WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN AND CALCIUM?
As long as you are eating a variety of different plant foods, your body will get plenty of essential amino acids and calcium to sustain life and thrive.
Green vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans are rich in protein. Green vegetables have the most protein per calorie of all. For instance, broccoli has about twice as much protein as steak!44
Animal proteins increase the production of a hormone called IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor). Much of this hormone is associated with aging and the increased growth of cancer cells.45
If you are worried about calcium, studies show fruits and vegetables are protective against osteoporosis (bone density loss). Substances such as animal products, salt, caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol, nicotine, antacids, antibiotics, steroids, thyroid hormone, and vitamin A supplements actually induce calcium loss in the urine.46
All green vegetables are high in calcium. Plus, they have higher absorption rates than dairy products. Not to mention that cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, and various cabbages have sulfur-containing chemicals (isothiocyanates) that inhibit cancer-causing substances (carcinogens). They actually inhibit the growth of carcinogens and induce cancer cell death!47
That food pyramid that you may have memorized in high school health or home economics was incorrect. If you want to understand the phenomenal science behind all of this, study Dr. Fuhrman’s books and articles for yourself. Our bodies are fascinating machines that were designed to be fueled by plants.
DO YOU EAT OUT?
Yes, but I didn’t in the beginning.
I do not recommend eating out until you have established at least a solid month or two of sobriety. It takes at least that much time for the taste buds to change and for you to get “out of the woods” with toxic hunger—with the worst being the first week.
After cravings have subsided, and you have established clearly defined boundary lines, then it may be possible to venture out again, depending on the severity of entanglements you were trapped in. But don’t rush it. It is not worth slipping back into addiction during one meal.
I lived most of my life trapped in food addiction. Then I got free, and then I relapsed into it again. I will do anything—whatever it takes—to remain free. It only takes one bite of an addictive food to begin to unravel progress. It’s just not worth it.
Many times, I drink a green smoothie beforehand and order a salad and/or steamed vegetables at the restaurant. Afterward, I eat the remainder of the meal at home or in the car. (Insulated coolers are a nutritarian’s best friend!) Also, roasted edamame beans can be purchased online, or you can make your own roasted chickpeas—there are many recipes nowadays. Put the roasted beans in a plastic bag and tuck it inside your purse to take to the restaurant. No one cares, because getting together is about building relationships. Furthermore, it is no one’s business what you do or do not eat to stay healthy. If you don’t make a big deal about it, nobody else will, either—unless you hang around rude people. Fast food restaurants, such as Subway, have salads, and they have a nice selection of veggies to add as well. Pizza Hut, Golden Corral, Whole Foods Markets and various other eating establishments have salad bars, which work well too.
A good steakhouse usually has excellent salads, and if you go early enough—not at the rush hour—they are willing to be creative with their vegetables, including steaming them. However, make it clear that you do not want salt, butter, or oil. My favorite restaurant has a steamed vegetable platter for an appetizer. They are very good about omitting the salt and sauces per my request.
Someone from Dr. Fuhrman’s member center printed simple dietary instructions on business cards to give to wait staff and chefs. Those cards have been a very successful tool for her.
Another member, whose husband travels overseas on business trips, packs an extra piece of luggage with healthy food for her husband. She packs the food in dry ice until her husband arrives at his destination and can refrigerate it. It may sound burdensome, but he lost nearly a hundred pounds in less than a year. Today, he is living in optimal health and fitness, is off his CPAP machine (for snoring), and takes no medications!
An elderly gentleman whom I interviewed for “Disease Proof” (in his eighties and running marathons!) goes on a lot of cruises with his wife. He works with the wait staff beforehand, and they have always been happy to accommodate his dietary needs.
If nothing else, you can always have a green smoothie before leaving home, and then order a small salad and herbal tea at the restaurant. The meal should be about sharing relationships with friends; not food.
I meet my close friends for walks and talks on the many fitness trails in the area—and we all enjoy them so much. A brisk walk with a friend is invigorating!
DO YOU EXERCISE?
Dr. Fuhrman says that exercise is not optional.
Experts are now calling a sedentary lifestyle the “new smoking.”
If you are in the habit of sitting all day, it is time to get moving—even if it is just a short walk—do something.
The year I lost a hundred pounds, I started walking a half-hour before breakfast and then a half-hour before my evening meal, because I was prediabetic. Walking prior to a meal was similar to taking oral diabetes medications or insulin. It was a natural way to control high glucose levels in my bloodstream, thus enhancing weight loss. It wasn’t a brisk walk, but it was enough to get my body moving.
After I lost forty pounds, I felt well enough to substitute my morning walk with working out on an elliptical machine at the Y. Then I started lifting free weights and using a StairMaster. Through the course of that year, I was able to increase my endurance and strength incrementally. I had toned up muscles that I hadn’t used since my teenage years.
Fourteen months later, I ran my first four-mile race since high school, and I felt exuberant! There are many benefits to exercise. Besides helping with weight loss and blood sugar control, it is a natural antidepressant when used alongside a nutritarian diet. Daily exercise is an important component to getting out and staying out of food addiction.
Plus, as we age, we lose muscle mass, and exercise helps build muscle. We need strong muscles to protect our bones in our elderly years. In fact, Dr. Fuhrman says that women who engage in regular exercise are twice as likely to avoid hip fractures later in life. Staying fit protects against injuries.
Recently, I have discovered a fitness video produced by Leslie Sansone called “Walk Away the Pounds,” and her workouts challenge just about every muscle in the body. When I am finished with one of her workouts, I feel like I truly did work every muscle in my body.
Movement of any kind conditions muscles, not to mention that it boosts serotonin levels in the brain and lifts moods. Dr. Fuhrman says that regular exercise is better than an antidepressant—and without the adverse side effects. Find something you enjoy doing, and then get moving. You will feel alive and well when you do!48
DO YOU WEIGH, MEASURE, OR COUNT QUANTITIES?
Dr. Fuhrman says to forget about counting calories. He also repeatedly states that the nutritarian diet-style is not about eating less food—it is about the nutritional quality of food one eats. “It isn’t how much you eat that determines your weight; it’s what you eat.”49 He also adds, “You don’t have to weigh portions and count calories because a bigger portion of these particular foods is better than a smaller one. Instead of eating less food, then, eat three substantially sized meals a day—of the right kinds of food.”50 “Remember, if it’s a vegetable with the color of green, it is rich in micronutrients and low in calories. It’s a green light to eat more of it. The more greens you eat, the increased likelihood you will eat less of something else that is higher in calories.”51
In addition, many of the fibrous, raw vegetables take more calories to chew, digest, and assimilate than the calories they provide. And, as previously stated, when cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, collards) are consumed, they boost the immune system and kill cancer cells.52 Mushrooms and onions also boost the immune system and fight cancer; not to mention that greens, mushrooms, and onions inhibit the growth of new blood vessels that fuel fat. They actually facilitate fat loss!53
The only foods that should be carefully monitored are nuts and seeds. Dr. Fuhrman recommends limiting nuts and seeds to one ounce per day for women and two ounces per day for men if you have weight to lose (in addition to one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds per day). When the excess weight is off, these amounts can be adjusted to higher amounts, if desired. However, don’t skip the nuts and seeds because not only do they suppress appetite and pull bad fats out of the body,54 they also are loaded with important Omega-3 fatty acids that protect against depression, heart disease, and cancer.55
I have a digital food scale. I weigh one ounce of nuts every morning and then set them aside in a small bowl to be eaten later in the day. Doing that is a clearly defined boundary line for me that I do not cross. If I don’t carefully monitor nuts and seeds, I can easily overeat them and gain weight. (Some folks have found measuring all food at each meal to be beneficial for them in order to establish healthy boundaries—at least in the beginning—after years of unrestrained eating. If that works the best for you, do whatever you may need to do to be free from destructive habits.)
A goal Dr. Fuhrman often gives is to shoot for a whole pound of raw vegetables a day, one pound of cooked vegetables, one cup of beans, one tablespoon of flaxseeds, one ounce of raw nuts/seeds (two ounces for men), and three to four fresh fruits—but you don’t have to be rigid about it if that is too much food for you to eat. In addition, you may eat one cup of cooked, starchy vegetables or whole grains; two ounces of avocado; and two tablespoons of dried fruit such as raisins (optional). All this high-fiber, nutrient-rich plant food then suppresses the appetite and aids in controlling emotional and addictive eating.56
It is also very important to eat only three meals or fewer per day—and to go to bed on a completely empty stomach. When snacking between meals is eliminated, the body is able to rest from digesting food nonstop. It is helpful to know that a growling stomach is merely a signal that digestion has ended. Period. It doesn’t mean you need to eat again! If you’ve been eating a steady diet of toxic food, you may experience uncomfortable physical symptoms when you stop snacking between meals. (This toxic withdrawal is explained in Chapter Two.) However, it’s important to remember that these symptoms will eventually go away as you consistently eat only nutrient-rich food. In addition, the extended time of fasting from dinnertime to breakfast the next morning gives the body a much-needed rest. This enables it to focus its energy on detoxification, healing and repairing—which is vital to optimal health and well-being.57
IS THE NUTRITARIAN DIET-STYLE COSTLY?
The beautiful thing about the nutritarian diet-style is that it can be done successfully on a shoestring budget and still be just as effective as a gourmet, high-end version. My daughter budgeted sixty dollars per week for nutritarian meals that she made in her apartment when she was in college. For others, a hundred dollars per week is not enough.
I eat this way for about eighty dollars per week. However, when I was overeating habitually on the Standard American Diet, I was consuming at least a hundred and fifty dollars’ worth of food and beverages every week. (Plus, it takes more calories to fuel an overweight body.) I save at least seventy-five dollars every week now, as compared to my former lifestyle. That is a savings of more than $3,000 a year! That is harsh and hard to admit, but it is the truth.
In addition, I no longer need to visit an endocrinologist or a cardiologist, or need expensive lab tests, surgical procedures, hospitalizations, or medications. (Heart bypass surgery alone can cost more than $115,000!) And due to a strong immune system now, I haven’t had bronchitis in more than ten years. Prior to eating this way, every winter since my early twenties, I would catch a cold that would develop into a nasty case of bronchitis. Between doctor visits, prescription meds, and over-the-counter drugs to help alleviate the symptoms, it was not a cheap illness.
None of us can afford to be addicted to the Standard American Diet. It not only robs and destroys health—but finances as well. Making a commitment to the nutritarian diet-style is cost-effective!