A Brilliant and Consise Eat to Live Summary

As a result of having my story featured last week on Choosing Raw, I was contacted by Susan V, the brilliant and dedicated mind behind the Fat Free Vegan Empire. Susan clued me into the fact that there is a very active Yahoo Group of people discussing Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live. Just go to groups.yahoo.com and do a search for Eat-2-Live if you are interested in joining an online support group. Remember, surrounding yourself with like minded people is key to Plant-strong success, in my opinion, and this type of group absolutely fits the bill.

It was in the Eat-2-Live group that I came upon the following summary of Dr. Fuhrman's "diet". It was posted by Michelle Golden, one of the members, and I asked her if it was okay to repost on HGK. Michelle said that credit really goes to Eat to Live Chapter 8, so I know that I have read this information at least a few times before.

But guess what? I NEEDED this reminder. In fact, I can see now that I need this reminder every few weeks, not months, because I go pretty off track as time goes by. This time, I am going to print these guidelines and hang them in my kitchen where I can refer to them more often!

Dietary Guidelines from "Eat to Live", by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Unlimited Foods (Strive for 1 pound raw and 1 pound cooked vegetables daily):
(1) Raw vegetables, especially leafy greens.
(2) Cooked vegetables, especially leafy greens and other green vegetables.
(3) Beans, bean sprouts, and tofu. 1 cup daily, or more.
(4) Fresh fruits. 4 per day, or more.

Limited Foods: The starchy vegetables or whole grains can be eliminated, if you want, but it is very important to eat your healthy fats every day.
(1) 0-2 servings of starchy vegetables or whole grains. (1 serving is one cup.) Have 0 or 1 serving if you are trying to lose weight. If you are at your ideal weight, you can eat more than one daily serving of starchy vegetables, as long as you don't start gaining weight! Starchy vegetables or whole grains include: white potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut and acorn squash, corn, whole grain bread, pasta and cereal, and whole grains such as brown rice, bulgur, barley, etc.
(2) 1-2 ounces of raw nuts and seeds daily. 1 oz. is best if trying to lose weight.
(3) 1 tablespoon ground flax seed daily.
(4) 1-2 ounces of avocado daily. 1 oz. is best if trying to lose weight.

Off-Limits (totally eliminate these foods if you want to lose weight):
(1) Animal foods, including dairy. You can eat them if you are at your ideal weight, but no more than 12 ounces per week. Dairy products should be low-fat.
(2) Dried fruit and fruit juices. Might use a tiny amount for flavoring.
(3) Added fats and oils.
(4) Avoid between-meal snacks.
(5) Avoid processed foods and high sodium foods.

Tips:
Only eat when you are hungry. Only eat until satiation.

Your aim is to have your diet be at least 90% unrefined plant food daily.

Salad is the main dish! Have 2 big salads a day. Salad is defined as any raw vegetables.

The goal of one pound each, raw and cooked vegetables, is just that: a goal. More important is to strive for that goal but only eat until satisfied, not until stuffed.

Eat a variety of fruits, greens, and vegetables for a variety of nutrients.

Leafy greens are KING! They have 10 times the nutrition of other foods.

Soups are filling and nourishing, especially with greens in them.

Avoid caffeinated beverages.

Exercise daily.

What are your strategies for staying on track with your food?

Do you ever find yourself unintentionally going off track for long periods of time only to be brought back by some reminder?

Have you established a reminder system for yourself?