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

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 covered, 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! 

Enjoy eating for health this Thanksgiving! 

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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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Stress.    

We’ve all been there. Done that. Bought the t-shirt. 

It’s a part of life. 

Kids get sick. Job lay-offs happen. Loved ones die. Mundane responsibilities of life get overwhelming. Life gets too busy for fun.

It’s during those times, which may be chronic, we usually reach for ways to somehow pamper ourselves. 

Pamper (verb) – to treat with extreme or excessive care and attention (Merriam-Webster dictionary)

We rationalize, "Life’s been hard. I deserve a break. I deserve to be pampered. It's okay. Everyone will understand. No one will care if I dig into a huge bowl of ice-cream and hot fudge. I’ll skip exercise and do whatever I want. Forget health. When life gets easier, I’ll focus on it again.”

STOP! 

WAKE-UP AND BUST THE LIES!

It’s in moments like these that “excessive care and attention” are required the most!  

It’s in times of stress that excellent nutrition, exercise and rejuvenation are crucial to restore optimal health and well-being.

Excellent nutrition will nourish the cells with much needed micronutrients, minerals and phytochemicals. 

Exercise will oxygenize and rejuvenate the mind and entire body. 

An empty stomach will cleanse toxins and provide deep, restorative rest.

Let’s wake up to reality. Let’s make the choice to pamper our bodies with kindness during times of stress. 

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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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The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines excuse as granting exemption or release; to allow to leave.

I’ve been contemplating that word a lot lately as I’ve been dealing with an increase amount of stress caring for a sick child. In the past, any form of stress in my life, whether it was a crying infant, an overcommitted schedule, a long road trip or just about anything out of normalcy, I’d think (maybe not consciously), “okay time to grant release” from wise choices. Moments of “granting release” during times of stress turned into days, months and years of excuses; thus resulting in an obese body.

It’s easy to allow our minds to automatically grant permission from what we know is the right thing to do when under stress. If we are not careful, stress can be the welcomed excuse to throw-in-the-towel and indulge on whatever; whenever.

Even with the nutritarian lifestyle, one can use stress as the excuse to grant permission to overeat when hunger has already been satisfied, or to skip much needed exercise “because it’s been a hectic day.”

Shining light into the dark places of our lives expose the lies that enslave and prevent us from living in optimal health.

Are you granting yourself exemption from wise choices during busy-ness and stress? Are you deceiving yourself by saying, “When life slows down and I’m under less stress I’ll commit to eating for health.”

Moments of stress and crisis are the best times to practice making wise choices that build nutritarian muscle!

Let’s dialogue. What excuses are preventing you from living in optimal health today?

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With the current epidemic of 40% of adults living in the US having diabetes or pre-diabetes, diabetes and insulin have become household words; almost as common and all-American as baseball and apple pie.

Obesity.  Diabetes.  Metabolic Syndrome.  Insulin resistance.  Blaah.  Blaah.  Blaah.  Yawn.

Ten percent of those with diabetes have type I or juvenile diabetes.  It’s an auto-immune disease where the body attacks and destroys its own islet cells that produce insulin.  Most often it appears in childhood and the child is totally dependent upon insulin 24/7 for the rest of his or her life.

The remaining ninety percent have type II or adult onset diabetes.  (Some call it insulin resistant diabetes.)  The pancreas makes insulin, but due to layers of excess fat surrounding the cells, they become insulin resistant, thus resulting in high blood sugar.

Diabetes, whether it is type I or type II, is a nasty disease that eventually produces life threatening complications such as heart disease, heart failure, blindness, kidney disease, circulatory problems and amputations; not to mention daily micromanagement of blood sugars, and astronomical costs of diabetic supplies, insulin, doctor and hospital bills, and high insurance premiums as a result of the disease.  On top of all that, with the best of care and self-management, one can still feel miserable when blood sugars fluctuate. 

The type I diabetics can utilize less insulin, stop hypoglycemic events and protect their future health with a nutritarian diet.  However, almost everyone with type II diabetes can get completely rid of it through embracing Dr. Fuhrman’s diet-style.  Dr. Fuhrman’s results in this arena are remarkable.  Imagine if the majority of type II diabetics took the challenge to get totally well.  That translates into almost 90% of those with diabetes; resulting in nearly 40% of the adult US population completely free from a life of diabetes and diabetes related complications!

Ask any kid who lives day-in-and-day-out with type I diabetes if he or she would consider committing to the nutritarian way of eating in exchange for the privilege of getting completely rid of diabetes for the rest of his/her life.  Hands down every child and teen would gladly embrace the opportunity.

As a nation, let’s all get healthy and eradicate type II diabetes from our vocabulary.  May diabetes no longer be an all-American, household word for generations to come!

Drugs for diabetes can perpetuate type II diabetes, and often cause more weight gain and worse disease outcomes.  Let’s get real and expose this nasty disease called diabetes.  Do you know someone suffering from it?  Without revealing the person’s identity, how has it affected his or her life?  If they knew for sure they could get rid of it, with excellent nutrition and daily exercise, would they?

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As the number of people with type-two (adult onset) diabetes continues to soar, it is openly recognized that the growing waistline of the modern world is the main cause of this epidemic; however, most physicians, dieticians, and even the American Diabetes Association have virtually given up on weight reduction as the primary treatment for diabetics. Consider this statement from a medical advisory committee: “It is nearly impossible to take very obese people and get them to lose significant weight. So rather than specifying an amount of weight loss, we are targeting getting metabolic control.” This is doublespeak for—our recommended diets don’t work, so we just give medications and watch patients gradually deteriorate as the diabetes advances. Today, medications are the mainstay of treatment and, unfortunately, most of these medications cause weight gain, worsening the syndrome and making the individual more diabetic. Additionally, the narrow focus on blood-sugar reduction and reliance on medications gives patients a false sense of security because they mistakenly think their somewhat better controlled glucose levels are an indication of restored or improved health. They continue to gain weight following the same dietary habits that originally caused the problem.

It is well accepted that if it were possible for people to stick with weight reduction and high nutrient eating, that route would be the most successful. Patients with diabetes who successfully lose weight from undergoing gastric bypass surgery typically see their diabetes melt away.1 Dietary programs that have been successful at effecting weight loss have been dramatically effective for diabetics too, enabling patients to discontinue medications.2 Preventing and reversing diabetes is not all about weight loss. The nutritional features of Eat for Health have profound effects on improving pancreatic function and lowering insulin resistance over and above what could be accomplished with weight loss alone. The increased fiber, micronutrients, and stool bulk, plus the cholesterol-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects of this eating-style, have dramatic effects on type-II diabetes. Scores of my patients have been able to restore their glucose levels to the normal range without any further need for medications. They have become non-diabetic. Even my thin, type-I, insulin-dependent diabetic patients are typically able to reduce their insulin requirements by almost half and have better glucose control using this high-nutrient eating-style.

Diets high in fiber and vegetables have been consistently shown to be beneficial for diabetic patients and offer considerably better results when compared to the current recommendations of the American Diabetic Association Diet.3 The dietary advice typically offered to diabetics is not science-based, and it caters to Americans’ social and food preferences and food addictions. In contrast, the qualities of an eating-style that maximizes benefits for weight reduction, cardio protection, and diabetes reversal are described in Eat for Health.

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