Well, I’ve almost finished 1 month on this nutritarian diet! Surprisingly, I’m still not having any major cravings on Dr. Fuhrman’s diet plan. I tried some new recipes this week with Tofu – Tofu Chili & Tofu Tacos! Turned out really good! I did a little better this week about limiting carbs & eating salad most days for lunch. I kept the whole grain servings to mostly 1 per day.

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Also, I started reading a new book that I highly recommend! The Ornish diet is similar to Dr. Fuhrman’s Nutritarian diet and he was a lot of great research to back up plant-based diets in his new book “Undo it!” The numbers on AGEs comparing plant-based foods to animal proteins will blow your mind. It really makes me not want to risk going over 10% of calories EVER in animal meat. It shows how even ground turkey & chicken are just as bad at increasing inflammation as bacon.

“When diet is wrong, medicine of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” – Ayurvedic proverb

I have long felt that our diet was the root cause of all the illnesses that we see today – diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, even cancer & Alzheimer’s – but now the research is finally catching up to prove it. My hope is that this information and research becomes mainstream and common knowledge so more people don’t have to suffer.

I’ve had friends & family members dying more and more and it drives me crazy because the cure IS there, but doctors aren’t trained in nutrition to tell their patients. They just give them drugs that make them feel worse, don’t fix the underlying problem, and don’t prolong life. What’s the point then? It’s slowly changing, but the drug companies still have a big control over how medicine is practiced in our country. Dr. Fuhrman, Dr. Ornish, and others are trying to change that and I hope I can only help spread their message as well.

You may not want to hear that animal & dairy products are bad for you, but that doesn’t make it less true

Lifestyle medicine is the answer we have all been looking for. We may not want to hear the truth that eating lots of meat & dairy is harming our health, but the research is indisputable. Those who eat primarily a plant-based diet live longer and don’t have these chronic diseases. Those who eat more than 10% calories of animal products and processed foods, DO have a greater risk of dying younger and suffering from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and dementia.

And it is dose-dependent. Meaning the more meat you eat, the more risk you have. This includes chicken, turkey, and fish. Red meat may be the worst offender, but the other meats are just as bad at increasing inflammation. You are not safe by eating grilled chicken & low-fat fish. It isn’t just about the saturated fats as we have been told decades ago. It’s the animal PROTEIN.

Animal protein raises IGF-1 and IGF-1 is linked to cancer

The animal protein, regardless if it’s low or high fat, raises IGF-1 levels and causes chronic inflammation. Plant proteins do NOT raise IGF-1 levels and are actually anti-inflammatory. So not only do plant proteins not hurt you, they also protect you. Raised IGF-1 levels are linked to cancer. They have known this since the 90’s and even have chemotherapy drugs targeting IGF-1.

Wouldn’t it be better just to not have cancer in the first place? Plant-based diets protect you from cancer. Animal, dairy, & processed food diets (SAD) promote cancer. I wonder how many people on these Keto diets are going to end up with cancer? Mom? Are you listening??? Ideal protein is NOT ideal.

Did everyone forget that Dr. Adkins died of heart disease? ALL Keto diets are the same as Adkins diets. Eat lots of animal protein. There needs to be a disclaimer – eat meat, lose weight, die young.

No hunger, no cravings, and I feel GREAT on the Nutritarian Diet Plan!

Interestingly, I have some friends and family who are on different diets (Weight watchers, Keto, Ideal Protein, low fat, etc) and I’ve lost the same or more than most of them. Their biggest complaint? They are super hungry and have cravings and don’t feel great. Me? Nope and nope and nope. I eat really large meals and don’t get hungry. I feel AWESOME! And I lose just as much weight or more. And I DO enjoy what I’m eating. I don’t feel like I’m missing out and I’m learning how to make some of my favorite “junk foods” nutritarian. Bean burgers are great and I make homemade chips & sweet potato fries. We even have pita pizzas! I love the desserts and that alone keeps me feeling like I can “have my cake and eat it too!”

For those who think being mostly vegan is too drastic….I think taking toxic drugs and cancer and surgery and dying young and being in pain is drastic.

In the beginning, it may seem difficult learning new ways of cooking and eating, but once you start to feel good and realize how much food you can eat, you don’t miss it. Plus, you can still eat some meat if you need to get your “fix” once a week. But trust me, you won’t want to the more you learn and enjoy eating this way.

All Plants have Protein. You get plenty of protein on a Nutritarian diet.

Lastly, the biggest thing that I get asked is this: how do you get enough protein?

First of all, you don’t need as much as you have been told. You only need about 25-30 grams a day minimum. Most Americans get 100-120 each day.

Secondly, ALL PLANTS HAVE PROTEIN. And a lot of it. 100 calories of broccoli has more protein than 100 calories of steak. Surprised? Beans & Tofu & green vegetables & peas are HIGH in protein. Whole grains & Quinoa have protein. Nuts & seeds have protein. Again, ALL PLANTS HAVE PROTEIN. Most people on a plant-based diet get about 50-60 grams of protein a day very easily. Double the minimum, but without dangerous side effects.

Finally, you also don’t have to do any crazy food combining at each meal. All plants have varying levels of all the essential amino acids, so you just need to eat a variety of plant foods each day. Your body recycles and stores amino acids so just eating a variety of foods, including legumes (beans, lentils, peas), you’ll have enough protein. The only way you would be protein deficient is if you starve yourself like anorexics. Not what this diet is all about – this diet is all about eating a LOT!

Want to learn about a Nutritarian diet? Check out these 2 posts: Top 6 Reasons you should become a Nutritarian and Nutritarian Quick Start Guide: Eat More, Lose Weight, & Prevent Disease

All right. Off my soapbox and on to what I ate this week….

Nutritarian Diet Food Journal Week 4

Day 22: 153.4 pounds to start

• Breakfast – Fruit & Greens Smoothie (Frozen Strawberries, blueberries, tropical mix, banana, Kale, OJ, & ground flax seed)
• Lunch – Salad – Spring mix, farro, grape tomatoes, chickpea burger patty (leftover), sweet peppers, onions, sliced almonds, Fat free balsamic vinaigrette
• Dinner – Tofu Marinara, baked sweet potato fries, roasted zucchini & squash

Day 23:

• Breakfast – Fruit bowl with ground flax seed (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cantaloupe, pomegranate arils, banana, kiwi); coffee w/unsweetened almond milk
• Lunch – Salad – Spring mix, bell peppers, tri-color peppers, onions, peas, walnuts, black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, tofu ranch
• Pita Pizza – whole grain pita bread with organic pizza sauce, onion, black olives, mushrooms, bell peppers, red/orange peppers, spinach, Italian seasoning & a little mozzarella cheese

Day 24:

• Breakfast – whole grain blueberry pancakes; coffee with unsweetened almond milk
• Lunch – Tofu Chili (recipe coming soon!), homemade tortilla chips, guacamole; 2 peanut butter cookies
• Dinner – Panera Bread – Modern Green Salad (no feta), reduced fat Balsamic Dressing, Tomato Basil Soup (I couldn’t resist, yet it didn’t taste as good as I had remembered….soup tasted burnt….); Fruit cup

Day 25:

• Breakfast – Fruit & Greens Smoothie & coffee w/unsweetened almond milk
• Lunch – Tofu Chili, roasted veggies (sweet potato, zucchini, squash), few homemade tortilla chips, guacamole, cantaloupe
• Dinner – We went to see Amaluna, the new Cirque du Soleil show in Dallas, and didn’t’ have dinner. Snacked on Cashews & date balls on the way there. I ended up getting a small popcorn while I was there because I was so hungry, but it tasted awful. Like licking a salt lick. Didn’t eat much and just drank as much water as possible….Amaluna was great by the way!

Day 26:

• Breakfast – Berries, Pomegranate arils, small left over fruit & greens smoothie, coffee w/unsweetened almond milk
• Lunch – Tofu Chili, Homemade Tortilla Chips, guacamole, & 2 date coconut balls
• Dinner – Instant Pot Turnip Greens & Turnips (SOOO GOOD!!) and black bean brownie

Day 27:

• Breakfast – Fruit & Greens Smoothie
• Lunch – Whole Grain Tortilla Salad Wrap – Kale, green onions, peppers, hummus, black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumber, fat free balsamic vinaigrette, and left over Instant Pot Turnip Greens & Turnips
• Dinner – Bean Pasta Spaghetti Marinara & Healthy Chocolate Cake

Day 28:

• Breakfast – Raspberries, avocado toast (Ezekiel Bread), & coffee w/unsweetened almond milk
• Lunch – Small Tofu Chili, strawberry spinach salad w/red onions, sliced almonds, Pepitas, & fat-free balsamic vinaigrette (Favorite salad so far!!!)
• Dinner – Taco night! Make TOFU tacos and had 3 small corn tortillas, avocado, spinach, corn, black beans, & a tiny bit of mozzarella

Related Reading:

• What I ate Week 1,What I ate Week 2, & What I ate Week 3

My weight loss on the nutritarian diet this week:

• Starting weight this week – 153.4 lbs
• Ending weight this week – 152 lbs
• Weight loss this week – 1.4 lbs
• Total weight loss so far – 12 lbs

I was kind of hoping for a bit more weight loss this week. I know I should be happy that I’m still losing weight, but sometimes I start to get impatient.

However, I do notice that my clothes are starting to fit a lot looser and my face doesn’t look so puffy. I was looking at pictures just from this past Christmas and noticing that my face looked so much fatter just a few weeks ago!

Unfortunately, I know that I’m going to have to go out of town a couple times in the next few weeks and that has me nervous because one of those trips, I won’t have any control over what I’m eating. I’m chaperoning my son’s 5th grade overnight field trip and it’s out in the woods in cabins. We just have to eat what ever they give us… I did hear there may be a salad bar at dinner and I’m REALLY hoping that’s the case. I will bring some nutritarian snacks and stuff, but I’m not sure if I’ll have access to any kind of fridge or kitchen.

That was really why I was hoping to lose more weight before I go and possible stall due to what I’m stuck eating. I think there will be lots of hiking so hopefully the added exercise will help me not gain weight!

I’ve still got 1 week to go until the “camping trip” and I’m really hoping I can get below 150. I’m going to try to add a bit more exercise this next week to hopefully speed up the weight loss to hit that goal!

Continue following my journey! What I ate Week 5 on the Eat to Live diet