I know many people have read Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman, but has anyone else read his newest, Eat for Health? Basically he said that he realizes many people can't make an all at once diet change like in Eat to Live so he wrote Eat for Health as a transition program to help everyone get to the optimal way of eating recommend in Eat to Live. I really like ETL but I found a drastic change hard, I keep trying to drastically change things and then I rebel against myself and completely go off track. I like how he explains things in EFH, very step by step and what the point of each phase is. I need to sit down and plan out a week of meals based on his template so I can get started working on the program. Just curious if anyone else had read it or tried it and what they thought. You can get the book (it's actually 2 books) on amazon or on his website, I got the ebook version from his website since it was the cheapest.
I wasn't aware of his new book until you posted, thanks I listened to a podcast with him and it really sounds interesting. It's kind of pricey Do you feel it was worth it?
I have not read it either. I think it's interesting that both he and Dean Ornish have recently come out with books that seem to acknowledge that people have trouble making drastic dietary changes. (I have not read Dean Ornish's book, The Spectrum, either.)
So how is it different from Eat to Live? Does it include less-healthy recipes? Would it be helpful for those of us who are already eating a low-fat vegan diet?
I have been having trouble getting in the right mindset to start but today I am going to sit down and plan out meals for a week following his plan. I will let everyone know how it goes.
It definitely fits in with a low-fat vegan diet, he recommends getting in a serving of nuts or flax for the Omega-3s but other then that the fat is very low. It gives a week meal plan for each phase of the plan and there are recipes included for that. It differs from Eat to Live because it slowly takes out animal products and processed foods, but there are options at each phase to substitute a vegan meal for the animal based meal if you already don't eat meat. But each phase you eat less processed food and more whole foods.
What really stuck with me after reading the book is that he says you have to reprogram your tastes and each phase has a food exercise to help you do that. He also works you through finding real hunger instead of what he calls "toxic" hunger.
The first time I saw ETL I also thought it was extreme. I think that my eating patterns have gradually evolved over the years, and a diet like ETL no longer seems extreme to me. If this is something you're considering, it might be better to ease into it instead of jumping in head first. Otherwise, it might be difficult to stick to.
Fuhrman's new book, as well as Ornish's new book the Spectrum diet, bring in a "good, better, best" approach to foods which may make it easier. The idea is that our food choices should involve much more than calories, carbs, fat, and protein. There are thousands of micronutrients in foods that are important to overall health, warding off disease, etc etc etc.
When people ask me what my favorite foods are, I say "Italian, Chinese, and Vegan." They always look at me funny, lol. I love vegan food for what it is: a meal of prepared veggies. It's so creative.
I can safely say I eat vegan 70% of the time. It's so astounding how our tastebuds change, because now I get excited for vegan dishes, just like I get excited about pizza. I either have a craving for 'normal' pizza, or vegan pizza. I will actually crave a dish compiled of exquisitely prepared vegetables. Just last night I went to a vegan grill, which is one of my favorites. It's now one of the food categories I crave when I think of indulging on a Friday night.
One day I would like to be completely vegan, but for now following a diet that is 70% ETL is working. I think it's great that Furhman is getting the word out that it's not all or nothing. 'All' is suburb, and 'nothing' is the worst.
Eat for Health
I listened to a podcast with him and it really sounds interesting. It's kind of pricey 
Do you feel it was worth it?
