The Concept

The term “nutritarian” was coined by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. In his book, Eat to Live, he offers this health equation, which also serves as a succinct summary of the nutritarian approach to health:

Health = Nutrients/Calories (or H= N/C for short).

In other words: the more nutrients you consume per calorie, the healthier you will be.

Nutritarians eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, onions, mushrooms, beans, and berries, and particularly consume leafy greens, which are the most nutrient-dense foods. A nutritarian strives to consume at least 90% of their diet from these foods.

(from wikipedia)

Simply put, instead of filling up on calorie heavy Macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat), fill up on low calorie Micronutriant rich foods.

This way of eating is meant to end the food addiction cycle, gain optimum health, and easily lose/gain the weight needed to be a healthy size.

You can learn all about it by reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book 'Eat To Live.'  The Vegan Connection lays out the plan pretty well.  I also recommend checking out the resources on this blog.

As outlined in the book, I am embarking on the six-week plan: this plan is more strict than usual in order to detox the body really well and to help quicken weight loss for those with a lot to lose.  It also gets you used to this way of eating, and according to Dr. Fuhrman, after the six-weeks is up you're supposed to feel pretty darn good.

If this six-week adventure goes well, I will continue eating this way and hopefully be on my way to good health.  If it doesn't go well?  I don't even want to think about that possibility - this is pretty much a last ditch effort after half a life-time of yo-yo diets, eating disorders, and fat that won't budge.

The plan calls for three meals a day (if you exercise a lot you can eat more) with no snacking: this is so that your body has adequate time between meals to digest and detox.  Sticking through what Dr. Fuhrman calls "toxic hunger" during these six weeks will ensure release from the pleasure trap (food addiction).  Apparently, the symptoms of hunger we feel are actually our body withdrawing from the crap we put into it.  Once we are done "withdrawing" we will no longer get so hungry and our hunger will not feel the same as it did.  To me, this is THE key to succeeding.

The Six-Week Plan

UNLIMITED
eat as much as you want

•    all raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal: 1 lb. daily)
•    cooked green vegetables (goal 1 lb. daily)
•    beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu (1 cup daily)
•    fresh fruit (at least 4 daily)
•    eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes

LIMITED
not more than one serving (1 cup) per day

•    cooked starchy vegetables or whole grains
•    (butternut or acorn squash, corn, potatoes, rice, cooked carrots, sweet
•    potatoes, breads, cereals)
•    raw nuts and seeds (1 oz. max. per day)
•    avocado (2 oz. max. per day)
•    ground flaxseed (1 tablespoon per day)

OFF-LIMITS

•    dairy products
•    animal products
•    between-meal snacks
•    fruit juice, dried fruit

Raw Vegetables (including Salad)

Apparently these have a negative caloric effect (not really sure what that means) and so should be eaten in really large quantities - as much as possible, but at least 1 pound a day (equivelant to a head of lettuce and less than100 calories). "The more you eat, the more you lose."

Steamed or Cooked Green Vegetables

The principle above also applies here - eat as much as you can, at least a pound a day and don't forget variety.

Beans or Legumes

These are good for making you feel full and they decrease your desire for sweets.  Eat least 1 cup of these a day.

Fresh Fruit

Aim for the whole fruit, not juice.  Eat at least four fresh fruits a day.

Dried fruits

Off-limits on the Six-Week Plan because of the high sugar concentration.

Starchy Vegetables OR Whole Grains

No more than one serving of grains (barley, buckwheat, kasha, millet, oats, quinoa, brown rice, and wild rice) OR cooked, high-starch vegetables (cooked carrots, corn, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, butter nut squash, acorn squash, winter squash, chestnuts, parsnips, rutagas, turnips, water chestnuts, yams, and pumpkins) per day.  If you want to lose weight faster, he recommends omitting these foods altogether.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are high in calories, so only an ounce a day or less is recommended.  These contain healthy fats as well as valuable nutrients, so omitting them is not recommended.

Spices, Herbs, and Condiments

No salt and no condiments containing oils, sugars, and other unhealthy ingredients.  All herbs and spices are good to go.


The Life Plan

For clarity's sake, and in case this works, here is what the plan is supposed to look like after the first six-weeks.

The 90 Percent Rule

Basically the same rules as above apply except nothing is "off limits."  But you must follow the 90 Percent Rule.

90 percent of the daily food intake should consist of unrefined plant food.  You can have animal products and processed foods, but will be more successful if you use them as condiments or not at all.  Use these foods, if desired, occasionally or in very small amounts if you must.

If going by the average, women should consume less than 1500 calories a day and men no more than 2300.  In this case, a woman would have 150 calories (10%) per day of lower nutrient foods, and men would have 200.  If you have a lot of weight to lose, try to eat less than 100 calories a day of low-nutrient foods.

150 calories is a bagel, a tablespoon of oil, a few ounces of animal food, a cookie etc.