Dr Joel Fuhrman Crash Diet
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I found myself agreeing with a lot of what was in the book:
-diet fads are bad (I've never tried any -- except my grandma's old saying that pickle juice would make you lose weight -- I did that when i was skinny in high school. Don't think it did anything.)
-processed foods are horrible. Yes, I agree. I stopped eating processed foods for 10 years, but then Trader Joes moved to town and somehow I think they're "healthy" processed foods.
The diet book to end all diet fads and diet fad books...yes?I found myself agreeing with a lot of what was in the book:
-diet fads are bad (I've never tried any -- except my grandma's old saying that pickle juice would make you lose weight -- I did that when i was skinny in high school. Don't think it did anything.)
-processed foods are horrible. Yes, I agree. I stopped eating processed foods for 10 years, but then Trader Joes moved to town and somehow I think they're "healthy" processed foods. What good marketing they have!
-a vegetable diet is the best. Though I've never been a vegetarian...
A few times in the book, I thought, "oh, come on!" Like when the author listed his name brand of foods at the top of his "eat lots of" lists. I even stopped reading to chastise the author to Nick, saying how ridiculous, arrogant and self-serving that was of the author. Then, in a few pages, I laughed even harder to find the author had actually written the first part of chapter justifying his self-promotion of his own products and that others shouldn't necessarily criticize him for it. I kind of lost respect for the book after that, but finished reading because I was speed reading the book so fast I could finish it in a few more minutes.
The recipes and suggested foods to eat *were* good. But I cannot see myself eating so many beans and uncooked red onions (major daily portions of this diet). But I can see myself eating the rest and incorporating some of the ideas in the book into what we eat. Oddly, I thought, I wonder if I could try this when the kids are out of high school. But can I give up white bread once and for all? I don't think so-- not as long as Irish Rover's sourdough bread exists.
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Dr. Fuhrman also goes in-depth on why we gain weight and how food effects our bodies, both positively and negatively. There were a lot of "Aha!" moments for me in this book, things that explained not only my struggles with weight (and health) but the struggle of those
Another amazing book by Fuhrman! This one focuses on weight loss, obviously, and breaks down why many popular diets are ineffective and downright dangerous. If you do Atkins or Paleo, please read this book!!!! It'll save your life!Dr. Fuhrman also goes in-depth on why we gain weight and how food effects our bodies, both positively and negatively. There were a lot of "Aha!" moments for me in this book, things that explained not only my struggles with weight (and health) but the struggle of those around me, and of us as a country.
I can't encourage people strongly enough to read this, Eat to Live, or Eat for Health. PLEASE READ ONE OF THEM. These books will help you lose weight effortlessly AND discover optimal health. No more being frustrated by working out and counting calories, no more losing to only put it right back on.
Dr. Fuhrman does allow for some animal products, so please don't avoid this book simply because you think it's a vegan book (....although veganism is, like, the best thing EVAH!!!).
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Well researched.
Changed the way I ate 100%. Really amazing review of nutrition. Doesn't get 5 stars only because I am not an expert on nutrition yet I feel he may be a bit biased against meat protein, but hell, to the extent he provides evidence, especially for weight-loss, dude gets a 10.
4.7/5Well researched.
Changed the way I ate 100%. Really amazing review of nutrition. Doesn't get 5 stars only because I am not an expert on nutrition yet I feel he may be a bit biased against meat protein, but hell, to the extent he provides evidence, especially for weight-loss, dude gets a 10.
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I don't follow Dr. Fuhrman's nutritional recommendations 100% (for example, he says to avoid oils while I do use a modest amount of
I love Dr. Fuhrman, what can I say? I like that he's an MD who thinks prevention is better than prescriptions. Throughout my life I've asked doctors, "How could diet help this condition?" or "Is this affected by nutrition?" only to be assured that diet had nothing to do with any of my ailments and I should take some expensive (and potentially dangerous) prescription.I don't follow Dr. Fuhrman's nutritional recommendations 100% (for example, he says to avoid oils while I do use a modest amount of coconut oil daily re: Alzheimer's prevention) but since switching over to a plant-based diet--eating a huge salad daily, cutting out sugar/gluten/caffeine/red meat/salt/alcohol -- I have reversed or "cured" some of the health issues I've had my whole life, including asthma, sinus problems, eczema, chronic headaches, and psoriatic arthritis. Moreover, my rosacea has greatly improved and the aches and pains I chalked up to "getting old" have diminished in recent months.
It's a tough diet, to be frank, but once you get used to eating that way and feeling great, it's hard to go back to Taco Bell and Starbucks and expensive prescriptions! One thing I did was go slow: I slowly cut out caffeine, then I worked on sugar, and I started adding good things to my diet each week, like a huge salad for lunch. When I went whole hog, so to speak, it was much easier not having to worry about caffeine withdrawal or sugar cravings.
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There were many things I liked about this book such as Fuhrman's emphasis on eating more nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, legumes etc. I also like that even though he promises weight loss if you are able to follow his "nutrarian" lifestyle, his emphasis is on eating for health. And he's right. Good nu
Joel Fuhrman is a physician who is perhaps best know for his book "Eat to Live." I have not read that book, but imagine that this book is an extension of his original book.There were many things I liked about this book such as Fuhrman's emphasis on eating more nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, legumes etc. I also like that even though he promises weight loss if you are able to follow his "nutrarian" lifestyle, his emphasis is on eating for health. And he's right. Good nutrition is likely the best defense we have against chronic disease.
That said, I'm not sure how successful the average person would be with implementing his advice. He repeatedly reminds the reader that he isn't advocating a diet, but rather a way of eating...only his "way of eating" will feel like a diet to a lot of people.
When working with clients, I help them rate their diet as a whole on a scale from 0-10, 0 being the worst and 10 being the best. The majority of clients fall in the 2-4 range. The emphasis is on getting them to improve that score to a 6 or 7. For most people this means making healthier choices like eating a variety a fruits and veggies, quality meats and carbs, and by limiting processed/nutrient-void foods. Fuhrman's diet is more like a 9 or 10, something to aspire to but probably unrealistic for the average person...and maybe even unnecessary. For example, we know that for a sedentary individual, adding just 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days a week is a enough to provide significant health benefits. 60 minutes 5 times per week offers even more benefits but at a decreasing rate of return. And at some point, increasing exercise time and intensity beyond a certain point either offers very little additional benefits or may even be associated with poorer health.
I'm not sure we've established the same sort of relationship for diet, yet based on my years in the field, it seems that the difference between eating a 7 and 9 is relatively minimal with respect to health outcomes. But the difference between adhering to a 7 and 9 may be huge from a practicality standpoint. Furthermore, Fuhrman admits that people who follow his advice may need to supplement to ensure they are getting all the nutrients they need. This is in part because he recommends significantly limiting animal products. And while he doesn't go to the extreme of veganism, it does seem strange that "the healthiest diet" in the world requires supplementation.
At times, Fuhrman uses words like detox and toxic and his tone is somewhat alarmist. I also think his promises of "quick" weight-loss are a little over the top, though I suppose that's what readers really care about.
Finally, a good chunk of the book is recipes.
All in all, I think that Fuhrman offers some good advice, namely focus on eating the most nutrient-dense foods you can. I think he's right. The food we eat can either help prevent disease or contribute to it. Furthermore, a healthy diet will result in a healthy body. And while his suggested way of eating may be unrealistic for everyone, it can certainly serve as a goal or something to aspire to even if it is never achieved.
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Apparently there has been a 50% increase in the number of adults with obesity since 1980. What is going on here? It must be all that fast food we're eating, and all that exercise we're not doing.
I was hopeful at the start of this book, but it soon became apparent that this guy is advocating a vegan diet because he thinks meat is bad, mmkay. He's very worried about meat raising IGF-1 levels and causing cancer. He quotes several studies to support this idea.
He then goes on to say, "The only nutr
Apparently there has been a 50% increase in the number of adults with obesity since 1980. What is going on here? It must be all that fast food we're eating, and all that exercise we're not doing.
I was hopeful at the start of this book, but it soon became apparent that this guy is advocating a vegan diet because he thinks meat is bad, mmkay. He's very worried about meat raising IGF-1 levels and causing cancer. He quotes several studies to support this idea.
He then goes on to say, "The only nutrients lacking in a vegan diet are vitamin B-12 and the long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. One should also consider supplementation with iodine and vitamin D, depending on one's exposure to sunshine and consumption of seaweed for iodine. The amount of zinc might be somewhat suboptimal with a vegan diet because of zinc binding by phytates in plants, but otherwise, animal products don't provide anything that you can't get in a safer package from consuming plant foods."
So basically, the vegan diet is safe, except in all the ways that it's not. How did our human ancestors go for years without using vitamin supplements for B-12, vitamin D, iodine, zinc, EPA and DHA?
I'm not convinced that meat is as bad as homeboy claims it is. But I'm all about trying to maximize nutritional density.
Notes:
H=N/C (health equals nutrition over calories).
GBOMBS: Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds/Nuts.
6 Basic Guidelines for the Nutritarian Diet:
1. Eat a large salad every day as your main dish.
2. Eat at least a half cup, but preferably closer to 1 cup, of beans a day.
3. Eat one large (double-size) serving of lightly steamed green vegetables a day.
4. Eat at least 1 ounce of nuts and seeds per day if you're female and at least 1.5 ounces of nuts and seeds per day if you're male.
5. Eat mushrooms and onions every day.
6. Eat three fresh fruits a day.
Quotes:
The most effective health care is self-care. Drugs and doctors can't grant you excellent health and protect you from disease and suffering.
How much you are loved isn't the most important thing. A better measurement of emotional strength is your capacity to emote and feel love for others.
The three important components that pay the biggest dividends: nutrition, exercise, and positive mindset.
When people eating the SAD (Standard American Diet) remain at a normal weight, it is often because of disease, not good health. A healthy person eating the SAD should expect to be overweight.
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Highly recommended to anyone who
I have dabbled with reading this on and off for awhile. In my constant quest to be educated on the best diet for my health (and quite possibly the planet), I am gradually going thru all the plant based books, bc I do believe plant based is the healthiest way to eat. I like Dr. Fuhrman. I've watched some of his you tube videos and follow him on social media. His principals make a lot of sense to me and I will incorporate many of his suggestions into my lifestyle.Highly recommended to anyone who wants to improve their health! It's a good read. :-)
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This book makes you rethink Health, Nutrition and the type of life you want.
I really believe that every person should read this. It is heavily documented, well explained. I loved it.
Dr. Fuhrman is NOT asking you to diet. He's asking you to change your fundamental beliefs about food. It's not about will power. The first step is to eat lots of micronutrient-rich (disease-fighing food) to crowd out the cravings for disease–causing food
The most effective way to lose weight safely is to give up losing weight as your goal
Would the diet industry even exist if we all understood the secret was a steady diet of healthy greens, colorful vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fresh fruit?Dr. Fuhrman is NOT asking you to diet. He's asking you to change your fundamental beliefs about food. It's not about will power. The first step is to eat lots of micronutrient-rich (disease-fighing food) to crowd out the cravings for disease–causing food
The most effective way to lose weight safely is to give up losing weight as your goal! Make it your goal to prevent disease and to live pain free as you age. The weight loss will just happen if you follow these 3 most important facts about food and health:
1. Vegetables, beans, seeds, fruits, and nuts are good for you.
2. Excessive amounts of meat or animal products cause disease.
3. Eliminating refined carbohydrates will aid in sustainable weight loss and overall health.
He exposes diet myths in the second chapter. He basically says the only diet style that is truly healthful must contain eating large amounts of vegetables and the key to a long disease-free life is to be relatively thin and well nourished with micronutrients. He gives the scientific reasons and cites numerous studies why that is what works.
When you lose weight by cutting calories (crash dieting) and gain it back again, you end up fatter than before. The regained weight is harder to lose each time and makes you more susceptible to disease than before you dieted. Losing the fat that surrounds your internal organs (visceral fat) requires a permanent commitment to healthy eating and regular exercise.
Before my purchase, I borrowed this book from the library and read it all. It was so full of good information and recipes that I purchased it in hard cover here so that I could highlight it and refer back to the most important parts for me. Both this and Eat to Live were very helpful!
I had gone to my heart doctor in June and was told I needed to lose some weight. She wrote down the name of a book and it was Eat to Live. I laughed and told her I had read it years ago! (I had read the old one published in 2003.) She said "Read it again, and this time do what it says!" I read it again and began changing my eating pattern the very next day. Mind you, I was already eating what I thought was healthy and had eliminated meat and dairy milk years ago so I didn't lose as much as I would have if I had been on the typical SAD diet. I lost 10 pounds in six weeks though!!! More importantly, my cholesterol dropped from 200 to 161 during that same 6-week period! And my BP dropped to 109/76 too! I've since lost another 5 pounds and I'm sure my next check-up and labs will be even better!
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There are so many diets out there, one can end up on a merry-go-round of confusion that causes damage to the body. Someone needed to get directly to the point without overloading the reader with too much information, and thankfully Fuhrman suceeds at this endeavour. I thought about visiting a nutritionist, but did not want to feel as though I was studying for a degree. Many people need it in a nutshell (no pun intended), with t
Put an end to damaging your body and embrace the nutritional approachThere are so many diets out there, one can end up on a merry-go-round of confusion that causes damage to the body. Someone needed to get directly to the point without overloading the reader with too much information, and thankfully Fuhrman suceeds at this endeavour. I thought about visiting a nutritionist, but did not want to feel as though I was studying for a degree. Many people need it in a nutshell (no pun intended), with the message delivered quickly and in an interesting manner, coupled with an enticing format. Otherwise, they may move onto the next toxic meal, due to mental overload.
I have experienced several different diets, but had wondered if one focuses on high nutritional food, will it be possible to achieve optimal health and lose weight. I read many books before finally finding my answer in The End of Dieting. Some of the ideas I had already followed for a time, before becoming confused in a sea of conflicting advice. Freshly emerging from a body work session, where the therapist offered some dietary advice, I was looking for my next step.
I began reading Fuhrman's book, and was relieved to find out that he includes case studies to back up his ideas. If I am going to make radical changes in my life, I usually want solid reasons that provide a lasting foundation that will support me. The information about what actually occurs in the body from consuming different types of food, provided me with the solid reasons to create permanent changes. The clarity from the evidence Fuhrman shares, almost propels you forward in a way that no diet ever could or would.
I should have known this to be true, as I have experimented with cutting out processed food, and found stored fat seemingly melt away quickly.
There is alot to cover in the book, so I would suggest the investment, as each person will be drawn to different messages to help them shift. This journey is such a personal one.
Everything makes so much sense, and I'm so relieved that I will no longer be unknowingly playing around with my health or starving myself on diets. I'm sure my body will thank me with radiant health!
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I said that the earlier book didn't offer a lot of new
First off, an update following my review of Eat to Live by the same author… I've been on the six week plan for only a week to 10 days, loosely for 3 days before that, losing nearly a stone in 2 weeks, and I feel great (except for some major back pain over the weekend, I'm not sure if this was related to the weight loss or what). So, yes, it works like crazy. I'm not sure if this really added much, and how helpful what it added really will be.I said that the earlier book didn't offer a lot of new information (it's really just as simple as eat more greens, eat less crap, like they've always told you) but it put it in a way that I really took on board. This book presents most of the stuff in that book again, with random additions and refinements, but for at least its first half it's nowhere near as easy to read. There's lots of technical stuff in here which I suppose is in reaction to the kind of skepticism about his science in the earlier book like Penn Jillette covered in the podcast following the one that introduced me to Dr. Fuhrman 3 weeks ago.
Fuhrman also adds a lot of stuff to the list of things he doesn't recommend like eggs (as bad as cigarettes) and certain canned products, and uncooked mushrooms, sort of bordering on the old Daily Mail cliché of "everything causes cancer" and certainly making his revised plan in this book harder or more daunting to follow than the one he presents in Eat to Live.
That said, as with the first book, I took some parts on board, I'm staying mostly on the plan in the first book, but already made some of the recipes in this one… it all adds to the knowledge pool I guess.
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More than the science, though, the author conveys a deep and sincere concern for the well-being of individ
Fantastic book. The author provides so much scientific evidence to support the nutritarian diet that you must, in the end, submit that nutritional science is beginning to detect repeatable patterns of the effects of certain foods on our health. The author eviscerates the "science" used to defend fad diets such as Atkins to such a degree that you might find yourself saying, "Enough, enough!"More than the science, though, the author conveys a deep and sincere concern for the well-being of individuals, our society, and our planet. While he is frank about the challenges of overcoming the toxic hunger from which many of Americans suffer, he is equally frank about the rewards of making such an effort.
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I'm sure there are people who will enjoy and do well on this plan.
Any eating plan that tells you what, when, and how much to eat is a diet. Period. It doesn't matter if the book or plan bills itself as a "lifestyle change." It's still a diet. This book promotes a stringent eating approach that eliminates a lot of foods and will probably be largely unsustainable for the average person. You may lose weight on it, but if you can't stay on the plan for the rest of your life, then what's the point?I'm sure there are people who will enjoy and do well on this plan. To each, their own. But don't call this an alternative to dieting when it gives you a list of appropriate foods and tells you to eliminate others. A better title for this book would have been: "Other Diets Are Wrong; Follow My Diet Instead."
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This is essentially an ode to eating vegan. The author writes in an incredibly boring prose, slams all other diets by claiming they ignore scientific proof and then proceeds to do the same in advocating that only vegan diets make sense. Oh it has the usual nonsense testimonials from morbidly obese people who all of a sudden gave up eating their normal diet that made them fat and switched to completely vegan food with amazing results. If I are junk food 24/7 I would be morbidly
What a pile of crapThis is essentially an ode to eating vegan. The author writes in an incredibly boring prose, slams all other diets by claiming they ignore scientific proof and then proceeds to do the same in advocating that only vegan diets make sense. Oh it has the usual nonsense testimonials from morbidly obese people who all of a sudden gave up eating their normal diet that made them fat and switched to completely vegan food with amazing results. If I are junk food 24/7 I would be morbidly obese too and if I switched to eating nothing but raw veggies I would be slimmer because it all tastes so bad. Worthless book.
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Great Ideas in Not Dieting
This seems like sound advice for a food addict. I had slowly become one without realizing it. Can't wait to test out the info in this book.
Great Ideas in Not DietingGreat Ideas in Not Dieting
This seems like sound advice for a food addict. I had slowly become one without realizing it. Can't wait to test out the info in this book.
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While I know my personal diet is not the most ideal it could be, I also know that in the last 8 years myself and my family have worked really hard to help change our taste buds to be more inclined to want more healthful foods and drinks. This book just served to guilt me into believing I'm still not doing enough and even though I'm trying I'm still going to die of cancer because of this or that in my diet and basically nothing I can do except a radical change to include foods that upset my body (beans dont work for everyone digestive system, Fuhrman, so please get off that horse) and buying Fuhrmans products will save me.
Sorry. No. I can't get behind the Dave Ramsey vibe of "buy my product so we can save you".
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The only reason, and I do mean the ONLY reason I'm giving this 3 stars is because of a heartfelt epilogue in which he talks about compassion and being a positive influence in other people's lives and encouraging each other to eat better that way, socially. If the rest of the book was like that, I'd have a different opinion. I agree wholeheartedly with the epilogue, everything else I'll take with my toxic teaspoon of salt.
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3.5 Stars
1. The core message is sound and backed by solid research: eat less meat, eat less processed foods, and eat way more veggies (especially greens and onions), beans, mushrooms, berries, and seeds. The book introduces an alternative food pyramid based off these ideas: https://www.drfuhrman.com/elearning/e.... The scientific evidence is very strong that such a diet is vastly healthier than the Standard American Diet (SAD) and the awful USDA food pyramid from the 90s.
2. The core idea behind
The good1. The core message is sound and backed by solid research: eat less meat, eat less processed foods, and eat way more veggies (especially greens and onions), beans, mushrooms, berries, and seeds. The book introduces an alternative food pyramid based off these ideas: https://www.drfuhrman.com/elearning/e.... The scientific evidence is very strong that such a diet is vastly healthier than the Standard American Diet (SAD) and the awful USDA food pyramid from the 90s.
2. The core idea behind the "nutritarian diet" that this book advocates for is also fairly sound: eat foods that maximize the ratio of nutrient intake (which includes macronutrients such as protein, carbs, fat and micronutrients such asvitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals) to calorie consumed (N / C). If you optimize for eating foods with the highest N / C ratio, you'll naturally gravitate towards more natural, plant-based foods (again, veggies, beans, mushrooms, berries, and seeds), and naturally gravitate away from highly processed empty-calorie foods (sweets, sodas, alcohol, etc). Again, the scientific evidence here is strong that this will improve your health. They even worked out something called the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) so you can see how various foods stack up: https://www.drfuhrman.com/content-ima.... It's a useful chart, but I have some concerns with this, which I'll mention below.
The not so good
1. Crap writing. The intro and first few chapters are goddamn infomercial, and the remaining chapters repeat the same few marketing phrases (i.e., how only the nutritarian diet can help you, how all other diets don't work, toxins toxins toxins, etc) over and over again, dozens of times.
2. Sloppy science. While many of the claims in this book are backed by solid evidence, many others are pure speculation, with no scientific backing whatsoever. Veggies are good for you? Yup, that's backed by plenty of science. Eating more nutrients "melts fat away"? Fat build up is due to "toxins" in your diet? "Superfoods" help you "detox"? This is just hand wavy BS. And though I am far from an expert, there are glaringly obvious factual errors; e.g., the very first chapter says calories only come from carbs, proteins, and fats. Apparently Dr. Fuhrman has never heard of alcohol, which contains 7 calories per gram? Also, even with the claims that are backed by science, he is embarrassingly overconfident, literally using phrases like "unimpeachable science" multiple times. If you know anything about the history of nutrition science, the last phrase you should ever use is "unimpeachable science." We have gotten it wrong so many times, and there is still so much confusion, that what we need is doctors and authors with an excess of hubris, rather than overconfidence.
3. Fuhrman contradicts himself over and over again. It's a remarkable feat of cognitive dissonance. Here are just a few examples:
- Repeats over and over again that diets don't work... Then introduces his own, vastly more complicated diet that he explicitly names the "nutritarian diet". The fact that he wants you to maintain his diet for the long term doesn't mean it's not a diet—after all, just about all diets argue for long-term lifestyle change. But as discussed in this very book, long-term adherence to diets is precisely the hard part of dieting! Anyone can do Atkins or Vegan or Paleo for a few weeks or months, but almost no one pulls it off for decades. This book presents no evidence that people would be any more successful maintaining the nutritarian diet for the long term, and given how restrictive and complicated it is (more on that below), I'm guessing that it will have a lower long-term adherence rate than simpler diets!
- Says studies that don't take into account certain health factors, such as smoking habits, should be ignored completely.... Then uses many studies that ignore smoking habits to back up his own points.
- Says that on his diet, you can eat as much as you want—no measuring, no worrying about portions, no fasting, no restricting your caloric intake... Then, just a little while later, he warns you multiple times to never eat until you feel full. In fact, you apparently should never be aware of your stomach at all (side note: he says that you should never be aware of any of your organs... I guess Dr Furhman has never exercised hard and felt his heart or lungs?). A little after that, he says you should eat as many nuts and seeds as you want... But never snack on them, or you'll eat too much.
- Says that on his diet, you'll never feel hungry... Then, a few pages later, he laughs about how after a big dinner of veggies, he woke up the following morning feeling incredibly famished. How fun!
- Claims that you can cook just once per week and maintain a nutritarian diet... Then lists all the fresh veggies and fruits you need to eat, the vast majority of which go bad in less than 1 week.
- Claims that on his diet you never need to track macronutrient intake... But then says eating too much protein is bad for you and you shouldn't overdo it. Also, completely ignores the fact that when your body is losing weight, your protein needs are higher than normal.
4. Dr Fuhrman makes his own food products, that he advertises in the book and on his website. The obvious conflict of interest here is awful. I assume he has good intentions at heart, but this just feels wrong in every way.
5. The nutritarian diet that Fuhrman presents here is incredibly complicated and hard to follow. Fuhrman spends an entire chapter tearing apart (strawman versions) of other diets, such as Atkins, Paleo, Mediterranean, etc, in part because they are too complicated to stick with long-term, but in reality, most other diets are much simpler. For example, the Atkins diet has basically one rule: keep carb intake to less than 50g per day. The Paleo diet has one rule: don't eat foods that were not available in the paleolithic era. For comparison, I jotted down just some of the rules from the Nutritarian Diet Fuhrman introduces in this book:
- Every single day, you need to eat: a big salad, lots of beans, green veggies, a bunch of nuts and seeds, mushrooms, onions, and fresh fruit.
- Some of the veggies should be raw. Some steamed. Lightly steamed! Don't overdo it, or you'll ruin it.
- Also, you need to eat lots of tomatoes; mostly tomato paste, actually. And raw cruciferous veggies. And raw onions. Because everyone loves food that makes you cry.
- Oh, but it's OK, you can put dressing on it so it doesn't taste like crap! No, not real dressing. A dressing made from nuts and seeds. That only I sell at my special online store.
- Eat all the veggies you want! Except olive oil. In fact, just about any oil. Those are bad. Oh, and no potatoes! Or other starches. Those too are evil.
- Eat all the nuts and seeds you want! But never snack on them, or you'll eat too much.
- It's not a vegan diet, but you should avoid all animal products, as just about any amount is really awful for you. So yea, definitely not vegan or anything, but don't eat animal products, or you'll die.
- Did I mention that anyone on a vegan diet MUST eat supplements, or they'll die? At a bare minimum, you need a B12 supplement. You may also need zinc. Probably vitamin D. Oh, and omega 3s.
- Take some fish oil to get Omega 3s. But don't, because fish is bad!
- OK, OK, you can have some animal products after all. But no more than 1g per serving for females or 1.5g per serving for males (WTF is 1.5g of meat? Seriously?). Oh, and avoid farm-raised fish, especially salmon. And don't eat cheese. Never cheese.
- Eat as much as you want! Except you should never feel full—stop eating as soon as you're satiated! Oh, and you need to eat exactly 3 meals per day, and don't snack in between. Allow for at least 12 hours between the last meal and breakfast.
- Eat fruits! OK, just 3 pieces of fruit, no more. Unless you're an athlete. Then you can have 4. Avoid fruit juice.
- Eat whole grains! Well, some of them. But not rice. And no bread. Oh definitely no white flour.
- Make sure to get plenty of protein. This is not easy when eating mostly vegan. So you'll need beans. Like lots and lots and lots of beans. Hope you didn't enjoy having friends!
- Avoid salt. And sugar. And processed foods.
6. While nutrient density is important, and the ANDI score is a handy tool, it over simplifies things. For example, you know what's the highest scoring food on that index? A multi-vitamin! Zero calories, shit tons of nutrients, ANDI score of infinity. So why don't we just eat that and nothing else? Or why don't we just blindly follow the ANDI score and eat solely the highest rated thingS E.g., eat 5 pounds of kale, feel like shit, feel hungry 30 minutes later, and give up the diet immediately. The reason is simple: biology is more complicated than just nutrient density. And Dr. Furhman knows this—just look at the (incomplete) list of rules above from his own book! It's crazy long and complicated. The fact that he doesn't acknowledge it—the fact that he doesn't admit just how hard it is to learn a diet like this, and maintain it, especially with a family, or with friends, or colleagues, or at restaurants—is dishonest, and makes it hard to see this as anything other than another fad diet author trying to make money.
Overall
What a frustrating book. On the one hand, I want to everyone to learn the core message of the book, which is backed by strong scientific evidence: eat less meat, eat less processed foods, and eat way more veggies (especially greens and onions), beans, mushrooms, berries, and seeds. But on the other hand, I don't want to promote anything else about this book: the terrible writing, the sloppy science, concealing just how hard and complicated nutrition really is, and the massive conflict of interest.
To all authors of books on diet and nutrition: do better. This stuff matters. It's literally a life and death topic in the modern world. Stop misleading readers, stop spouting shit science, and stop profiting off people's diet struggles. Be humble, teach people, and do your damn part to fight the obesity epidemic.
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Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18053000-the-end-of-dieting
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