Book review - Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Eat to Live – Joel Fuhrman, M.D. The book, Eat to Live, was talked about in, The China Study. The key message from the book - ” For anyone to consider his or her diet healthy, it must be predominantly composed of high fiber, natural foods.”

Most vegetables contain more nutrients per calorie than any other food. Leafy greens such as romain lettuce, kale, collards, swiss chard and spinach are the most nutrient dense of all foods.

What I learned from this book:

1. Chicken has the same amount of cholesterol as beef. Chicken is almost as dangerous as red meat for the heart.

2. On a whole, a vegetarian will live longer than a person who eats animal proteins. But living a vegetarian life style does not guarantee good health unless the diet is filled with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Vegetarians who eat only processed foods such as crackers, bagels, and breads in their diets and forget fruits and vegetables will live no longer than a person who eats fruits, vegetables and chicken in their diet.

3. Many green vegetables have calcium absorption rates of over 50 percent compared with milk with about 32 percent. Researches have found that those who eat the most fruits and vegetables have denser bones.

4. If you chose to consume dairy, use fat-free and minimize to very small amounts. Eat 90% whole plant foods and eat only 10 % dairy.


Milligrams of Calcium in 100 calories:
Bok choy 1055mg
Turnip greens 921
Collard greens 559
Kale 455
Romaine lettuce 257
Tofu 236
Milk 194
Broccoli 182
Sesame seeds 170
Soy beans 134
Cucumbers 108
Cauliflower 88
Carrots 63
Fish 38
Eggs 32

If your goal is to lose weight, instead of going on Adkins or Zone diet try:

6 week – Eat to live plan - here is the basics to the plan

Unlimited
Eat as much as you want

All raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal 1 pound daily)
Cooked green vegetables (1 pound daily)
Beans, legumes, bean sprouts and tofu (1 cup daily)
Fresh fruit (at least 4 daily)
Eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onion, tomatoes

Limited

Not more than one serving (1 cup) per day
Butternut or acorn squash, corn, potatoes, rice, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, breads, cereals
Raw nuts and seeds (1 oz max per day)
Ground flaxseed (1 T)

Off limits
Dairy products
Animal products
Between meal snacks
Fruit juice, dried fruit

Foods to have in the house:
Canned beans – chickpeas, red kidney beans
Canned vegetable and bean soup
Canned Chinese vegetables – water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and others
Tofu
Frozen vegetables – peas, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, mixed chinese vegetables
Lots of low sugar fruits- strawberries, kiwis, oranges, grapefruits, melons, apples, lemons
Vinegars of your choice
Vegetables to be eaten raw, carrots, clery, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, lettuce and snow peas
Lots of vegetables for cooking – eggplant, mushrooms,tomatoes,cabbage,broccoli, string beans, swiss chard, kale, spinach, onions, garlic cloves
Whole wheat pita bread
Low calorie salad dressing