Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss (35 page)
Read Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss Online
Authors: Joel Fuhrman
Halting stimulating behavior such as overeating unmasks the fatigue that was always there. The power reserve in a battery is proportional to its use. The less we use it, the more life it has and the stronger it remains. Likewise, when there is continual stress on your body from stimulating foods and caffeine, it gives the false sensation that we have energy, when actually we are using up our nerve energy faster. This ages us. The fatigue is hidden by the stimulating (aging-inducing) effects of sugar, caffeine, and toxic protein load. Now that you are eating in a health-supporting manner, you may be in better touch with the sleep your body needs, and sleep better as a result.
Some cravings and food behaviors have emotional overtones from childhood or compensate for stress and emotional dysfunction. Some food-addicted people eat compulsively in spite of their awareness of the consequences. These people need a more intensive program than a book can provide. Similar to a twelve-week drug-rehabilitation program, an intensive food recovery program should include counseling. Food reeducation can work even for the most difficult cases. You no longer have an excuse to fail; all you need is the commitment.
This program is not for everybody, because added to the desire to lose weight must be the willingness to make a commitment to achieve wellness. Once that commitment is made, however, there need not be any failures; with proper support and this program, everyone can succeed.
Go for it.
Sculpting Our Future in the KitchenM
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Case Study:
Anthony lost 160 pounds, lowered his blood pressure, and no longer experiences migraines.I am 6 feet 4 inches tall and at thirty-three years old weighed 360 pounds. I was on medication for high blood pressure, experienced frequent migraines, had a 54-inch waist, and was having difficulty getting a twenty-year life insurance policy. I was a longtime vegetarian who thought I ate well!
I had been struggling with my weight since I was thirteen years old. Through the years, I’d tried all sorts of diets and weight-loss methods. Some things worked for a little while, but the weight never stayed off for very long. With the upcoming birth of my second son, I decided to get serious about becoming healthy once again. I had become very frustrated by all the weight-loss information and diet plans available and was not sure what to do, but I knew I had to do something. To get started, I made a New Year’s resolution to give up soda and sweets and set a goal to lose fifty pounds by the end of the year.
A few months later, without having lost a single pound, I was frustrated once again. In another attempt to find some useful weight-loss information, I came across Dr. Fuhrman’s book
Eat to Live.
The information in the book made a lot of sense to me, and I began making changes in my diet immediately.
I gradually added more and more vegetables to my lunch and dinner meals. By the time my son was born, two months after purchasing
Eat to Live,
I had lost thirty pounds. I continued making gradual changes in my diet for the next several months until I reached a point where about 90 percent of my diet was from foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds. By the end of that year, I had lost a total of ninety pounds, was off blood pressure medication, no longer experienced migraines, and had blown away my goal of losing fifty pounds for the year. I was feeling absolutely great!With all of my newfound energy, I decided that I wanted to start exercising, so I began running. I gradually increased the amount of running I was doing, continued eating right, and ran my first 5K. At that point I was hooked on living a healthy lifestyle that included eating right and exercising regularly. I continued following Dr.
Fuhrman’s recommended style of eating and also continued increasing the amount of running I was doing. I ran the Philadelphia Half Marathon in 1 hour 48 minutes 21 seconds! This desire to exercise was amazing to me. I was never into sports or exercise, and the fact that it was so easy for me now was incredible.Even with this increase in exercise, I continued to lose almost exactly eight pounds a month for about eighteen months, until my weight loss stopped just as suddenly as it began. At this point I weighed 197 pounds, was able to get a life insurance policy, and was in the best shape of my life. Now, more than eighteen months after my body weight leveled off, I still weigh right around 200 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to 160 pounds! I enjoy running regularly and participate in races of various distances throughout the year.
I am proud to be a positive role model for my sons, Evan and Henry. Being able to keep up with them today and knowing that I will continue to be an active part of their lives for years to come make me realize that becoming healthy is the most important thing I have done for myself and my family.
I
eat a quick and easy-to-prepare diet, and I eat simply. Most days I eat fruit and nuts for breakfast and something quick for lunch, such as a few fruits and a salad with a healthy serving of broccoli (frozen is fine), peas (frozen is fine), or beans on top and a light dressing. I eat healthfully with little work or effort. Likewise, I have tried to make these menus simple. However, you can modify them significantly and use your own ideas and recipes as long as you obey the guidelines outlined in the previous chapter. The foods or recipes can be switched around and eaten in different combinations or at different meals.
Fourteen days of menu plans and delicious recipes follow. Keep in mind that in the real world you would not necessarily make all these different dishes and recipes each week. Most of us make a soup or a main dish and use the leftovers for lunch or even dinner the next day. Remember, you must rethink what
you consider a normal portion. Your former side dishes (such as salads, soups, and vegetables) now become the main dishes, and so the portion sizes of these lower-calorie foods are much larger. It is almost impossible to eat too much food, only too much of the wrong food. Make your life simple. Enjoy food, but don’t have your life revolve around a menu plan. This diet is delicious; it involves no sacrifice, only different choices.
The first week of sample menus that follow is vegetarian and is designed for aggressive weight loss and for those who have had difficulty losing weight in the past. This kind of vegetarian diet is also appropriate for those looking to reverse heart disease or diabetes. You cannot expect to significantly reverse atherosclerosis (blockages in your arteries), diabetes, or high blood pressure unless you restore yourself to a normal weight. It is the combination of the healthy, nutrient-dense diet and the fat leaving your body that brings about predictable improvement in many health conditions.
The second week of sample menus is slightly less aggressive. The menus include some animal products (less than twelve ounces per week) and a small amount of oil (no more than one teaspoon per day). A small amount of animal products can be added to any vegetable or bean dish for flavor, if desired, as long you keep it below twelve ounces per week. Use white meat, fish, eggs, or low-fat dairy. Avoid processed, cured, or barbecued meats and full-fat dairy. You can make the nonvegetarian menus stricter and more effective by excluding all oil and limiting the portion size of the whole grains or starchy vegetables.
Remember, you can eat as much as you want of raw and cooked nonstarchy vegetables and fresh and unsweetened fruits. Try to include a serving of beans in your diet each day, as well as one ounce (about one-quarter cup) of raw nuts and seeds. Limit yourself to one serving per day of whole grains or starchy vegetables. Feel free to experiment. Substitute and add the healthy foods and seasonings that you enjoy. Since you are giving up lots of unhealthy foods, treat yourself to lots of delicious and exotic fruits. Try different fresh herbs and spices to season your food. They are salt-free and very high in antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Weekly Shopping List
Always keep a good assortment of healthy food in the house. A key to success is having the right kind of food available to prevent being tempted by the wrong kind of food. I suggest the following items.
Vegetables to be eaten raw
—carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, lettuce and other salad greens, snow peas, sugar snap peas, and tomatoes.
Vegetables for cooking
(fresh or frozen)—broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, cabbage, string beans, kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, spinach, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, onions, and garlic.
Fruits (fresh or frozen)
—strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwifruit, apples, oranges, pineapple, melons, lemons, limes, grapes, pears, bananas, mangoes, plums, peaches, and cherries.
Raw nuts and seeds
—walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, unhulled sesame seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.
Ingredients for homemade soups
—carrots, celery, garlic, onions, zucchini, fresh and dried herbs, no-salt seasoning, leeks, turnips, dried beans, lentils, and split peas.
Other staples
—flavored and balsamic vinegars, lemons (juice is great in a salad, soup, or vegetable dish), tomato sauce (no salt added), salsa (no salt added), avocados, tofu, edamame (green soybeans), and old-fashioned rolled oats.
Fresh or dried herbs and seasonings
—basil, oregano, dill, parsley, cilantro, chives, rosemary, thyme, ginger, garlic cloves or garlic powder, onion powder, mint, chili powder, cumin, Cajun seasoning, pepper, curry powder, cinnamon, Mrs. Dash, and Dr. Fuhrman’s VegiZest or MatoZest.
The following menus and recipes are examples of diets and dishes rich in nutrients and fiber, consistent with the basic principles of healthful eating. I have included my favorite recipes and those that have become the most popular with my readers and patients. These recipes are among the highest rated at my Member Center at
DrFuhrman.com
.
7 Days of Vegetarian Meal Plans
*Recipes follow
BREAKFAST
Strawberries, orange, and cantaloupe sprinkled with ground flaxseeds or hemp seeds
LUNCH
Mixed green salad topped with beans and balsamic or flavored vinegar
Portobello–Red Pepper Pita
*
DINNER
Mixed greens and watercress salad with red peppers and Tofu Ranch Dressing
*
Golden Austrian Cauliflower Cream Soup
*
Strawberries sprinkled with cocoa powder
BREAKFAST
Quick Banana Breakfast to Go
*
LUNCH
Raw vegetables (carrots, red bell peppers, and celery)
Steamed Broccoli with Sesame Ginger Sauce
*
or Red Lentil Sauce
*
Melon or other fresh fruit
