Joel Fuhrman's two book set, "Eat for Health: Lose Weight, Keep it Off, Look Younger, Live Longer," debunks many of the current trends in dieting while presenting a worthwhile sensible system that will consistently slim one down and successfully build a nutritional body armory that will fend off disease as one ages.
Fuhrman's idea is a simple one. Instead of worrying about macronutritional intake--the three common most caloric components one finds on a food label--protein, fat and carbohydrates--he suggests ingesting foods imbued with the most nutritional value. He explains that foods that are nutrient dense are naturally low in calories and supply your body with "14 different vitamins, 25 different minerals, and more than 10,000 phytochemicals . . . that have profound effect on human cell functions and the immune system."
Adhering to Fuhrman's formula--H = N/C where H equals `health' and N/C represents nutrient per calorie density, will definitely do the trick. You will find a fully nutritioned body becomes a satiated body--(think along the lines of
The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories where more nutritious low-calorie food fills the stomach leaving less room for animal proteins and fats that consolidate a greater amount of calories in a lesser quantity.)
In practical terms, eating a large salad consisting of different raw vegetables (lettuce, romaine, arugula, spinach, kale, tomato, carrots, celery, onions, etc.) at the start of each meal will not only provide the nutrition a body craves, but also will fill the stomach leaving very little room for whatever else you think you desire. At first, this may sound boring and diet conventional, however, I can testify that it does work. And you do feel good without feeling the need to eat in between meals.
In fact, eating in between meals is a definite no-no on this plan. Fuhrman feels that the body needs time to digest and small snacks munched on between just disturbs one's natural rhythm causing dysfunction later on.
His ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) scale ranks the nutrient levels of many common foods based on how many nutrients are delivered per calorie. Used in lieu of food labels, these scores will help the dieter/wellness desirer to select foods that will insure the highest outcome. For example cooked mustard greens are ranked 1000 points out of a possible 1000. Raw spinach receives a 739. Always thought of as a quintessential wellness staple, olive oil rates only a 2. Meals are planned based on Fuhrman's redesigned new food pyramid where raw and cooked vegetables comprise the meal's foundation and beef, sweets, cheese, whole milk, processed food and hydrogenated oil form the rarely consumed peak. Using another formula to calculate a meal's MANDI (Menu Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) value, Fuhrman urges plan participants to eventually aim for a MANDI score of 100 points per day and he suggests four phases that will gradually increase one's N/C.
Turning his gaze towards the most popular diets of the day, Fuhrman debunks them with firm and indisputable information that will forever put them on the back burner of feasible dieting options. In addition, he speaks about the danger of eating too much fish, supplies evidence that dairy products as staples of the Standard American Diet (SAD) increase the risk of prostate cancer and warns that acrylamides ( found in the crust formed on foods by grilling, barbequing, roasting, frying, baking) contain highly potent carcinogens that are just as cancer producing as trans fats.
One of the most revelatory bits of information I received from this book was contained in Fuhrman's discussion on what he calls `toxic hunger.' As we have become accustomed to eating our Standard American Diet that contain too much salt, saturated fats, sweets, meats and cheese and not enough high nutrient calories, we experience withdrawal pains once the digestive operation is completed. Withdrawal pains mean headaches, queasiness, weakness, stomach cramping, lightheadedness, growling stomach, esophageal spasms and irritability. Amazingly, I realized that what I was associating with actual hunger or an insufficient quantity of food was withdrawal from the addictive components of my last meal. Now instead of what I once considered a `good, healthy' portion of chicken or eggs--we all know what is deemed a `balanced' meal or carbs, fats and proteins a la the Zone idea of over fifteen years ago--I opt for highly nutrient dense foods, most of which are raw. Since then, I have yet to feel what I once considered a drop in blood sugar again. And my jeans fit!
While Book One dedicates itself to the makeover of one's mind with regard to dieting facts, Book Two devotes itself to presenting the four phases, providing menus and recipes.
Fuhrman's soup idea consists of a combination of vegetables and cashews. The results are delicious; the nuts give the soup a meaty consistency that mimics the addition of protein you might miss.
Bottom line? Joel Fuhrman's `Eat for Health' works. It is the most comprehensive system that I have ever read or tried. Not only does it make sense, it easily becomes a natural plan that one wants to follow simply because it makes the dieter feel so good. Fuhrman dedicates one entire book to intelligently reprogramming his reader and introducing his ANDI/MANDI point system, which once glanced at is easy to understand and remember. Phases, menus and recipes are incorporated in Book Two where salads and soups reign supreme. Highly recommended as both doable and effective for weight loss and overall health.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"
