Kale strawberry banana pear almonds flax seeds frozen melon and frozen peaches

Nutrient Density

The Secret Weapon to Achieving Permanent Weight Loss

By Joel Fuhrman M.D.

Dr. Fuhrman is a board certified family physician and a graduate of the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine. He is the author of the national best selling book Eat To Live and is considered a world leader in the area of nutrition-based weight loss. Dr. Fuhrman has appeared on Good Morning America, Fox News, CNN and MSN. Mehmet Oz M.D., the renowned heart surgeon, calls Dr. Fuhrman’s program: A Medical Breakthrough.

What most of you probably don’t realize is that more diets have failed you in the past than the other way around. If a diet cannot be maintained as an on-going lifestyle, then permanent weight loss and health can not be achieved. If a diet does not provide the nutrients you need to function properly, your body will demand more food and it will be more difficult to maintain a favorable weight. My years of research in this area have uncovered the secret to permanent weight loss- and it can be incorporated into any diet strategy.

Sixteen years ago, I dedicated my medical practice to the study of weight loss and the prevention of chronic illnesses. At that time, I had no idea how badly America would need the information I now offer. My findings are simple:

Low Nutrient Foods promote food cravings and overeating.
High Nutrient Foods promote a normal caloric drive and a normal weight.

The reason many people still feel hungry when they diet is that their body is not getting the nutrients it needs. I call this toxic hunger. More and more evidence has revealed that eating more high nutrient food is the only way to lose weight permanently. Learning how to incorporate this into your life and the diet you have chosen to follow is the secret to controlling food cravings and overeating behaviors. High nutrient eating is not a fad, and it will never go out of style or popularity. It can be your fountain of youth. However, in order to achieve and maintain your ideal weight, look younger, and avoid chronic illnesses; these changes must become a permanent way of life. If the changes you make are permanent, then you are no longer on a diet; you have merely changed your eating-style.

My formula* for sustained weight loss, optimal health and beauty is simply:

H= N/C Health = Nutrients Over Calories.*patent pending

The scientific principle represented in my formula is known as nutrient density. Nutrient Density is a measure of the nutrients provided per calorie of food, or the ratio of nutrients to calories (energy). Heres an example: Why is an apple a better choice than a bag of pretzels? They have roughly the same number of calories, but the apple is also a great source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium and hundreds of other beneficial phytochemicals. Therefore, the apple has a higher nutrient density. By eating the apple, you have more energy, feel fuller, and, over time lose more weight. While preparing this article, a research study was released. The findings support what I have been teaching my patients for years.

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY : Tuesday October 23, 2007
NEW ORLEANS The Next Diet Craze May be The Apple Diet.
“A new study shows an apple a day keeps the calories at bay. People who ate an apple about 15 minutes before lunch consumed almost 190 fewer calories than when they didn’t have the apple.”

The evidence is tremendous and of course the answer involves lots more than just apples. When the ratio of nutrients to calories is high, people eat less, excess pounds disappear, and health and beauty are restored. With more nutrient-dense food consumed, the more you will be satisfied with fewer calories, and the less you will crave fat and high-calorie foods. One of the huge benefits to high nutrient eating is that people lose their food cravings, hypoglycemic symptoms and other sensations that drive people to overeat. They get put back in touch with their body’s natural instinctive signals to eat- when food is really needed. These natural, true hunger signals will help direct you to your true ideal body weight. You will simply desire less food. If you choose foods based on nutrient density, you will essentially be choosing foods based on their overall quality and their ability to have a positive influence on your body and overall health.

Now that you understand nutrient density, you must be wondering which foods score the highest. In other words, which offer the most nutrients, and which offer the least nutrients per calorie. Most of the foods on the following chart will be of no surprise. Vegetables, fruits, and beans score the best- by far. However, there are some surprises that may change the way you eat forever. With Kale scoring the highest nutrient density of all 20,000 foods tested, we gave it a score of 1000. If a product scores a 500, it offers half the nutrients of Kale

Strawberries, the #1 fruit, only offer one/fourth the nutrients of Kale.
An Apple is only one/third as valuable as Strawberries.
Apple Juice is One/Fifth as Nutritious as an Apple per Calorie.
And take a look at Olive Oil. At 120 calories per tablespoon, the nutrient density score is very low. Omitting Olive Oil from your healthy salad may be the first step in incorporating nutrient density into your life.
This information is vital to any dieter trying to stay healthy and lose weight.

In closing, I want to bring your attention to the critical health crisis in our country and the need for more nutritious eating. This may be hard to believe with our tremendous weight problems and obesity epidemic, but America is an overfed yet undernourished nation. It’s now estimated less than 10% of adults and only 2% of children get the minimum daily requirement of vital nutrients their body needs to seek its ideal weight or ward off chronic illnesses. The chronic illnesses that develop as a result of poor eating have become so serious that in 2006 the Center For Disease Control and Prevention announced that this generation of children may be the first not to live as long as their parents.

With Americas future on the line, I urge you to incorporate high nutrient dense foods into your diet as much as possible. (PEERtrainer Note: Click here to get Eat For Health which includes this Food Scoring Guide.)

In the coming weeks, I’ll be writing to you about a variety of health and nutrition topics like: how you can avoid and even reverse chronic illnesses through nutrition, Toxic Hunger, and Building a Healthy Child. So keep using PEERtrainer, and lets work for your long-term benefits together. Until then,

Eat Right America!

Joel Fuhrman M.D.

White House to put up to 5,000 salad bars in schools

by Ed Bruske 18 Nov 2010 7:33 AM
First Lady Michelle Obama and Sam Kass, Assistant White House Chef and Food Initiative Coordinator, help kids in the White House kitchen garden harvest vegetables daydreaming of a salad bar.

First Lady Michelle Obama is expected to announce on Monday a major new initiative that would place up to 5,000 salad bars in public schools nationwide, despite uncertainties over how local health inspectors might treat those salad bars and USDA nutrition-tracking rules that could prove a major impediment.

Officials in the White House, led by chef Sam Kass, and at the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention, have been working to build a coalition representing the produce industry and Ann Cooper, director of nutrition services in Boulder, Colo. schools, who recently teamed with Whole Foods to raise $1.4 million from customers to establish a grant program that would place salad bars in qualifying schools.

Under the initiative expected to be announced on Monday in Florida, where First Lady Michelle Obama has taken her “Let’s Move” campaign to fight childhood obesity, Cooper would manage applications for salad bars from the schools along with distribution of funds to purchase necessary equipment.

One potential obstacle to the program is the refusal of many school districts to install salad bars for food-safety reasons and because of cumbersome USDA rules governing the federally subsidized school lunch program that feeds some 31 million U.S. school children every day.

Cooper named three school districts she knows of — Philadelphia, Austin, Tex., and Montgomery County, Md., — that have already indicated they will not support salad bars. Concerns have been raised that elementary school children in particular might be prone to spread disease at salad bars because they are too short for the standard “sneeze guard” installed on most salad bars, or because they might use their hands instead of the serving utensils provided.

Cooper, who would not comment on the pending White House announcement, has dismissed those concerns, saying, “As far as I’ve found out, there are no documented disease outbreaks from school salad bars. By and large, this is not a high risk area.”

But schools also are deterred by USDA regulations that require students to pass by a cash register or “point of sale” station after they have been to the salad bar to ensure that they have served themselves the correct portions of fruits and vegetables required under the federal lunch program. In October, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services division, which oversees the subsidized meal program, circulated a memo saying that while it encourages the use of salad bars in schools, school menu planners must tell students the minimum amounts they must take from salad bars, cashiers “must be trained to judge accurately the quantities of self-service items,” and point-of-sale registers “must be stationed after the salad bar.”

Cooper has previously said USDA rules too often “don’t work on the ground” and that forcing students to double back and pass a checkpoint after they’ve been to the salad bar “slows everything down.”

Also, the CDC was trying to determine how local health inspectors might pass judgment on salad bars scattered across the country and what federal health requirements they might apply.

In addition to Cooper, the White House initiative participants are said to be United Fresh Produce Association, the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, and Whole Foods. The recent Whole Foods campaigns raised enough money to pay for salad bars in 564 schools. Around 570 schools applied for salad bar grants. Until now, the produce industry has been backing its own campaign to donate salad bars to schools.

Michelle Obama has embraced more fruit and vegetable consumption as a major plank in her efforts to improve American diets and combat weight-related illnesses, especially among children. Kass, who directs the First Lady’s nutrition efforts, was seen as central to bringing the various salad-bar interests together and developing a unified effort under the White House banner.

A reporter for the Washington Post in a previous life, I now tend my “urban farm” about a mile from the White House in the District of Columbia and teach kids something I call “food appreciation.” I believe in self-reliance, growing food close to home and political freedom for the residents of the District of Columbia. I am currently working to introduce local produce into the D.C. school system. I write a daily food blog called The Slow Cook.

‎”Biggest Loser” star discusses his plant-based diet–and mentions Forks Over Knives as being influential. Thank you for the mention–and for the great work you do improving people’s lives!

Bob Harper talks to FITNESS about his vegan lifestyle, his healthy eating tips, and his crusade against factory farms.

Trainer Bob Harper’s Diet Plan
Bob Harper talks to FITNESS about his vegan lifestyle, his healthy eating tips, and his crusade against factory farms.
By Karla Walsh
More than three years ago, The Biggest Loser fan favorite and poster child for healthy living had a shock at his physical. “The doctor said I had high cholesterol — and it had to be genetic because I eat well and exercise,” Harper says. So he studied up on plant-based diets and tested out vegan living (no meat, eggs, or dairy) in an attempt to lower his cholesterol. To the shock of Harper and his doctors, his total cholesterol count dropped 100 points after making the switch. Since then, Harper has connected his diet with his love for animals. He’s now the spokesperson for the Walk for Animals, a fundraiser for Farm Sanctuary, which aims to end animal cruelty.
Harper took a break from filming The Biggest Loser to chat with FITNESS about his vegan lifestyle, his healthy eating tips, and his crusade against factory farms.

FITNESS: “You certainly noticed changes in your cholesterol after you stopped consuming animal products, but did you also see effects in your performance, energy levels, or other areas of your life too?”
Bob Harper: “My body went through a major transition, but I can say as a vegan and now 45 years old, I feel better, stronger, and cleaner. This diet is a great fit for me. I’m not condemning animal eaters, but just showing there’s another option that’s out there.”
“What are your favorite foods these days?”

BH: “Chef Tal Ronnen, The Conscious Cook, has a paella recipe that I absolutely love. Some of my favorite standbys include Ezekiel muffins, Quaker oatmeal, and a green drink, made of a mix of vegetables, hemp seed, and Maca Powder. And I tell people they can even have pizza! I make mine with a whole-grain crust, marinara sauce, and rice cheese.”
Get healthy recipes from Chef Tal Ronnen >>

“What is the biggest misconception about veganism, in your opinion?”

BH: “People always ask me how I get enough protein and other nutrients. I can get all that I need with the way that I eat — I just have to do a little recon. No matter what diet you follow, eating right isn’t easy and takes planning.”

“What are your go-to vegan meals?”

BH: “You have to have color on your plate. I keep kale salad in my fridge, because it’s so hearty and will last for days. It’s a mix of kale, walnuts, peppers, and currants. I also enjoy quinoa with black beans and salsa. Healthy eating can be easy if you plan ahead and have staples like these in your refrigerator.”
“Do you have any healthy eating tips for our readers who may or may not be interested in full-fledged veganism?”
BH: “Absolutely. Eat breakfast! I’ve been in the health business for more than 20 years, and I’ve seen how much it can slow your metabolism to skip it. You also need to have healthy snacks readily available. This takes planning, but if you have fresh fruits and vegetables, hummus, or Greek yogurt with berries on-hand, that will help keep you on track. And complex carbs are good, but stay away from them at night if you can.”
“How do you stay on track when travelling or have to grab something quick away from home?”
BH: “Finding good options with fast food is really, really hard. Salads can be good choices, but watch the dressing and skip anything fried on the salad. Seek out the lower-sugar options and bypass buns on sandwiches. If there’s a grocery store nearby, that’s a better choice than fast food. Grab dry roasted or raw nuts or fresh fruit to snack on to hold you over.”
“What are some of the influences that helped you decide to eat the way you do now, or continue on with this plan?”
BH: “The China Study, [which discusses the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer] really spoke to me and opened up my eyes. President Clinton actually just started a plant-based diet and talks about the book. It’s like a school book — thought-provoking and dense. And a documentary called Forks Over Knives was made recently and is so powerful. It’s like Food Inc., but a whole new level.”
Learn more about Forks Over Knives >>

“Why did you decide to work with Farm Sanctuary?”
BH: “I grew up on a farm where cows had pastures and a good life. Now factory farms are too painful. Animals have been turned into objects rather than living, breathing, and feeling beings. Farm Sanctuary is doing their part and I love being able to help out the organization.”
Learn more about Farm Sanctuary and Walk for Farm Animals fundraiser >>

“After filming more than 10 seasons, how would you explain the effect of The Biggest Loser on viewers?”
BH: “Biggest Loser gives inspiration. You can get back on track no matter how far you are off of it. I get e-mails and tweets every day from fit people who really get something out of the show. I think of it as informative reality TV.”
Originally published on FitnessMagazine.com, November 2010.

Family physician specializing in nutritional medicine and natural methods

Joel Fuhrman, M.D.Family physician specializing in nutritional medicine and natural methods
Posted: November 17, 2010 08:14 AM
Heart Health: How You Can Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

If you eat the standard western diet that most people eat in the modern world, it’s quite likely you will develop heart disease. But there are other options. When it comes to treating heart disease, most doctors promote drugs, expensive, invasive testing, high-tech medical procedures and heart surgery as the standard options. A significant number of research studies have documented that heart disease is easily and almost completely preventable through a diet rich in plant produce and lower in processed foods and animal products.

In a recent CNN interview, Bill Clinton reminded Americans of these other options. When asked about his recent weight loss, he explained that his heart disease had progressed after bypass surgery, requiring his recent additional surgery to place stents. This experience led him to learn about the successes of lifestyle changes at reversing heart disease. He is now following a plant-based diet, similar to those described by Dean Ornish, M.D. and Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D. — Clinton has cut out all meat (except for occasional fish) and dairy from his diet — he says that he lives on “beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit.” Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn then also appeared on CNN where they explained that removing the foods that cause blood vessel damage and providing the body with copious phytonutrients can facilitate the body’s natural healing processes to reverse existing heart disease and restore quality of life.

This was an excellent reminder to Americans that cholesterol-lowering drugs, stents and bypass surgery are not magic bullets to cure heart disease. Some studies suggest that cholesterol-lowering drugs carry serious side effects, and there is no evidence that statin use reduces risk of death in individuals with elevated cholesterol when used as primary prevention. (1-3) Most patients who undergo stent and bypass procedures have not removed the cause of their disease, and so they continue to experience progressive disability and most often die a premature death as a result of their heart disease. (4) Nevertheless, drugs and surgical procedures are still the standard care for treatment of elevated cholesterol and coronary artery disease.

Some studies show that atherosclerotic plaque can be reversed, and cholesterol lowered without drugs or surgery. Making significant dietary and lifestyle changes allow many people who suffer with coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, obesity and/or high blood pressure to reduce or even eliminate their dependence on medications and avoid invasive surgical procedures.

But what is the optimal diet for heart disease prevention and reversal?
Certainly not the small dietary changes recommended by government agencies and other organizations — these are only modest changes to the average American’s diet, and the average American starts developing heart disease during childhood. (5) Unfortunately, these widely voiced recommendations have made many people think by eating reduced-fat, processed foods and replacing red meat with egg whites, fish and chicken, they will be protected. They will not. These changes are simply not rigorous enough to assure predictable reversal.

Low-fat vegetarian diets are a vast improvement. The low-fat, vegetarian diet devised by Dean Ornish, M.D. provided the first hard evidence that heart disease could be reversed — that atherosclerotic plaques could regress — with diet and lifestyle changes alone. (6) Similar results were found by Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D. (7)

I propose that a high-nutrient, vegetable-based diet can be even more effective. According to a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, comparing the effects of dietary interventions on LDL cholesterol levels, a low-fat vegetarian diet reduces LDL by 16 percent, but a high-nutrient, vegetable-based diet including daily nuts and seeds reduces LDL cholesterol by 33 percent. (8, 9) This result suggests that if we improve the low-fat, vegetarian diet by making it more nutrient-dense, and include more greens, beans, seeds and nuts we may reverse heart disease even faster, and reduce heart disease risk even more.

What is a high-nutrient, vegetable-based diet? I call this a nutritarian diet, because it is guided by the ratio of micronutrients to calories in foods. 90 percent of calories come from nutrient-rich plant foods: vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Not just vegetarian, nutritarian: vegetable-based and nutrient-dense. We need to take vegetables out of the role of side dish, even in low-fat, vegetarian diets, whose calories are generally derived mainly from grains and other starches. To provide optimal levels of protective micronutrients, a diet must be vegetable-based, not grain-based. Vegetables and beans are far superior to grains and white potato when it comes to nutrient density. Furthermore, low-fat, high carbohydrate diets tend to increase triglyceride levels, a risk factor for heart disease. In contrast, a high-nutrient, vegetable-based diet with beans as the preferred carbohydrate source decreased triglycerides, lower blood glucose and accelerate fat loss. (8, 10)

Not low-fat: include healthy fats from nuts and seeds. Seeds and nuts are indispensable for cardiovascular health. The protective properties of nuts against coronary heart disease were first recognized in the early 1990s, and a strong body of literature has followed, confirming these original findings. (11) In spite of this wealth of data and all of the press on healthy fats, a “low-fat” diet is still viewed in a positive light. Certainly adding fats in the form of oils is fattening and unhealthy, but naturally fat-rich foods like nuts and seeds have profound cardiovascular benefits. Moderate use of nuts also encourages weight loss, not weight gain. (12) By avoiding nuts and seeds you may be missing out on these benefits. A recent meta-analysis of 25 clinical studies that compared a nut-eating group to a control group solidified the LDL-lowering effects of nuts. (13) According to a study published in The Journal of Nutrition, nut consumption reduces coronary heart disease risk far more than can be explained by cholesterol lowering alone — 35 percent reduction in risk for five or more servings of nuts per week. (14)

These additional effects are only beginning to be discovered — recent data has shed light on the protective properties of almonds and walnuts on vascular health. (15, 16) The Physicians Health Study demonstrated that eating nuts and seeds regularly protects against sudden cardiac death caused by arrhythmia. The data suggests that following a low-fat diet for a long period of time, though effective at reducing atherosclerotic plaque, could actually increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. (17)

I have seen a nutritarian diet produce astounding results in my practice. Hundreds of my patients, readers of my books and members of my website have dropped their cholesterol levels into the favorable range and reversed their existing heart disease — without drugs — using high nutrient eating, which places vegetables — not meat, and not grains — at the base of our food pyramid.

In this video, Ronnie Valentine tells his remarkable story of using a high-nutrient diet to reverse his heart disease and restore his health. After having quadruple bypass surgery, and then three stents and an angioplasty, he went to the internet for answers and decided to try a nutritarian diet. Ronnie has undergone a remarkable transformation.

The main point is not just the wonderful numbers he earned; it is that even after an angioplasty and with a medicine cabinet full of pills, he could not walk one block because of severe chest pain due to significant atherosclerosis and restenosis. Yet, in less than a year he became free of heart disease; he now runs, plays sports, and has a full, healthy, active life and needs no medications.

With the help of the Nutritional Research Project, I am in the planning stages of a scientific study that will document the extent of atherosclerotic plaque regression on the nutritarain diet.

References:
1. Ray, K.K., et al., Statins and all-cause mortality in high-risk primary prevention: a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 65,229 participants. Arch Intern Med, 2010. 170(12): p. 1024-31.
2. Hippisley-Cox, J. and C. Coupland, Unintended effects of statins in men and women in England and Wales: population based cohort study using the QResearch database. Bmj, 2010. 340: p. c2197.
3. Sattar, N., et al., Statins and risk of incident diabetes: a collaborative meta-analysis of randomised statin trials. Lancet, 2010. 375(9716): p. 735-42.
4. Esselstyn, C.B., Jr., Resolving the Coronary Artery Disease Epidemic Through Plant-Based Nutrition. Prev Cardiol, 2001. 4(4): p. 171-177.
5. Berenson, G.S., et al., Atherosclerosis of the aorta and coronary arteries and cardiovascular risk factors in persons aged 6 to 30 years and studied at necropsy (The Bogalusa Heart Study). Am J Cardiol, 1992. 70(9): p. 851-8.
6. Ornish, D., et al., Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary heart disease? The Lifestyle Heart Trial. Lancet, 1990. 336(8708): p. 129-33.
7. Esselstyn, C.B., Jr., et al., A strategy to arrest and reverse coronary artery disease: a 5-year longitudinal study of a single physician’s practice. J Fam Pract, 1995. 41(6): p. 560-8.
8. Barnard, N.D., et al., Effectiveness of a low-fat vegetarian diet in altering serum lipids in healthy premenopausal women. Am J Cardiol, 2000. 85(8): p. 969-72.
9. Jenkins, D.J., et al., Effect of a very-high-fiber vegetable, fruit, and nut diet on serum lipids and colonic function. Metabolism, 2001. 50(4): p. 494-503.
10. Sarter, B., T.C. Campbell, and J. Fuhrman, Effect of a high nutrient density diet on long-term weight loss: a retrospective chart review. Altern Ther Health Med, 2008. 14(3): p. 48-53.
11. Fraser, G.E., et al., A possible protective effect of nut consumption on risk of coronary heart disease. The Adventist Health Study. Arch Intern Med, 1992. 152(7): p. 1416-24.
12. Mattes, R.D., P.M. Kris-Etherton, and G.D. Foster, Impact of peanuts and tree nuts on body weight and healthy weight loss in adults. J Nutr, 2008. 138(9): p. 1741S-1745S.
13. Sabate, J., K. Oda, and E. Ros, Nut consumption and blood lipid levels: a pooled analysis of 25 intervention trials. Arch Intern Med, 2010. 170(9): p. 821-7.
14. Kris-Etherton, P.M., et al., The role of tree nuts and peanuts in the prevention of coronary heart disease: multiple potential mechanisms. J Nutr, 2008. 138(9): p. 1746S-1751S.
15. Jenkins, D.J., et al., Dose response of almonds on coronary heart disease risk factors: blood lipids, oxidized low-density lipoproteins, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, and pulmonary nitric oxide: a randomized, controlled, crossover trial. Circulation, 2002. 106(11): p. 1327-32.
16. Ma, Y., et al., Effects of walnut consumption on endothelial function in type 2 diabetic subjects: a randomized controlled crossover trial. Diabetes Care, 2010. 33(2): p. 227-32.
17. Albert, C.M., et al., Nut consumption and decreased risk of sudden cardiac death in the Physicians’ Health Study. Arch Intern Med, 2002. 162(12): p. 1382-7.

Follow Joel Fuhrman, M.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drfuhrman

Green Smoothie today made with Fresh Spinach looks really green unlike the lettuce smoothie that is more Strawberry looking

ok here is how i made it and it really did taste great. serving size is 64 ozs enough for 2 people or you can store it for a few hours in the fridge

1/2 pound of fresh Spinach rinsed from Costco ( they were on the smaller size for romaine)
1 oz Bob’s Red Mill Organic Raw Whole Flaxseed Brown from Amazon.com here is the link
10 whole Almonds I get at costco
1 Large Apple
1 whole Pear
2 med size Bananas
1 – 11/2 cups of Frozen Strawberries from Costco
2 cups of water
I blend it all in a Vitamix Hi speed blender link to Amazon here

I start it always the same way first add the water, the flax,almonds, blend first on low then bring up the speed to make sure you really crush the flaxseed to release the oils instead of them, then i add the Spinach, then the whole fruit and lastly the frozen fruits blend just long enough that it all mixes and serve..no ice need when you use the frozen fruit! and i think it taste much better without bit of ice in very mouthful! …any questions just post them