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

[tingletangle]

jumping in the discussion, after having read most (but not all) of you contributions. I try to stick to nutritarian (originally inspired by McDougall) again, after 'just eating' for several years and gaining weight. I cut one corner and that is cheese. At this point I have a hard time giving it up. However, in an earlier period of McDougalling, one of the benefits of eating like that was that just sticking to the principles meant you could loose weight without counting calories. This time around I log food and exercise and thus control a calorie deficit. I think logging food is a drag to do in the long run, so maybe I'll give up cheese so I can stop logging...!

One major thing I changed was a corner that I cut that first time around, which was sugary stuff (at that time I did not eat cheese). I tried out not to eat foods with 'fast' sugar ie no added sugar, no honey, raisins, sirup, dates, and even fruit. It amazes me how this changes my craving for food. Earlier I would eat a bowl of oats with fruit (banana apple raisin dates or combinations) in the morning and I would be craving food again one hour and a half before lunchtime. Especially in the afternoons I would need 'something' before I biked home. Often I wanted something sweet after dinner. These days I eat 3 meals a day, period. I do not seem hungry or craving.

Anyway, just wanted to share - I enjoy this conversation, so thanks everybody.

[GershonSurge]

@tingletangle,

Glad to have you join us. I think it takes most people a few years to adapt to a new way of eating. The exceptions are those who have an advanced case of one of the major degenerative diseases. It took me four years of reading to figure some important things out. 

I'm maintaining weight now, and it is more difficult than losing. I quit counting calories because it stopped working. It's probably because most of my exercise comes from daily work instead of formal exercise, and the Charge 2 most likely doesn't count them accurately. Once in a while, I'll count for a few days to see if I'm getting the macros right and also, the salt. I find I don't get enough by strictly following any of the whole food plant-based diets. The solution is easy; just add about an eighth teaspoon of salt to three or four meals a day.

[tingletangle]

thanks. 4 years of reading - so that's why you are so knowledgeable! Thanks for sharing your wisdom!

[GershonSurge]

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@tingletangle wrote:

thanks. 4 years of reading - so that's why you are so knowledgeable! Thanks for sharing your wisdom!

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Reading plus doing is the key. It's the difference between information and knowing. I know from looking at my neighbors that the Standard American Diet doesn't work. I know from watching my 82-year-old neighbor for the last 24 years and other people who are active in later years that a person needs to be almost continuously active all day to be able to remain almost continuously active. Now, I need to turn this into knowing by doing.

[GershonSurge]

I found this research report about antioxidants in rice. I can't vouch for the author, but it's probably a reasonable report since it's only about chemical composition. There are also antioxidants in wheat and the other starchy foods Dr. McDougall recommends.

The reason I'm following this trail is I'm getting to where I'm burning too many calories a day to maintain Dr. Fuhrman's recommendations and still maintain my weight. He did say in one video that his recommendations change according to the individual's calorie needs.

[Bogdel]

Greetings from Europe, my Nutritarian friends. It's been a while since I visited this site. Busy traveling and teaching. Today, however, I ran into a recent interview that Dr. Fuhrman gave, and I thought I'd share it with you all. Here it is:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UulIQG7SrJE&list=PLSHZKBiS5gRdTBHJOySTou2BR3Y0RqjRV&index=30&t=0s

Much health and strength to you all!

[GershonSurge]

@Bogdel,

Greetings back at you. I've missed our discussions. I'm still leaning towards starch because it's the only way I can get enough calories.

Once I saw Dr. McDougall and Dr. Fuhrman on an early morning talk show. Dr. McDougall said, "I hope we aren't going to debate an ounce of nuts again." The two ways of eating are quite similar once a person learns enough about them to learn there is flexibility on both sides and the orbits overlap.

The title of the video is a bit misleading, but that's the interviewer's fault, not Dr. Fuhrman's. I give Dr. Fuhrman credit for his excellent description of fast food in his book "Fast Food Genocide." 

[Bogdel]

@GershonSurge, So good to hear from you again. I missed our discussions, too. However, I am pleased to tell you that several of my friends here, in Romania, have joined the Nutritarian club. Bread and potatoes are big here, as well as sweets and meat. I don't need to tell you what that did to their body. As a friend, I was sincerely worried. My example, along with some concrete teaching and practical demonstrations inspired them to make some significant changes. They are not completely vegan (neither am I), but they started to increase the amount of nutritious vegetables, decrease the amount of meat significantly, and avoid empty carbs. The next thing I hope they will add to this is some physical exercise (I've been lacking in this area myself since I came here, mostly out of lack of discipline than anything else). 

I just spent a few days with one of my new nutritarian friends, and the food that she cooked for me was incredibly delicious, attractive, and totally healthy. Initially, she asked me for healthy recipes, but it looks like I am the one who needs to ask her. I may share them with you as soon as she sends them to me. 

As far as starch, you may consider some of the healthier starch that Dr. Fuhrman does include in limited amount, such as squash, sweet potatoes, quinoa, etc. On rare occasions, I also use wild rise, which I find very tasty. I know that you already use oat meal, which is pretty high in calories. So are the chia seeds and the nuts, which Dr. F says that are crucial in preventing heart disease. 

Any way, more later. It is late here, and I better go to bed now. I will be having a very busy weekend ahead. 

All the best to you and to all our nutritarian friends! It is good to be in touch again, and I am looking forward to learning more about the progress our health conscious friends have made during my time away.