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

I've been reading tons of health books lately and researching plant-based diets via the web. "Eat to Live" is by far the best book on nutrition I've found. It is so worthwhile, I'm even willing to write a review! If you're even remotely interested in maintaining your health for a vibrant lifestyle, this book is a must-read. If you've failed on every other diet for weight loss, this book offers the most hope and healthiest approach yet! If you're struggling with climbing cholesterol and blood pressure, implementing the ideas in this book can reduce them. Although I highly recommend reading (1) "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell to understand the science-supported perils of meat and dairy and (2) "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Caldwell B. Esselstyn to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, "Eat to Live" brings it all together. This book brings the concept of nutrient density into the picture for achieving optimum health. Without focusing on counting calories or eliminating food groups, you learn how to reach your optimum health and weight without feeling hungry or deprived. For the first time since menopause hit (I'm 54 years old), I've been able to shed those hard to lose pounds, the ones that crept up after 45, the stubborn pounds that stayed put no matter what I tried. Using this book's advice, I gradually added more and more nutrient-dense food and eliminated nutrient-poor choices. The better I became at this, the more weight just fell off and the more vibrant I felt. Now I focus on keeping a high-raw diet (50-60% raw??) which allows me to eat as much as I want all day while maintaining my optimum weight. My cholesterol, which used to be very low and climbed to 202 during the last decade, has fallen back down to 145! In just 5 months of using this book's principles, my husband also lost 10 lbs. and has reached his ideal weight - without even trying to lose. We were simply seeking to improve our nutrition enough to reduce his cholesterol and blood pressure, so the weight loss was a very nice bonus. His blood pressure is down to a very healthy level and the cholesterol is slowly falling (very high cholesterol runs in his family). How do we do it? Using some of the book's suggestions, we typically start with a huge veggie/fruit smoothie plus a bowl of hot grain cereal (oat & buckwheat groats) breakfast, homemade black bean dip with fresh veggies on a sandwich plus fruit for lunch, and a hot veggie-loaded soup or savory beans over rice with salad for dinner. Snacks include carrot sticks and cinnamon apple slices. Fresh veggies and fruit are ALWAYS brought along when we travel. We eat no meat or dairy at home, but don't fret about eating some as guests in other homes and at vegetable-challenged restaurants. I wish we had known the information in this book decades ago. I honestly wish this book was required reading in our schools so people at least have the knowledge to eat healthily if they choose to do so. I wish you all the best with YOUR health journey!

My original review was scattershot, though I've placed it in the comments section because I believe it makes several points in defense of Atkins. Let me first say that I absolutely love the diet in this book. I have had my sister put my niece on this diet, and she has already lost 15 pounds, and her blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol are already becoming normal and it's been only 3 weeks. What I don't like about this book is the rabid attack on meat, fish, saturated fats, and the poor science he uses to back it up. I've decided to go through each of the researches that he put in his notes--incredibly difficult to track down mind you, because his notes weren't the best. My friend read the original review, and suggested I go back and reread the book, so I could see some of the major contradictions on meat. The thing is that for the most part, I am a vegetarian. My reason for defending meat is simply a distaste for bias science. I am not a fan of a person who says in Chapter 4: The science is as conclusive between meat and cancer as cigarettes and cancer. And then on Chapter 6 pg. 161 bottom paragraph, says, "Although it would be wrong to say that animal foods are the sole cause of cancer, it is now clear the increased consumption of animal products COMBINED with decreased consumption of fresh products has the most powerful effect of INCREASING one's risk for various kinds of cancer." The science on smoking causing cancer is not correlative it is causal, which is to say, if you smoke your chance of cancer increases exponentially, whether or not you exercise, eat vegetables, or take vitamin supplements--smoking has carcinogenic qualities that will effect your health. The science on high protein diets that have found causal cancer links--the studies he himself quotes--have always been in the absence of other nutrient based foods, which makes the studies correlative, which is to say, a person must increase animal protein, while decreasing nutrients. Now, you might be saying, well they're of course going to decrease nutrients because, if they were eating 1500 calories of vegetables, and their adding meat but keeping 1500 calories, they would have to cut vegetables. But this is not what the studies did. The studies that he quotes that studies cultures were between cultures who ate a majority of vegetables, and societies who ate high starch foods and meats--in each case, the meat group ate more carbohydrates than the vegetable group. Such as note 41 in chapter 4, page 334, the study of china women and breast cancer. The breast cancer in women came, yes, at a decrease of vegetables, increase of meat, but, also, an increase of rice, and other starches. He also tries to link meat consumption with early puberty for females. This is untrue, as any biologist and physiologist will tell you--the original scare of hormones in meat causing early puberty, was just that, a scare. It is weight that determines a girls entrance into puberty--specifically weight distribution, it's why anorexic's stop having periods, why gymnast never start until they stop training--and why again the enemy is processed carbohydrates which show constantly to be the cause of weight gain. He also says that the average age of puberty was once 17. Given that the average age of individuals until the mid 1800's was 30, and most young women were married off by 14 and having children, the science and history shows 13 to 14 were the average age. He makes statements that have now been disproven by the sheer number of people who have succeeded at weight loss on Atkins, South Beach, and the Core Diet. Fat--especially saturated fat--does not make you fat, and, at least in the first year (almost universally agreed and seen by doctors), they lower cholesterol, increase HDL, increase good LDL, and lower bad LDL, also, it lowers blood sugar, and high blood pressure. His constant repetition of the Lipid Hypothesis--a study that has remained a hypothesis for fifty years--is sad for a man who truly does seem to want to help people. I believe Dr. Fuhrman is a militant vegan, who also wants to help his patients, so, he tries to scare people away from eating meat, because he doesn't believe people should eat meat, not because the science is conclusive on meats causing problems--conclusive enough for him, as long as he ignores the other science out there. Dr. Oz wrote the forward and Dr. Oz raves about the health benefits of salmon on his show every week, so they're at a disagreement. The fact is that birth defects through fish consumption has been seen only through heavy eating of heavy metal fish, and the link is scarce at best--since these birth defects could've existed without the food, and often do. The greatest travesty in this book, in my opinion, is that he holds that weight gain comes from overeating. I was a vegetarian, eating whole wheat bread, pasta, vegetables, and fruit, exercising two miles a day, and consuming no more than 2500 calories a day (I was doing weight watchers at the time) weighing 280 pounds, eating only when I was hungry, which meant, some days, I'd have 600 calories, somedays I'd have 2500 calories. I gained weight weekly. Did I mention I was drinking only water? When I cut down all refined carbohydrates, limited my fruit intake to no more than 2 servings a day (snacks), and ate vegetables four times a day, whether or not I was hungry, I lost 80 pounds--of course, without proper plant or animal fat and protein, a lot of that weight loss was in my muscles. I've read over a 1,000 documents (over a hundred of those documents being books) on health, nutrition, diets, physiology, and psychology. I've looked at my own body. I've looked at family. My cousin's children, both fed the same diet, both eat roughly the same amount of food, one is morbidly obese, the other is skinny as a rail. It's why portion control and low fat diets don't work. Though he believes it's toxicity of the food, it's because the food triggers insulin. Insulin Sensitivity is the cause of weight gain, people with high insulin sensitivity cannot gain weight even when they try--which doesn't mean they can't be unhealthy--while people with low insulin sensitivity gain weight even while their making a conscious effor to lose it. Fat people do not become fat because they overeat, they overeat because their fat, which is to say, their fat cells refuse to feed the body, so they're hungry, and need to eat more. The number 1 driver of insulin is carbohydrates and sugar. However, and his the kicker, though eating vast amounts of plant vegetables will keep you from going into ketosis, complex carbohydrates will not and do not have the same effect on the body as pasta. Fruits and vegetables are the best sort of carbs to eat for an insulin sensitive body, and the necessary carbs to eat because they can balance the insulin sensitivity. Of course, one should keep fruit down to a minimum, two to five servings in my opinion, while vegetables should be 10 to 15 servings. None of what I wrote above disproves his diet, in fact, everything I wrote about insulin holds his diet high. That's what makes Dr. Joel Fuhrman's arguments and poor science saddening. His diet is one of the best diets a person can go on, you'll feel wonderful, energized, the weight comes off so easily, you feel full all the time, and you never worry about counting calories, or measuring food, or any of that stuff. Dr. Fuhrman created one of the best diets I've seen and that I've tried out, he balances ones need for protein with hefty amounts of plant protein, ones need for fat, with natural plant fats from seeds and nuts. He hates meat, and that's fine. He quotes actual science that shows the correlative link to meat consumption and cancer. But, he also says in Chapter 8 that food should be your medicine. If we were to agree that meat causes cancer as a scientific fact, is there something that would be done that would allow you to eat meat and not have any negative effects... yes. Eating lots of fresh food the majority of the time counteracts any and all negative effects of meat. Meat is not like smoking, if you smoke, you do damage to your body each and every time, there is nothing that can counteract the damage of smoking except the cessation of it. WHen you eat meat, there are nutrients and vitamins that can't be found in anything else, and any and all damage that meat can cause is cessated by eating more greens as well. So instead of meat and potatoes, eat meat and broccoli with a side salad. Buy this book, whether or not he uses bias science to disparage something he doesn't like, Dr. Fuhrman has created a diet that will not only promote your good health, but could and should save your life. I am impressed with this book, I read it in one day each time that I read it. It is absolutely brilliant. You'll feel wonderful, you'll glow, and in weeks friends will notice the difference... and the opposite sex--or same sex if that's how you play it--will notice as well because your skin will get healthier, your body will get healthier, and you'll feel and exude health.

I did this diet years ago and lost 30 pounds...and I am doing it again now and so far so good. However, this time I'm doing it as a fast for 6 weeks, and once the fast is over I'm going to use a great deal of the information in my daily life. I plan to do this every year. I personally think EVERYONE should read this book. That being said... there are some cons to this diet. Here's a pros and cons list: Pro: 1) This book is extremely well-researched and has great information. Over the years I've used it as more than just a "diet" book but also as a reference book on overall health 2) The diet works. If you follow Dr. Fuhrman's rules, you will lose weight, and you will lose it fast. There's nothing as motivating as seeing weight fall off right from the start and you don't even need to exercise... although it is highly recommended since exercise is good for your health and will help the weight come off even faster. However, this is not the kind of diet that requires you to be in the gym day in and day out in order for you to start seeing results 3) If you follow Dr. Fuhrman's daily intake recommendations, you will not go hungry. In fact, when you first start you'll feel guilty about eating the amount of food he requires. You'll wonder if you'll really lose weight, and when you do you'll be at awe that weight loss doesn't need to include starvation. 4)The tips and advice you learn from Dr. Fuhrman are priceless and they are things you can continue to do even if you decide to do your own thing. For example, you learn to rethink the dinner plate so that your vegetables and salad is the main dish and everything else is more like sides and condiments. Starting every meal with a gigantic salad is a good way to not overeat on other things. 5)This diet will help you build a salt and sugar sensitivity...even if you start eating those things again, it won't be the same 6) Even though Dr. Fuhrman might not like people deviating from his plan... his tips and advice educates you well enough so that you can incorporate the information in something a little different... something for example, that might fit your needs better 7) Dr. Furhman offers 3 lifestyles: vegan, vegetarian and near vegetarian which allows people to pick what best suits them 8) Eat to live opens the door to so many produce options that most don't ever think of Cons 1) For someone like Dr. Furhrman "to live" is to live long without pain and medication, and that's great. Again, that's great. He also wants you to achieve superior health which also means being the skinniest you possible. Personally, I want to lose weight and I want to be healthy but I'm also not trying to compete for the healthiest person in the world medal. Physical health is important, but there's also your mental and spiritual health and all three work together to create balance, true... but the ability to enjoy moments like getting together with friends and enjoying a good meal, or traveling and being able to try local cuisine and so on, are things that are important to me as a person. And while I want to be a healthy size, I also don't need to be the skinniest possible. If your definition of living also includes being able to try things and relax without fussing all the time because you have 100 diet rules, then this diet, fully as it is, will not be a practical life-long plan. Again... I think a lot of the advice is great and can be used forever, such as increasing the amount of vegetables you eat and making that the main dish, starting every meal with a salad, eating less salt, sugar, and minimizing the amount of meat you eat are all great things that you can do forever. However, as a whole, this diet is too restrictive. 2) While I find Dr. Furhrman informative and this book pretty accurate, I don't agree with all of his assessments and conclusions. 3) Along with the restrictive idea... the cooked foods are bland and it takes a while to learn tips and tricks to make your dishes decent. The salads can be tasty, and you'll learn to have a new appreciation for fruit because you're not eating all that refined sugar, also--if you're getting fresh vegetables... raw veggies will also become your good friend...but other than that, a lot of the "joy" of eating is removed... which is both good and bad. It's good because you don't spend the whole day anticipating lunch and dinner. It's bad because as a lifelong plan that's just sad if you can't enjoy the potentials of the culinary arts. Life is a balance...and this might be too extreme on one end. 4)To make meals more interesting and even exciting... Dr. Furhman encourages variety--- which is good. I even had that as one of the pros. However, this can get really expensive. Due to the amount of produce he wants you to eat and the variety he recommends , this is not a cheap diet. If you live in a food dessert... as I do... variety can also be hard to obtain. The first time I did the diet, I lived in Chicago and it was pretty easy to get my hands on all sorts of produce, but it's definately a greater challenge now. All in all, you really should just read the book and try it for yourself. It's definately worth a try. In the beginning, I also recommend following his diet as closely as possibly for as long as possible if you're trying to lose a lot of weight. Whatever you decide, I guarantee you'll get something of value from the book. I will continue to incorporate his most important points to my daily life long after the 6 weeks, and every year I will do his 6-week plan as a fast. However, a long term plan for me will also include flavor, some salt (not too much), whole fats (I'm a believer that full fats are better for you than fat-free and low-fat products), fish, some meat, wine, spirits, and the occasional chocolate. Michael Pollan actually says it best when he says: "Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

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.

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).

Everybody knows you should eat more fruits & vegetables. But this book covers so much information as to WHY, it is extremely convincing and I started changing my eating habits immediately. I am in my early 30's and a normal weight but I felt physically awful all the time. I was convinced I had chronic fatigue syndrome. Sleep did not refresh me, even though I could easily sleep 10, 12 or more hours. I had heart palpitations and my resting heart rate was 100, and it always felt as though it was racing/pounding. I was always depressed or anxious. After reading this book I realized that I was not providing my body with nutrients. I hardly ever ate fruits or vegetables. Even though I have not followed the diet strictly (still having cream & sugar in coffee, some bread or pasta, etc) I did start eating more veggies, fruits (green smoothies), beans and nuts. I started feeling better IMMEDIATELY. Within a week, my resting heart rate dropped to 80 and I didn't feel it pounding anymore. This past week, I was doing well on only 6 hours of sleep per night and had lots of energy for life & exercise. I've been able to start jogging again. I've never felt happier in my life - I don't feel depressed or anxious at all. It's a revolutionary idea that you don't have to endure heart disease & cancer as you get older. If the pharmaceutical companies came up with a preventative that could prevent cancer AND heart disease AND type2 diabetes with 90% efficacy, wouldn't that be the the biggest-selling medicine ever? Well, it already exists... it's FOOD! I am looking forward to a lifetime of excellent health! Everything in this book just makes so much sense. I've started buying copies for friends and family because I want everyone to know about this. It's not complicated, it's a very simple way of eating; I'm not a super cook and I am finding it quite easy. It's true what Dr. Furhman says that your tastes will actually change and you will enjoy eating nutritious food. I used to dread having a salad for lunch (boring!) but now I look forward to it... my mouth starts watering at the thought of eating a fruit... your tastes WILL change, if you give it a chance. It feels great. I highly, highly recommend this book. EDITED TO ADD 8/4/13: More proof that it works: in January my fiance finally went to the doctor for his first check-up in 15 years. He has already been vegetarian for 20+ years, so he was surprise to find that he had really high cholesterol. The doctor wanted to put him on medication. Instead, he agreed to try Eating To Live. I theorized that it was the eggs and cheese he ate, plus processed vegetarian foods (like fake bacon, fake hot dogs, etc.) He cut out the dairy and we followed the guidelines as best we could... except, we still had cheat meals on the weekend, and we eat store-bought hummus which has oil in it. Even still, three months later he got blood drawn again, and his cholesterol had dropped nearly a HUNDRED points! He fixed this issue in just three months with food, no medication. When our families heard this, they suddenly became more interested in reading Eat To Live. Read it! Get it through your library system if you can't afford to buy it new!

I have to admit having done VERY well on what I called "modified Atkins" (I would eat fish and chicken, I am not a big beef/bacon, etc. eater) and having it work wonders I was hesitant with Eat To Live because it was telling me to ignore many of the tactics that had WORKED so wonderfully for me before. However, over the last year I had put on 10+ pounds and it seemed no matter what I did the weight would not drop and I was always hungry. This on low fat whatever. I was not really watching carbs anymore and it caught up to me. I believe 70% of Eat To Live is very helpful. You simply ignore the preachy stuff. I don't like to cook so it has to be easy. I am on week #3 of this. I didn't jump right to his recommended 6 week "vegetable fest" and did include some nuts, alcohol, etc. so my weight has not moved downward as quickly as I hoped. However, I am eating very little if any "white flour" products or sugar and find my energy levels are much higher even if my weight isn't moving as I would suspect eating so many fruits and vegetables and little else. I also would recommend you avoid his web site. It is there to sell you his food products and more stuff you don't need. You just need this book. I changed my breakfast from egg whites to oatmeal with blueberries added in as suggested. My lunch is a pound of cooked vegetables or a very large salad. My dinner is kinda a mess because I was never a big dinner eater. I end up with a low carb protein shake (a throwback I've used for years) or some fruit which could be one of my issues. (I truly am scratching my head at this point as to how I can be eating 75% the way he wants and not really loosing weight.. I have not cheated other than some nuts and a drink or two on occasions. I'd expect better results) As I not considered heavy, just determined to drop the weight I added and feel better. I already feel much better and am eating more fresh fruit and fresh and cooked vegetables than I have ever eaten in my life. I plan to continue on this and see where it goes. I am always full and not snacking at all. I have a habit of tinkering with all diets. It worked when I did it with Adkins, not so well with this. I may need to regroup, but since I have barely wandered from his strict 6 week plan I fail to understand how clamping down on those little variations will make the difference he claims. We all know our bodies.) So, as I ramble, I recommend the book. I am eating much healthier and feeling much more alert. I'll be less annoyed when I see my weight start to do what was promised in the book. Stand by.

I thought I ate right & that any problems I was having were due to aging, but after reading this book, I am able to take true control over my body! Been a vegetarian for many years but over the past year fell off track & started eating some fish. I also ate yogurt daily & drank chocolate milk. Not to mention the tons of processed foods I ate. Hardly anything was as nature intended it to be. I never had a weight problem but started gaining pound after pound after turning 40. Then I got shingles! It was awful. The medications prescribed either didn't touch the pain or made me feel out of it. I thought I would just have to live with a life of pain. Then I saw the movie "Forks over Knives" and I decided to go totally whole foods vegan. The pain was gone in 2 days! I continued to eat this way & felt really good. Then I came across Dr. Fuhrman's book & learned how to eat for maximum health. It was like eating vegan on steroids! Well, if I thought I felt good before, I now feel a thousand times better after just 1 week of eating the most nutritious foods & eating like a total pig. My clothes are looser (I don't own a scale, but people at work keep coming up to me & telling me I look like I lost a noticeable amount of weight) and I am now consciously aware of all the nutrition that goes into my body. He is not the best writer in the fact that some of it is quite repetitive, but he's a doctor & the flow of writing is not the true priority. It is to pound it through our thick skulls that Americans need to stop eating such a toxic diet if they want to improve the quality & quantity of their lives! I didn't think he could create an entire health plan in one book but he does manage to cover such an enormous range of topics & answers so many important questions. I am a registered nurse & I thought I understood basic nutrition but I was truly wrong. The science data in this book totally made sense to me! Before reading this book, I noticed toxic hunger on my own after eating carbs & understood the cravings & how painful they are. To see it in actual writing & read about the details to the reasons why just proved to me that this was the way I needed to eat. Another book I'd recommend which can be arduous to read at times but truly an eye opener is "The China Study." It is loaded with jaw dropping facts about the Western diet compared to other societies. Not a fun book but fascinating. So if you want to know what is wrong with what you eat, watch "Forks over Knives" and/or read "The China Study." And after you are disgusted, read "Eat to Live" and it will steer you in the right direction & show you HOW to eat. I bought 3 more of Dr. Thurman's books & am excited to read them too! I love eating this way. If I ever eat something processed, I know it right away - instant headache, hacking cough, runny nose, tingling & itching where my shingles were, & any mosquito bites I get begin to flare up like they did before I started eating this way. Something happens to me EVERY SINGLE TIME. I'm basically allergic to processed foods. The few minutes of tasting good is not worth it. And now things aren't tasting that good. They taste like chemicals now. Me, a chocoholic who could inhale 3 chocolate bars in no time, would now rather eat fruit than a candy bar! One last thing, my PMS symptoms have disappeared (and I was mean & bloated) & my cycle is regulated. I am truly amazed. I recommend this book to my patients all the time.

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.

What led me to buy this book is because it is recommended by Dr. Oz. Dr. Fuhrman's guidelines are not only to lose weight but to keep in excellent health. It works for me!

Había buscado este libro por mucho tiempo, era más de lo que esperaba, lleno de información necesaria para transicionar a un estilo de vida más saludable.