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

image credit: Emily Boller

• In my town lentils cost 92 cents/lb.  Combined with no-salt tomato puree, garlic, onions and spices, an entire pot of lentil stew can be made for a fraction of the cost of spaghetti and meatballs, frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, or beef and noodles.
• Ripe bananas can be purchased for 29 cents/lb.  They can be frozen and made into delicious and healthful ice cream desserts.  I make ice cream for my family for less than ten dollars a month.  Compare that to two quarts of high fat, high sugar, chemical laden ice cream that lasts a family a couple of days (or one stress-relief binge!)  
  
  
   
• At monthly sales I stock up on bags of frozen vegetables: 10 bags for $10.  Compare that to two bags of frozen fries for ten bucks. 
• A pound of romaine lettuce is cheaper than a pound of shredded cheese.
• A large bag of fresh carrots costs the same as a bag of chips.
• A bag of oranges is comparable in cost to a package of disease promoting cookies.
• Oatmeal is a fraction of the price of processed cereal. 
• Gardening saves even more on bountiful supplies of high nutrient foods.

Add the astronomical costs of doctor visits, insurance co-pays, hospitalizations, missed work, and popular medications used to manage cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes: Prinivil, Zocor, Lipitor, Atenolol and Metformin . . . . . eating for health costs more than eating for disease? 

Don’t believe the lie.

As the old adage goes, “Pay the grocer or pay the doctor.”

I’d rather pay food bills any day!   

Do you have a money saving tip that supports eating for health?  If so, we’d love to hear from you!

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Here in the United States we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving in less than three weeks.  I thought it would be fun to share a recipe for pumpkin pie from the vast selection of nutritarian recipes that are posted on the members’ center of www.DrFuhrman.com  Enjoy!   

Serves 8

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

OAT PIE CRUST

1 cup quick oats (not instant)

1/4 cup ground almonds

1 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons water

PIE FILLING

1 15-ounce can of pumpkin

1/2 cup date sugar*

1/2 cup raisins

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1 10-ounce pkg soft tofu

CASHEW CREAM

1 1/3 cups raw cashews

3/4 cup vanilla soy milk

2/3 cup dates

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pie Crust:  Mix oats, almonds and flour.  Blend oil and water together with a wire whisk. Add to dry ingredients and mix until it holds together.  You may need to add a little more water.  Spray 9-inch pie dish lightly with cooking spray and press the crust to thinly cover the bottom and sides of the pie dish.

Pie Filling:  In a blender combine the pumpkin and date sugar.*  Add raisins, spices, arrowroot powder, and tofu.  (Some like more spices; individual preference.)  Blend until smooth.  Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes then lower heat to 350 degrees.  Cover crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning, and bake for an additional 60 minutes.

While pie is in the oven make the Cashew Cream.  Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or other powerful blender.

Serve slightly warm or cold with a dollop of Cashew Cream.

Note:  The pie filling will firm up as it cools. 

 * A member commented that she used dates in the pie filling instead of date sugar and liked it better.  She baked the pie for 75 minutes at 350 degrees; 15 of those minutes with the crust uncovered, and 60 minutes with the crust covered.  (Tip:  Cover crust by using a square of aluminum foil with a large hole cut out in the middle, leaving most of the pie uncovered.)  According to her, the texture and appearance came out great! 

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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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Preface by Emily Boller: Last fall, after a few months into my weight loss journey, friends and complete strangers would ask, “How are you losing so much weight?!”  It was a bit time consuming to explain to each person Dr. Fuhrman’s books, so I decided to schedule a public meeting room at my local library to “tell-everyone-at-once” and be done with the various questions.  Ha. 

That first little meeting room was filled, and many in attendance that day wanted me to schedule another one so they could come back and bring their family and friends.  The rest is history. 

I ended up scheduling a large meeting room in our city’s downtown library, and that room was filled.  I’ve had several “library talks” now, and Fort Wayne, Indiana is a buzz with excited people on their journeys to health!  Rod attended that first meeting, and now he shares his own weight loss story and success tips at the library talks.  Welcome to Disease Proof, Rod! 

Tell us about yourself and the events that led up to getting your health back?

I had just received the results of my annual physical.  For the fourth straight year, my cholesterol was over 215.  This time it was 231.  The doctor called and wanted me to start Lipitor.  I was not excited about putting a drug into my body that would have negative side effects.  This left me with the question, “What do I do to avoid taking medicine and reduce my cholesterol?”

In addition to having high cholesterol, my doctor told me that I was obese at 215 lbs.  Wow, what a blow to someone who considered himself an athlete and not a couch potato. 

How did you hear about the library talk?

One evening while checking my email, I received a message that was forwarded to me from my sister-in-law.  Her neighbor, Emily, had lost a lot of weight and her cholesterol level had dropped drastically without medication. That was when I realized that I had received the answer to my dilemma.

How did you feel before starting ETL?

I had low energy, constant bloating, continual cravings for food, and trouble with breathing when I tried to run a couple of miles or sleep at night.  My wife thought I had sleep apnea, and I could not get a new life insurance policy. 

How do you feel now?

My energy level is higher than ever and I seldom take a nap!  The bloating is gone, and I no longer have food cravings.  My breathing is fine now when I’m sleeping, and I qualified for the highest level of Life Insurance at the lowest premium rate.  Plus I’m currently training for a marathon, and I just completed a half-marathon in a surprisingly great time!

After approximately eight weeks of nutritarian eating, I returned to the doctor’s office to have my cholesterol rechecked.  My overall cholesterol dropped from 231 to 127; LDL cholesterol dropped from 168 to 82, and my triglycerides dropped from 142 to 56. 

I now weigh 170-175 lbs.

Success tips you’d like to share with others in the journey to health:

• Find someone else that wants to get their health back also so you have support, eating ideas and an exercise partner.
• Focus on what you can eat and not on what you can’t have to eat. There are so many wonderful food choices with nutritarian eating.
• Be creative. Learn what foods you can eat, and put together combinations that you like. I make a vegetable soup and chili that I eat for lunch. I even mix together the soups to change the taste or add the leftover vegetables from our evening meals (saves money too.)
• Start an exercise program or a sport you enjoy.
• Make a game out of it – I want my cholesterol to go down “this much by this amount of time.”

If you could sum up what nutritarian eating has done for you, what would it be?

Not only has the quality of my health and life improved, but nutritarian eating has given me so much freedom! It feels so good to be free!

NOTE:  A year ago Rod was obese, unhealthy and could barely jog.  Now, at the age of 46, he just completed his first marathon in 4 hours and 9 minutes; placing 416th out of 1005 runners.  We are so proud of him!

Go eating for health!

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A few days after making the commitment to eat for health I faced a challenge.  One of my children had an emergency that required immediate medical attention.  Consequently, I ended up spending the majority of the next two months away from home.

From that experience I discovered that it is possible to be a nutritarian anytime, anywhere, under any circumstance.

First of all, I put the above red cooler in the trunk of my car and kept it stocked every couple of days with fresh ice and fruits and vegetables. I stored almonds, raw sunflower seeds and cans of beans in the car; along with some utensils and a gallon of water to wash the produce.

I parked near a drain in the hospital parking garage and “prepared” each meal as needed.  I would fill a plastic sack with a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit, plus a handful of nuts or seeds; and open a can of beans and use a colander to rinse the salt off with water before dumping them into a zip lock bag.

I took my meals to the hospital cafeteria and ate well. (Now that Dr. Fuhrman’s Healthy Additions canned greens and beans have been created:  Supreme Greens, Moroccan Chickpea and VitaBeanaVegaMin, I’d include them.  They are convenient and delicious with absolutely no salt added!)

The results?  After the crisis subsided and I returned home, I was forty pounds lighter than three months earlier.

Eating for health can be successfully achieved in any situation, under any circumstance.

When one is 100% committed, he/she will always find a way to make it work. No excuses.

How do you eat for health while away from home?  Work? Do you have any tips to share?

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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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An “I blew it” moment is not the end of the world.  It's a miniscule blimp on the radar screen of a long journey called health; humbly reminding us that we are living, breathing, human-beings.  

It all starts with getting little nicks and dents in the neat picket fence around us called "boundaries."  The purpose of a boundary is to keep us safe.  The nutritional wisdom and guidelines in Dr. Fuhrman’s books, newsletters, teleconferences, etc., if followed, keep us safe.

Even though the boundary fence may seem restrictive at times, especially in the beginning of the journey when still heavily addicted to toxic foods, and continually surrounded by the deceptive lures of this culture, we know there’s safety, freedom, optimal health, and many pleasurable perks within the picket fence.  (Like the opportunity to give away plus size clothing or go jogging with the kids.)

We don't just wake up one day and "blow it" big time with careless eating. 

An "I blew it" moment starts with a seemingly insignificant, almost unnoticeable compromise.

We may close our eyes and overlook tiny compromises for a few days, or perhaps they have been allowed to simmer for a few weeks; however long, we have planted the seeds of compromise, and they have been sprouting growth nonetheless.

"Oh," we say, "What's the harm in a little compromise?  Don't be so scrupulous." 

That, my friend, is the deception. 

If we sow a seemingly insignificant compromise, over time, it will grow into a bigger, seemingly insignificant compromise.  Over time again, it will grow bigger and bigger, until one day, the taste buds are aroused into full swing, the stomach is stretched to capacity, and we wake up totally engulfed in the psychological and physiological power of toxic food addiction.

Slip ups are those impulsive moments, well, we just slip up.  If we recognize, acknowledge, and quickly continue on we’ll be totally fine even with those little imperfections here and there along the way.

Compromises, on the other hand, are those intentional choices to step outside the boundary fence; denying the danger of the power of psychological and physiological addiction.
  
Seeds of compromise sown into the soil of our lives will eventually produce a harvest of addiction.  Guaranteed.

Think on it.

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Okay, let’s be gut level honest here; if one is going to get completely free from food addiction and live in optimal health, it’s going to take commitment.

Commitment is fully engaging one’s mind to act upon a decision. Commitment includes involvement and dedication.

Commitment is not, “I’ll give it a *try* . . . . . (until I don’t feel like it anymore.)”

Nor is it, “I’ll be a nutritarian during the week, and a junketarian on weekends.”

Making the commitment to get health back has everything to do with, “No matter what, every day I will make choices to eat for health for the rest of my life. No argument. No wavering in the midst of trial. The decision has been made. Period.”

When the mind is 100% committed, there are no more excuses.

(100% commitment has nothing to do with 100% perfection. BIG difference. I’ll discuss that topic in another post.)

A nutritarian whose mind is 100% committed to optimal health will:

Remove junk food, processed cereals, white flour products, salt, and sweets from the house.

Make time to study Dr. Fuhrman’s books and tutorials; understanding the difference between toxic hunger and cravings versus true hunger, the body’s need for digestive rest as much as nourishing food, and the instructional teleconference on overeating. Success is dependent on how much information is comprehended, not on how much willpower is possessed.

Ask like-minded and supportive members on drfuhrman.com for practical success tips and delicious recipes to make it through an upcoming birthday party.

Know how to make scrumptious sorbets, ice creams and cakes from nutrient dense fruits and vegetables.

Make time to clean and slice romaine lettuce, tomatoes and red onions to make a huge, great tasting salad instead of zoning out in front of the TV.

Make a homemade salad dressing from wholesome ingredients such as blueberries or kiwis,
tomato paste, or flavored vinegars and cashews rather than just pour a bunch of oil and salt out of a bottle.

Prepare a large pot of cooked beans with basil, garlic and spices for use throughout the week.

Choose to stop by the farmer’s market instead of the fast food place, knowing the sack of fresh green peppers, tomatoes and peaches will support nutritional excellence.

Click here for sample recipes from drfuhrman.com.

Have you made the commitment to optimal health, or are you just trying to eat more healthfully?

The latter will be laced with hundreds of excuses, and will only set you up for failure at the next curve ball that life throws your way.

If you haven’t already done so, pick a date, and make the commitment.

Let’s dialogue. Have YOU made the commitment? If you haven’t, what excuses are holding you back?

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My desire is to help others get free of food addictions, and reclaim their health. The focus of my writings will be sharing success tips that I’ve learned along the way of getting my own health back.

However, I’ll take occasional detours to respond to any non-medical questions from the comments section of my posts.

I’ll begin with, “What is a nutritarian?”

Dr. Fuhrman clearly explains it in the following article: Are You a Nutritarian? I highly recommend reading it thoroughly, because correct information, not will power, is the key to success.

In a nutshell, a nutritarian is someone whose food choices are influenced by excellent nutritional quality. He/she chooses foods that are high in a wide spectrum of micronutrients per calorie. I’ve heard Dr. Fuhrman call it, “Getting more bang for the buck.”

For example, if the choice is between brown rice or cherries; yams or white potatoes; spinach or iceburg lettuce, the nutritarian will most often choose foods that have the higher nutritional values. Which in these cases would be cherries, yams, and spinach.

The nutritarian lifestyle that leads to optimal health is a direct result of eating more micronutrients, in quantity, quality and breadth, while not consuming excessive calories.

Dr. Fuhrman’s unique contribution to the science of nutrition not only include his simple health equation H = N/C, which demonstrates mathematically that Health equals one’s consumption of nutrients per calorie, but also the biochemistry and physiology explaining how high micronutrient eating suppresses appetite and resolves food addictions and cravings.

I know there are some naysayers who may criticize me for being vain and self-congratulatory, but Dr. Fuhrman insists that I ignore them, and make the point that nutritarian eating is not just about weight loss and looks, but about health. Healthy skin is a reflection of a healthy body, and you can clearly see the difference in my before and after photos above (the right one, a year later after my dietary epiphany).

Let’s dialogue. How has the nutritarian way of eating improved your health? Momentum begets momentum. Even if you’ve just begun the nutritarian journey, any changes, big or small, let’s hear what’s happening to you!

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