemon grass, Kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, broccoli, cauliflower, Napa cabbage, carrots, zucchini and celery; again with the salt, but sounds yummy.

Cucumber Salad

• Sliced cucumbers, red onions, bell peppers and dressing; sounds good, I’d order the dressing on the side.

Thai Salad

• Fresh greens, grilled tofu, Romaine lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and light peanut dressing; same deal, dressing on the side.

High Protein Salad

• Garden fresh greens, edamame beans, avocado, Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and peanut dressing; sounds good to me!

Garden Salad

• Romaine lettuce, Napa cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic, beets, cucumber, bean sprouts, grilled shiitake mushrooms, tofu, silvers noodle and seasoning; no noodles for me, otherwise its cool.

Dinner Salad

• Romaine lettuce, carrots, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes and cucumbers; no problems here!

Mystery Stir Fried Vegetable

• Tofu, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, red bell peppers, celery, bean sprouts, onions, zucchini and seasonings; yeah, the fried part stinks, but all the veggies are awesome.

Lentil Loaf

• Grilled lentil with brown rice, onions, bell peppers and seasoning; the rice is iffy, but it’s interesting.

Spicy Eggplant

• Chinese eggplant, sautéed in chili sauce, onions, bell peppers and basil leaves; the sautéed part is bad, but I can deal with it.

Spicy Mint Leaves

• Fresh mint leaves and chili, sautéed with garlic, onions and bell peppers; same thing here.

Sweet & Sour

• Sautéed pineapple chunks with cucumber, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and sweet and sour sauce; again, same deal.

Broccoli

• Broccoli sautéed with Thai vegan gravy sauce; I love broccoli.

Cashew Nuts

• Roasted cashews sautéed with onions, bell peppers, carrots, green onion, celery and water chestnuts; I’m digging it.

Lentil Burger

• Lentil patty made with brown rice, onions, red bell peppers and cilantro; the rice might scare you, but lentils are really good. The bun is a concession.

Mushroom Burger

• Lentil loaf with mushrooms; again, the bun might be a turnoff.

Grilled Veggie Burger

• Sautéed zucchini, eggplant, red bell peppers, mushrooms and onions; I really like zucchini!

Lentil Wrap

• Avocado, lentils, lettuce, tomato, alfalfa sprouts and whole wheat lavash; the bread might scare you, but avocado is rock star.

Fajita Wrap

• Sautéed onion, eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, lettuce, tomato and pepper; again, the wrap and sautéing might worry you.

The curry looks good too. Provided you stick with the vegetable options and not the mock duck. Also, try ordering a bunch of sides. I like the steamed veggies and lentil loaf. But overall, my pick is the High Protein Salad.

In the end, Lotus looks very doable. I dig it, my kind of place. But what do you think? Check out Lotus’s menu and let know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside.
 

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Last week, Dr. Fuhrman was on “Returning to the Body Mind” with Dr. Melissa West, an internet radio show focusing on mind over matter and remembering the importance of health as the foundation of personal growth. Dr. Fuhrman explains why he wrote Eat For Health and why it appeals to so many people.

When I wrote Eat For Health I addressed all physiological, social and other myths people perpetuate in their minds that makes them think they can’t eat a healthy diet. I wrote Eat For Health to achieve a higher turnover, meaning for the people who read there will be a higher percentage of people who feel they can actually do it.

And with that, working with gourmet chefs to make it so phenomenal and so gourmet that I can give these Eat For Health books out to corporations, to people who aren’t even interested in health and they can read this and be convinced and feel when they do it they’re going to get results.

You can listen to whole show on “Returning to the Body Mind” on Contact Talk Radio.

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After a week off, Eating to Live on the Outside is back. And today I found Grezzo Restaurant in Boston and it’s got a lot of potential. Grezzo serves up a ton of veggies!

Having flipped through their online menu, here’s a bunch of things I’d consider ordering. Some are pretty wild and very unique, take a look:

Winter Melon Stew

• Watermelon broth, Santa Claus melon, honeydew and lavender; interesting, I’ve never even heard of Santa Claus melon!

Caesar Salad

• Creamy lemon and dulse vinaigrette, baby iceberg lettuce, red onion, eggplant bacon and garlic croutons; I’ll skip the croutons and since they don’t use animal products, I’m curious to see what eggplant bacon is.

House Salad

• Baby lettuce, house-made cheese, croutons and green goddess vinaigrette; same deal with the croutons and don’t worry about the cheese, its nut cheese.

Big House Salad

• Baby lettuce, marinated and pickled vegetables, raw red wine vinaigrette, herbed cheese and croutons; again with the croutons.

Baby Arugula Salad

• Pickled asparagus, baby arugula grapefruit, marcona almonds and soaked currants; I love asparagus!

Marinated Shiitake Mushroom and European Cucumber Salad

• Baby iceberg, fresh garbanzos, marinated shiitake mushrooms, cucumbers and orange Thai chili cream; looks good.

Land and Sea

• Maitake mushrooms, yellow oyster mushrooms, honshimeji mushrooms, ricotta, dulse and Maine coast kelp; wow, that’s a lot of mushrooms, although the kelp might be salty.

Like I said, pretty exotic. But if I had to choose, I’d probably go with the Land and Sea or the Big House Salad. All those mushrooms intrigue me and a salad is always a great idea.

But what would you order? Check out Grezzo’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. Just make a comment. If  not, I'll kick your butt—kidding.

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It’s Friday! Time for your favorite, Eating to Live on the Outside! This week, via the powers of the internet, we’re heading to Leaf in Boulder, Colorado. And, it looks pretty good. Lots of veggie food!

Leaf is a vegetarian restaurant, which is always a good start, so after much contemplation. Here’s a list of things I’d consider ordering.

Persian Sambusa

• Butternut squash, caramelized onions and dried fruit chutney; sounds cool, chutney is always fun!

Thai Spring Roll

• Rice noodle, carrot, Romaine lettuce, bean sprouts, basil, cilantro and peanut dipping sauce; the noodles are iffy, but I deal with it.

Chopped Market Salad

• Hearts of Romaine, red bell peppers, grape tomatoes, red onion, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and tahini vinaigrette; I like it, but with dressing on the side.

Papaya Salad

• Green papaya, shredded carrot, tomato, fresh basil, roasted peanuts and spicy chili dressing; this type of salad is one of my favorite things, ever!

Falafel in Pita

• Chickpea croquettes, black hummus, cucumber, lettuce tomato, red onion and tahini sauce; I’d get the dressing on the side here too.

Mushroom Burger

• Portabella mushrooms, walnuts, onions, herbs, tomato, onion, provolone and remoulade; looks okay, but I’d ditch the remoulade.

Butternut Squash Tower

• Butternut squash, roasted eggplant, caramelized onions, collard greens, grilled green apple, and cranberry-cashew cream; the cream is obviously nut-based, so I dig it!

Jamaican Jerk Tempeh

• Tempeh, forbidden black rice, coconut, coconut plantain sauce, sautéed greens and fruit salsa; I’m not a big tempeh guy, but I can’t pass on the greens, even if they are sautéed.

Tomato Napoleon (Raw)

• Heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, pine nut ricotta, sundried tomato sauce and mizuna; raw stuff always intrigues me, sounds cool!

Okay, my favorite is the Papaya Salad, whenever I see it on a menu, I have to order it! The Chopped Market Salad is cool too. Overall, I think Leaf works! Plenty of Fuhrman-friendly options and not a lot of grief, can't beat that!

Alright, it’s your turn! Check out Leaf’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. Just drop a comment. I'm waiting. 

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Ready for a little Eating to Live on the Outside? I know, you can hardly contain yourself! Okay, this week we’re "going" to HanGawi, a Korean vegetarian restaurant in the heart of New York City.

And it looks pretty good. Not a knockout, but workable. After flipping through the internet menu, here’s what I’d consider ordering. Check it out:

HanGawi Salad

• Mixed greens, diced tomatoes and sesame dressing; works for me, but dressing on the side.

Avocado Lettuce Salad

• Avocado, lettuce and ginger carrot dressing; same deal with the dressing.

Mango Pear Salad

• Mango and pear; it doesn’t say exactly what’s in it, but I think that’s a good guess.

Seaweed Salad

• Assorted seaweeds and lemon dressing; provided the seaweed isn’t salty, I’m cool with it.

Ginseng Salad

• Vegetables, shredded ginseng roots, bean paste and lemon dressing; I’m digging it.

Tofu Asparagus Salad

• Tofu and asparagus; again, another guess, but I like it.

Todok Salad

• Todok, watercress, cabbage, carrots, bean paste and lemon dressing; I’ve never had todok, but I’d give it a whirl!

Tofu and Mushrooms Galore in Lemon Ginger Sauce

• Tofu, mushrooms and lemon ginger sauce; tofu isn’t my favorite thing, but this sounds good.

Mushrooms and Garlic Medley

• Sautéed mushrooms, vegetables and garlic sauce; the sautéing is a little iffy, but the veggies kick butt!

Mixed Vegetarian Autumn Rolls

• Vegetables, tofu, bean paste, cold lettuce and sesame leaves; interesting, I’ve never eaten sesame leaves.

Spicy Chili Mushrooms

• Mixed mushrooms and spicy sauce; I love mushrooms!

HanGawi Stone Bowl Lunch

• Chestnuts, dates, pine nuts, read beans, mushrooms and rice; the rice isn’t great, but the rest of the stuff is awesome.

Vegetarian Stone Bowl Rice

• Vegetables, rice and hot chili paste; same deal with the rice.

Mountain Vegetables and Greens in Wooden Bowl

• Mountain vegetable, greens, rice and hot chili paste; I’m not sure what mountain vegetables are, but I’d like to find out!

Mongolian Hot Pot

• Wild bracken shoots, mushrooms and mixed vegetables; wild bracken shoots, very intriguing.

Like I said, HanGawi is pretty good. Some of the rice and sautéing might turn you off, but I can deal with it. My top choices would be either the HanGawi Salad or the Mountain Vegetables and Greens.

But what about you? What would you order? Scope out HanGawi’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. Just make a comment! Until then, eat well. Peace.

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