Disease Proof

Adapted from Dr. Fuhrman’s book Eat to Live:

I eat out frequently, which makes sticking with this plan very difficult. How can I make the transition easier?

Choose restaurants that have healthful options, and how the places that will cater to your needs. When possible, speak to the manager or chef in advance. When traveling, look for restaurants that have salad bars. This is not an all-or-nothing plan. Every person exposed to these ideas can improve over his or her current diet. People have a tendency to like best the foods to which they have become accustomed to. So, keep in mind that eventually you will lose the desire for some of the unhealthful foods you are eating now and you will enjoy the pleasures of healthy, natural foods more. I actually enjoy eating healthy food more than injurious food because it takes good and I also feel good. Most of my patients report the same sensation. Food preferences are learned; you can learn to enjoy healthy foods, just as you learned to like unhealthy ones.

You can follow this diet on the road if you are committed to your own success—it just takes more diligence to plan where to go and to make sure in advance that these is something available for you. Get in the habit of ordering a double-size green salad, with dressing on the side, and use only a tiny amount of dressing or squeeze a lemon on the salad.

Remember that this is not a temporary diet, it is your life plan. We must consider how our health is affected by what we choose to eat. We all have to make wise choices to get the most out of life. That doesn’t mean you must be perfect. It does mean that however you eat, whether you adopt all my recommendations or just a part of them, your health will certainly be better off as a result of those improvements. After a while, it becomes habit. If you give it a good try, you may find, as others have, that it is not as difficult as you though, and you will likely grow to enjoy it.