Any Nutritarians Out There?

[DEF1123]

Hello, I was wondering if there are any fellow Nutritarians out there?  If you are unfamiliar with the term, a nutritarian is someone who bases their diet on the most nutrient dense foods available.  It is based on the work of Dr. Joel Fuhrman who has written many books on the topic.  

Hope to meet a few here,

Donna

[JoannaPW]

I follow Dr. John McDougall's eating plan, which is very similar to Dr. Fuhrman's.  I know of at least one other here who follows Dr. McDougall's plan.  I have books from both of the doctors and there is not much difference in the plans.  Years ago I lost 120 pounds eating this way.

[DEF1123]

That sounds that sounds great. I have 64 pounds to loose and I'm feeling
great.

[Dominique]

First time I hear the term. I found a post from 2013 by @Shelley that mentions Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book Eat to Live, as well as a post from 2015 by @LewWagner. Maybe they’ll chime in, if they’re still around.

Here is another discussion from 2015 started by @lisha and a post (also from 2015) by @dancefoxtrot.

I think eating nutritious food is a good idea (if it’s the same thing as "nutrient dense")! Though maybe not everyone agrees about what’s nutritious.

[DiabetesFree]

I follow it and have for about 4/5 years. No more diabetes II and off all meds as a direct result of the diet and daily activity. 

[MomInsaneFit]

Hi Donna! I'm glad to see more Nutritarians out there 🙂 I actually start tomorrow.  How long have you been eating this way?

[DEF1123]

I have been eating a nutritarian diet for about a year now.  I highly recommend it.  I joined the Nutritarian women's study.  It has helped me lose weight and stay healthy.  I don't get the colds and viruses that I used to be plagued with throughout the year.  Best of luck to you!

Donna

[DEF1123]

Congratulations!  Keep up the good work.  

[DEF1123]

---

@DiabetesFreewrote:

I follow it and have for about 4/5 years. No more diabetes II and off all meds as a direct result of the diet and daily activity. 

---

Congratulations!  Keep up the good work!

[Daves_Not_Here]

@DEF1123 - I have two friends that follow the Nutritarian method of eating.  They both have 100% positive results and are now very lean after having been slightly overweight.

[DiabetesFree]

I had all the signs of diabetes, 12.5+ A1c, metformin twice dailt and
insuliin 3x day.

I am eating completely Nutritarian and am working on getting below 5.6 A1c
now. Currently at 5.9.

[Daves_Not_Here]

---

@DiabetesFreewrote:
I had all the signs of diabetes, 12.5+ A1c, metformin twice dailt and
insuliin 3x day.

I am eating completely Nutritarian and am working on getting below 5.6 A1c
now. Currently at 5.9.

---

@DiabetesFree WOW!!  If you have a second, can you describe your path and how long it took to reverse your diabetes?  Are you completely off diabetes meds?

[DiabetesFree]

It has been a few years, however, once on the diet and exercising, I lost 90 lbs and went from A1c 12+ to 5.7. IT literally took 90 days and I had been a diagnosed diabetic II for 15 years (may have been longer, but that is when I went to see a dr for an ear infection).

Since then, if I have moved away from the exercise or diet, my level rise.

Currently my goal is to get below the magic 5.6 A1c level, and get out of the "pre-diabetic" category. It should be easy.

I have been off meds for 4 years. when I started the Fuhrman lifestyle (nutritarian), I was taking insulin 3xday, 15 units each dosage and a total of 4 metformin (2 in the morning and two at night). Further, I was on cholesterol meds and triglycerides were very high. Now, nothing at all. My total level is 160 and that will come down again now that I have stopped all animal based products including eggwhites, creamers and even the low fat staff.

More than enough protein arrives in the form of beans (mainly black) and fats come from nuts and seeds. I have not stepped on a scale or counted a calories in 2 months - that part is new to me but seems to be doing the trick.

[DiabetesFree]

oops, light correction, but important! I lost 70 lbs, not 90...sorry...I need coffee...yes, I still do coffee...no creamers (almond milk) and no artificial sweeteners (not even stevia). I have permitted my taste buds to work they were intended. I "taste" more now.

[Daves_Not_Here]

@DiabetesFree - your story has to be very inspiring for anyone with Type II diabetes -- it shows that diabetes is reversible and within the control of the individual (a message not widely promoted by our vaunted healthcare establishment).  And kudos to you for having personally taken effective action.

My reversal is far less dramatic -- I went from pre-diabetic A1c of 6.0 to 5.3.  The biggest thing for me is having significantly raised my HDL for the first time ever, and improved my ratio of total cholesterol to HDL to 3.4.  I'm on a different nutritional path with high saturated fat intake, but it seems the one thing we have in common is avoiding highly processed carbs and sugars.

I'm going to follow your example and further decrease artificial sweeteners to try to train my taste buds.

[ScottHsv]

Hey Donna! I have not read Dr. Fuhrman's books but thanks for putting them back on my radar! I am a Whole Foods Plant Based (WFPB) eater based on the works done by the likes of Dr. T Colin Campbell, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. McDougall and others. I'm not terribly familiar with the "Nutritarian" lifestyle, but my brief perusal indicates it is almost identical to WFPB. So far I have lost over 70 lbs and dropped my total cholesterol from 290 down to 146. I'm currently within about 10 lbs of my goal weight and planning to get there soon. Maybe this goes without saying but I feel better than I have in years. 

It's good to see other plant eaters out there and good luck on your journey to health! I think you will have much success with your choice of diet. 

[GershonSurge]

@DiabetesFree, @Bogdel,

I read "Eat to Live" yesterday based on Bogdel's recommendation. I came away with one question. "Where do you get your calories?" I found the answer today in a video of a discussion that included Dr. Fuhrman and Dr. McDougall.

Dr. Fuhrman said he wrote "Eat to Live" primarily for people trying to lose weight. He eats more starch himself. Dr. McDougall strongly recommends starch centered eating, but when I look at pictures of his meals at the events he holds, there are plenty of vegetables.

I love Dr. Fuhrman's equation of Health = Nutrients/calories. The Nutritarian way of eating does seem to result in a big calorie deficit, however, since the nutrients are packed in the foods people do eat, it doesn't seem to matter. 

[Bogdel]

@ScottHsv, @GershonSurge, and @Daves_Not_Here, If I understand correctly, the difference between the Whole Food Plant Base advocated by Dr. McDougal et all, and the Nutritarian lifestyle advocated by Dr. Fuhrman is this:

1. The Whole Food Plant Base diet includes white potatoes, white rise, and white flower, which are all plant based, but have a high glucemic index, high calories, and low nutritional value. 

2. The nutritarian lifestyle excludes anything that is white (sugar, flour, white potatoes, white rise, margarine, and butter), and focuses on G-BOMBS (acronym for Greens, Beans, Onions (including garlic), Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds (including all kinds of nuts and seeds). The G-BOMBS secures an excellent balance rich in nutrients, and low in calories. 

For starch, Dr. Fuhrman recommends a very limited amount of oats, squash, sweet potatoes, and unprocessed whole wheat. For protein, Dr. Fuhrman recommends that we include some kind of beans and mushrooms every day.  As far as fats, the nutritarian diet does not allow any kind of oil. Instead, it includes the avocados, nuts, and seeds as the primary source of healthy, unprocessed oil. The antioxidants come from the berries. 

Hope this helps. 

[GershonSurge]

@Bogdel,

Since I posted my question, I listened to a panel discussion that included Dr. McDougall and Dr. Fuhrman. Dr. Fuhrman pointed out that "Eat to Live" was written for people who need to lose weight. He does add starches into the plan for those who are in maintenance according to their particular metabolism.

White rice is one of those gotcha's. There were healthy areas in China that did eat a lot of white rice and were healthy. However, brown rice is more nutrient dense. 

Glycemic index is a distractor. It's a comparison to eating ten slices of white bread on an empty stomach and not eating anything else.

The ways of eating are essentially the same with minor differences. Even most of these differences are resolved when I listen to the videos. For instance, Dr. McDougall says avocados are healthy as Dr. Fuhrman does. But that doesn't mean a person should eat a whole avocado or even several. Dr. McDougall recommends a maximum of an ounce of nuts a day for those in maintenance. That's about the same as Dr. Fuhrman. 

Dr. McDougall says there is some tiny amount of animal products that are acceptable. He recommends not eating any animal products because people don't stop with just a little. Nathan Pritikin said the same thing. The amount used to be a pound and a half of lean beef a week, but is much lower now because the fat content has gone up so much. 

None of them recommend vegetable oils. All of them recommend eating food as close to its natural state as possible. None of them recommend dairy products or eggs. All of them are having the same rate of success in treating patients or advising those who are. (Dr. Campbell is not certified to treat patients, but his son is.)

Dr. Fuhrman has an important blind spot. It's a reality that the calorie equation is not violated by much. The cost per 2000 calories of the Nutritarian lifestyle would be about $35 per day. Dr. McDougall's is about $4.70 a day. I know the second number is correct because I've tracked it. I don't recall the others discussing cost except maybe in passing.

Like it or not, the United States has become a third world country in terms of health. Maybe worse. I've noticed people are getting skinnier here, and it's not a healthy skinnier for most. It will be interesting to see how this affects society. 

[Daves_Not_Here]

Why the big disparity in cost?  Does Nutritarian have expensive ingredients that are required, or does it exclude inexpensive staples called for by McDougall?