Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Revised Edition

Dr. Fuhrman's book is an excellent read for anyone wanting information that is accurate and based on not just one, but thousands of peer reviewed studies. Before reading this book I had read several other books on nutrition and thought I had a pretty good understanding of how things worked, but this book definitely added to my knowledge and depth of understanding. Some of the new things I learned are that vegetables have protein. I never knew this before, which sounds kind of silly now. It's kind of a duh moment when Dr. Fuhrman points out that cows eat grass yet they pack on plenty of muscle. Another thing I learned is that when refined oils are consumed, the body has no processing to do and the fat is stored directly in your adipose tissue. When I read this, it made sense; our cell's need glucose to function and when you eat a combination of carbohydrates, protein and refined oil (fat), your body immediately starts using the glucose for energy. The body can and does break down fat to use for energy, but its first choice is glucose, so when your body has a choice, it will always choose glucose--so the oil is immediately stored in your fatty tissue. I do have a couple criticisms and concerns however. Dr. Fuhrman suggests that we eat 100% plant based meals with copious amounts of leafy greens, a variety of fruits, and daily consumption of 1 Tbs flaxseed meal, 1 cup minimum legumes, and optional whole grains in moderation. Fuhrman says we should only be eating 3 times a day (the between meal times allow our cells to focus on detox) and that when we eat, we should eat as much as we want but stop when we get full. Additionally, he talks about toxic hunger v.s. real hunger. He says real hunger is felt in the throat and mouth and that toxic hunger is felt in the stomach. He writes that when we feel toxic hunger we can feel week, fog headed, and that after being on his plan for four to six weeks this will clear. Here is my problem with this: My plant based meals consist of copious amounts of large dark leafy greens, or green salads topped with vegetables and lemon juice for dressing. I get full quickly because of the fiber and nutrient content, however, the calories of my meals range from 200 to 300 cal. The bulk of the fiber really fills me up so it's hard to eat more calories than this in one sitting. If I were to only eat three of these meals a day, my daily caloric intake would be between 600 and 900, pretty low if you ask me. Additionally, I like to exercise, something that Fuhrman never addresses in his eating plan. I can do the plant based thing, but really I need to be eating every two to three hours, especially when I am exercising. I tried to only eat three meals per day, but the hunger I felt in between was all consuming... was it toxic hunger? I am not convinced. I think I either need to have a little piece of lean mean with each meal, or I need to eat more often. Another critique is that he does not stress enough the importance of consuming omega 3. So omega 3 comes in three forms, ALA, EPA, DHA. The ALA form comes from plants and the EPA and DHA come from animal sources such as salmon or krill. Your body needs DHA, it is vitally important in many bodily functions such as myleination of your neurons and anti-inflammatory processes. The ALA form of omega 3 is fine, but it must be converted by the body into DHA, and the amount of ALA converted has been estimated at 50% or less. DHA is ready to go for your body to use, so you don't run the risk of becoming deficient in this very important and vital fat. There is SO much research on the importance and benefits of fish oil that I am dismayed that Furhman does not give credit here where it's due. His arguments about potential pollutants in fish oil are not persuasive enough to me, especially when there is such high quality, nearly pharmaceutical grade oils out there. I take Carlson's Finest Fish Oil, it is tested by a third reputable party and the results are published online. There are other fine brands out there as well. Do your homework and take fish oil! I have one final major criticism: Our bodies' need protein. Our immune cells are made directly from protein therefore protein plays a vital role in immune function and is especially important when we are sick or our immune system is compromised (such as in chemo treatment). The amount of protein obtained from plant sources is minimal compared to lean, skinless animal protein. I don't mean the calorie to protein ratio, I mean a huge plate of lettuce, broccoli, and other veggies compared to a four ounce piece of lean chicken breast. If you don't eat numerous platefuls of veggies each and every day, then you are very likely deficient in protein if you are not concurrently consuming lean animal meat. When we get sick and become febrile, our metabolism revs up and caloric needs increase dramatically. Our immune cells are produced directly from protein, so if you are not getting adequate protein in your food, your body will start to tear down lean muscle to make white blood cells. If you are sick, are you really going to eat a huge plateful of veggies, or are you going to eat a 4oz piece of lean chicken? My point is that whether you eat 100% plant based meals or not, it is vitally important that you make sure to get enough protein (I'm not suggesting that high protein is good... I'm just saying low protein is definitely not good). In conclusion, I would say what impressed me the most was the data on cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and the positive effects having a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can have on these things. This is my take away from this book. Eating plenty of unrefined, unprocessed vegetation daily is a requirement for optimal health. If you want to take it to the next level, cut out all processed food and oils from your diet (note that avocados, raw unsalted nuts and high quality fish oil are not only okay, but should be consumed in moderation) and do not add salt to anything. Even better, cut out all grain and eat legumes in moderation. I believe lean protein, in moderation, is not only healthy but will add to overall satisfaction and sustainability on this diet (Fuhrman does give two options, meatless, and meat in modoration... I strongly lean toward the latter).

I have been on a personal journey to figure out my health and wellness. Experiencing serious random mood swings, feeling unmotivated, exhausted all the time, wanting to get pregnant, etc. A friend recommended this book to me and I thought it sounded interesting. Right away I went to my local library and borrowed it. Half way through the book I decided I just had to own this so I purchased it on amazon. I have LOVED this book. I underlined a lot of points I felt were important for me. Appearance: I find that the cover isn't very appealing to me. The colors aren't quite my taste and the target audience is geared to those trying to lose a LOT of weight (I wouldn't have picked this book out on my own just by its appearance). I was interested in losing about 20 lbs but that was not my reason for wanting to read this. Reading: The information is really detailed. It starts out by explaining the why behind eating, why we should avoid certain foods, why we should eat more of others, why our bodies react the way they do, etc., from there it progresses into how to implement what is being taught, and then a few example meal plans and recipes are included. I found that this book changed my way of thinking. I didn't realize I hadn't understood quite a bit about nutrition. My husband has started reading this book and he says he is enjoying it and learning a lot but it feels a little repetitive at times. I would have to agree that it does overlap on information a little. I felt it was on purpose though, to make sure the concepts were understood. He isn't as enthusiastic about this book as I am, but he is learning a lot. Infomercials: This book is laced with other peoples stories and experiences implementing this information into their lives. Some may find this inspiring while others may find it annoying. Implementing: Right after reading this book I decided I wanted to adopt many of the taught principles into my life: Eat more vegetables, fruits, grains, and eat less or no meats, fats, and dairy products. I chose to go cold turkey and I cut out all meats and dairy products right away. I was not a big vegetable person to begin with, and I LOVED the taste of meat. I went through a little mourning period, but eventually I got over it. I found making a gallon of green smoothie every morning and sipping on it throughout the day was a saving grace as I have learned to implement this books teachings. I would make meals like normal but the new way of cooking was hit or miss (to be quite honest, I haven't tried any of his recipes because there are no pictures, but I have tried 'vegan' cookbooks) so having the green smoothie ready as back up to a failed lunch or dinner attempt was more encouraging. I challenged my husband to eat this way with me for 6 weeks (Then he started reading the book. He agreed hesitantly so he could understand my new passion for healthy eating and so he could convince me to eat meat again.) In 3 weeks we both lost 15 pounds (we were consuming a TON of food too, and this was not our goal but definitely welcomed!), I had LOTS more energy, and I felt great. My husband says he hasn't really felt much of a difference, but to me he seems to be more motivated and since eating this way he wrestles more with our boys, gets even more excited about food that is healthy AND tastes good haha, and his attitude seems a lot more positive as well. Also, we were struggling to get pregnant, having tried for 8 months, and after that first month of eating this way I got pregnant! (Not to say it was because of this, but I had tried many different things and it really doesn't seem like a coincidence. I am not saying those that choose this way of living will get pregnant when they are having trouble conceiving, but it's worth trying! If nothing more, you'll at least be healthy.) KIDS-- My children are very young and they are eating this way right along with us, I had no clue they would like vegetables so much. Out of anyone in our family I am the one that is struggling the most with eating this way haha, mainly because I am not a fan of the taste of nutritional yeast and that has been in quite a few of the recipes I have tried. I find when I keep to simple ingredients I enjoy it sooo much more. Stir fry's, Thai vegetable curries/Pad Thai's, salads, grilled vegetables, beans/rice burritos/tacos, etc. Lots of vegetables and good seasoning go hand in hand for me. Recommendation: I definitely recommend this book! The movie, Forks Over Knives talks about a lot of the information found in it and is a great crash course to watch on Netflix or Prime(if it is available) to see if you are interested in learning more and a bit deeper. My father's Dr's found a lump on his prostate and I immediately recommended this book to him (cancer is discussed in this book quite a bit) His Dr's recommended a vegetarian diet to fight against any cancer that might be there as well as watching Forks Over Knives. It goes hand in hand with the teachings of this book (especially because it was based off of this and The China Study.

Similar to raw eating + some animals food. But the must new things I have learned from this book was the way he calculated nutritional intake. I understood that my ex-diet was basically wrong and could not work as I was eating not sufficient food, ratio of N\C is a very right formula. So I’m starting to change my diet to new way. I recommend this book for even healthy people.

Pretty good. jump started me into healthy eating. Drones on at times.

What a fantastic book, For me, it was like getting the answers to weight loss and great health all in one. As i read the book, i knew it all just made sense. It was like being given the answer to a question that you'd been serching for forever. It gives you all the facts about how types of foods are effecting people from all over the globe. It allows you to get a sense of perspective as to where things are going wrong with our eating and health etc. It's not preechy neither is it condesending - he's just giving you the facts as they are. It's your choice what and if you do anything about it. The book has a vegetarian and non vegetarian option and a 7 day or longer eating plan. It's mainly salad based which isn't grabbing me much at the moment. A very inspiring book. Haven't done the 7 day plan yet, i seem to do odd days here and there. Although for some strange reason whilst reading the book (about half way through) i knew i just didn't want to smoke anymore. Not sure why this happened as Dr Fuhrman hardly ever referred to smoking. It took a little while to get started, I've used the patchs (tried them before) and i've now not smoked for just over 2 months. That's the longest time in 30 years and i'm completely chuffed with myself. As soon as my motivation blooms again - this is the type of food that i want to eat and the weight will come off as a result of a healthy body.

Das Buch wurde mir von zwei Freunden in den USA empfohlen. Die eine hat dadurch sogar eine Besserung in ihrer MS Symptomatik erfahren. Es geht grundlegend darum weg von industriell hergestellten Lebensmitteln, Zucker, Salz und Öl zu kommen. Das 6 Wochen Programm, dass der Autor und Arzt empfiehlt habe ich durchgezogen und habe positive Erfahrungen damit gemacht. Ganz nebenbei purzeln die Pfunde. Es wird eine vegane Ernährung angestrebt. Dr. Fuhrmann zeigt wissenschaftlich auf, was Erkenntnisse aus der Ernährungsforschung sind und was uns von der Lebensmittelindustrie vorgegaukelt wird. Er zeigt auf, dass tierische Produkte die Lebenserwartung verkürzen, Ursache für Erkrankungen sind und für eine ausgewogene Nährstoffversorgung nicht notwendig sind. Es findet eine gedankliche Transformation statt. Leider sind schlechte Gewohnheiten nur schlecht los zu werden, doch der Prozess wird in Gang gesetzt. Ich würde mir wünschen, dass es das Buch auch auf deutsch gäbe, damit noch mehr davon profitieren können. Die, die keine Probleme mit englischer Literatur haben, werden gut zurecht kommen. Und für die spreche ich eine eindeutige Kaufempfehlung aus!

Incrível. Revolucionou minha relação com a comida, bem como despertou a atenção para fatores antes despercebidos. As receitas são deliciosas, não apenas para quem deseja perder muito peso, mas mudar seu ponto de vista.