Eat to Live: an apologetic book review
At Cranky Fitness, we don't usually review books, because it's hard to be both polite and cranky. In this case, I thought it was necessary.
I first read about Dr. Fuhrman last year on Diet Blog. And -- I'm sorry if this sounds mean -- I wasn't quite sure if he was legit. Even allowing for the fact that a blog post doesn't allow room for a well-thrashed-out thesis, his talk of Toxic Hunger sounded very similar to catch phrases like Toxic Fat, which have a "marketing to scare people so they'll pay money" sort of feel about it. So I was prejudiced.
And it does seem counter-intuitive that hunger doesn't originate in the stomach but rather in the throat. I haven't experienced that myself -- but you know what? That really isn't relevant to the main point of this book Eat to Live so I'm going to skip over it.
I was impressed with this book. For one thing, it is very, very well researched. Some chapters, it seems like every other sentence has a footnote referring to a peer-reviewed research study that was published in a well-respected journal.
I’ve read diet books where all the references cited lead to other books written by the same author. Fuhrman’s references lead to studies reported in journals that even I have heard of. That’s impressive. One study, or two or three, I could refute/ignore/disagree with out of laziness or feeling contrary. When I find study after study after study all backing up what he’s selling, then it’s a lot harder to disagree with him.
On the other hand, this guy's never going to become a millionaire selling this book.
How not to get rich writing a diet book:
- He doesn’t use the book to promote a lot of His Own Special BrandTM supplements. He promotes eating fruit and vegetables. Unless he’s got a whole lot of stock in Safeway, he’s never going to make a million $ with this approach.
- He’s more concerned with health than with weight loss. (Yeah, like people are going to go for that. What was he thinking?)
- He’s not taking a few facts and stringing them together into a clever theory embellished with a lot of long, pseudo-scientific jargon. (How can you impress people if you don’t use jargon?)
I have to admit to a certain prejudice against Doctors Who Are Selling Something. This always causes me to go into auto-cynic mode, which is probably not fair since some of these doctors are well-intentioned, and doctors have as much right to make a living as anyone else. The thing is, I want them to sell knowledge rather than Success Pills for three easy payments of $45.99. What Dr. Fuhrman does is encourage you to eat foods that you can grow yourself, or at least can go down the road and buy at the grocery store. His website offers the chance to buy additional stuff, but that's not mentioned in the book.
I think I liked what he wrote because it agreed so much with what I've deduced from what I've read over several years. I don't see why he would limit the daily intake of flax seed to only one teaspoon, but aside from that I kinda like what he's saying.
The bad news
This guy's diet is strict. And permanent. The only way to make it following this lifelong diet is to learn to like vegetables. I'm actually getting there. Me, the confirmed carnivore, who can -- and has-- gone days eating only food that came from the meat and bakery departments, now spends most of my time in the produce section. I'm still not going to say I love vegetables, but I do love not feeling stuffed with saturated fat and greasy food.How strict is strict?
This diet is more strict that Dean Ornish's diet plan, and he's always been my end-point for Strict.The basic tenets of the diet
- 1 pound raw veggies & fruit (on my scale, that's 1 apple, 1 cucumber, and 1 cup green leafies)
- 1 pound cooked veggies
- limited quantities of grains and starchy veggies
- sayonara to meat,1 processed foods,2 caffeine,3 alcohol4
1That sound you just heard was several people leaving this blog and going to Mark's Daily Apple to complain. Hey, go with what works for you. I'm just telling you what Fuhrman says. Actually, he’s not far from the Primal approach. He figures it’s better to be a semi-vegetarian, i.e. it’s okay to eat some meat if you’re going to eat a whole lot of vegetables as well. (I think he would prefer you not eat meat, but he says it’s vastly better than being a vegetarian who goes around gorging on breads and pastries.)
2There go the Jenny Craig & WeightWatchers-meals groups.
3Ah, just lost the Starbucks crowd.
4The last Cranky Fitness reader shuts the door behind him as he leaves.
Um... is anyone still reading this? Fuhrman says that after six weeks or so, unless you're really looking to lose a lot of weight, re-introduce more grains and starchy vegetables. Avoid processed foods like the evil pesticide-ridden plague foods that they are.
Fuhrman himself says this diet is not for everyone. People will say "hey, this diet will make me so miserable that it's not worth it." I'm not sure I agree. Yeah, changing your mindset and getting your body used to a more healthy diet is no fun, but once you've made the adjustment it seems to me you'll be having a whole lot more fun in life. The quality of life is better if you eat healthy and work out.
Ever tried going mostly vegetarian? Did it help or hinder your health efforts?
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Should I put on my asbestos suit? Am I about to get flamed over this post?
I absolutely love Dr. Fuhrman! People may not like what he's saying, but he's telling the truth. Since when does the truth have to be palatable to be true?
The lifestyle I'm following is based on Eat to Live and it really provides amazing health improvements. If you do the initial 6-week very strict diet, you will lose a lot of weight, but as you go onto the lifetime program, the weight loss will slow down, although not considerably, while the health improvements will still continue.
It may seem daunting in the beginning, but it does work and it is a sustainable, albeit different from the toxic food environment, way of living. People should head over to Dr Fuhrman's website for some great testimonials from people who have turned their health around in the most extraordinary ways and lost weight to boot!
I've been studying nutrition and how it relates to health and disease for years, but I learned a few new things in this book. He really explains things very well.
No asbestos suit needed here! I'm a believer!
I come in peace, Merry, no worries! :D LOVED this. His book sounds great - ya know why? Because it's not full of bull s*** which is what so many "health" books offer. I, like you, immediately close down if i feel someone who is offering advice has a motive with a dollar sign attached to it. Plus, I like that, while strict, he is not so strict as to say "no meat!" Does he say anything about processed foods in moderation, or are they completely banned? Does he define "processed"? I think that term gets misused or misunderstood a lot. Anyway...I would say "yea, count me in, sign me up for the vegetables-by-the-pounds-plan" but I would probably only say that if I were a) overly caffeinated or b) drunk -- and both of those don't fit into his plan anyway...
Oh and does he mention exercise?
Dang! I deleted the paragraph about how I felt that he should have put more emphasis on exercise. I mean, the man was on the U.S. World Figure Skating Team (see his blog for video clip) so he must appreciate exercise. I thought he could have mentioned it more than once or twice.
Clearly I have no idea about nutrition because I was wondering what exactly you can eat on his plan? I was vegetarian for a few years, so not eating meat doesn't worry me, but if you're also eating low carbs that doesn't leave much except....fat, dairy, fruit or soy? And do cupcakes count as processed food? I notice you don't mention sugar...? Confused..... :-)
I was a veggie (-tarian that is) for 15 years! Then the docs said I sucked at it, so I started to eat meat...pretty lame-o, I know, but back then I just didn't care to put the effort forth to balance it out like I do now!
Hey, thanks for this review, I'm gonna check this book out!
I'm afraid I'm a member of the "maybe I'll live a longer healthier life but I'd rather die sooner than eat just vegetables all the time thank you very much" club.
But I too would have thought from the throat hunger thing that the book would be "out there," and instead it sounds very well-researched and convincing!
But no way in hell am I going on a diet that restrictive.
I tried going vegetarian..for about 1/2 a day. I don't eat red meat much, but I live my chicken and fish...
The diet does sound a "bit" restrictive...
Never heard of this guy but I like to learn... BUT, just not gonna work for me. After spending too many years doing & eating things I did not want to, I need to find a program that is rounded AND healthy that I can live with & don't think mostly veggies is it... although I get them in there.
PLUS, with the way my bod reacts to a lot of veggies, I would never have friends & my hubby would leave me due to the gas & of course I would feel like crap too from the bloating. Yes, I could take out stock on Beano but I guess I will just have to leave the mostly veggie thing for another person.
I might read more about it though for knowledge sake.
THX for the info!
I could do the mostly vegetarian thing but no coffee? He lost me there...
Have I ever been on a strictly veggie diet? Sort of - french fries, zucchini (bread), eggplant (parmigian) - you get the idea.
Must side with Crabby - I might live longer on this diet but would be so miserable that I'd beg for the end to come. I might be going to hell but isn't that where all the fun people (and carnivores) are?
I simply can't do a diet that strict without waking up the crazy ED voices.
That said, I think for most people this book would be a good read/starting point. And even if you aren't 100% in compliance (eating meat, drinking coffee and alcohol), you can still reap the health benefits.
I LOVE being a vegetarian. But I don't "limit" my grains (at least now that I'm not eating disordered anymore). A vegetarian who doesn't eat grains is left with very few substantive sources of calories which means you are hungry and cranky all the time. Anyhow, I haven't read this book but it sounds a lot like the Engine No. 2 diet. I like the idea but going the rest of my life without ice cream? No thanks.
The engine #2 diet? Must google.
I think people who would be motivated to try this diet are those who are trying to overcome some physical ailment. Otherwise, if things are going fine, then why fix it.
A plea: if we were meant to live off mostly vegetables, shouldn't they taste better? (Ducks and runs)
Not even fish?
I was vegetarian for a few years and mostly vegetarian for several more, and still could live the rest of my life with out a steak, hamburger, or a big chunk of meat. But now I eat fish and eggs and small amounts of chicken or other meat, mostly in soups or casseroles.
I wonder what he has to say about B-12...not going to get that from vegetables. That is one of the things that convinced me to add a little meat back to my diet. But I know lots of vegetarians use nutritional yeast for B12, but that's processed...
How much protein does he recommend, and where does he suggest we get it? I eat small quantities of meat, and it makes getting that daily .75 g/pound of body weight so much easier than if I were only eating eggs, soy and dairy. I don't think a person can go too far wrong including a pound of raw veg and a pound of cooked veg every day and limiting processed foods, but I'm trying to build muscle, here!
I believe that's DOCTOR Fuhrman! Isn't that enough?
Eating like he suggests, or as Dean Ornish recommends only seems strict since our society eats so poorly. It's all relative. Are we related?
I agree with you so much about people who use the MD after their name to peddle supplements or products. I think Fuhrman's diet sounds sensible and not too far off from what I strive for. However, caffeine contributes significantly to my quality of life (not even joking-- I seriously believe in the mild antidepressant powers of caffeine), SO even though I've always been closer to the unprocessed/ vegetarian/minimal alcohol side of things, I can understand how other folks would say meat/donuts/beer contribute to their quality of life in terms of emotional/mental health. :)
Thanks, Crank, for this review. I heart Dr. Fuhrman a LOT. While I'm not willing to let go of the alcohol quite yet (and I still like an occassional Trader Joe's cat cookie or a No-Pudge brownie), I find a happy medium between his plan and Dean Ornish (whom I have a secret crush on and would have his vegetarian baby if I could still have babies :)) Anyway, thank you for liking him, too. Thanks for speaking for folks like me.
You're right, he won't get rich, NOR will his efforts make any significant impact on a lot of people. Sorry, but SOMEONE had to say it.
I mean check this out:
"Sayonara to meat..?"
Really?! Are you joking me. Meat is the most complete source of protein. There's no way I'd ever give it up NOR recommend any of my clients to give it up.
"... to processed foods"
Totally agree here.
"... to caffeine"
Again, foolishly counter-productive. Caffeine has been PROVEN to give you increased power and reduce muscle fatigue during workouts. Also shown to help with fat loss. Used properly, & without over-dosing, it's a VERY effective & safe stimulant.
"...to alcohol"
Meh... I have a social life, and like to enjoy a cold one with the boys every now and then.
I'm not saying this guy is LYING, I'm saying he's being unrealistic. You can get into GREAT health and see GREAT results while still living a life.
From the sound of it, he's describing the way I've eaten for years.
It helps that I've always loved the taste of vegetables. Not everyone does. Also, this was a diet I adopted slowly over many years.
To those who say veggies give them gas, uh, yeah. Any sudden, radical change to your diet will do that to you. What my body does when I eat meat and fried foods isn't pretty, either, but it's because my digestive system isn't used to it.
My daily diet is based on fruit and veggies, beans and lentils, whole grains, yogurt, cheese, eggs, nuts and nut butters. On hard training days, I add a little chicken. I've never had a weight problem, major illness, or serious health condition, other than the hereditary asthma which showed up at age 7. Some of that's good genetics, but DNA only gets you so far. You have to do your part, too.
I think the most important dietary issue isn't whether one's diet is mostly meat or mostly veggie, but whether one is eating "real" foods. Cut out the processed crap, eat reasonable portions of real foods (organic, non-GMO whenever possible), and the rest will take care of itself.
Sounds like good advice. The "eat clean", "whole foods", etc way seems to pop up a lot. What sounds different about this is the recommendation to eat raw veggies & cooked veggies. Definitely get the enzymes with the raw.
I'm not going to give up meat. Some may call me a cow killer or chicken choker but it's just me. I am pretty sure my husband would leave me if I stopped cooking up meat.
Processed foods: already cutting those out. My food shouldn't originate from Exxon.
Caffeine: are you serious? Sorry. No tea? No coffee? No Starbuck's? That's a tough one. Maybe I can limit it? Compromise?
Alcohol: NO! Not giving that one up. I make a MEAN and Tasty margarita. When I go camping I must have a drink by the campfire to complete my weekend. No compromise here. A life without tequila and mojitos? What's the point? ;-)
Good write up. I may just have to go out and get the book. I like science stuff.
i'm all about moderation. i refuse to "give up" anything!! it just wouldn't work for me. i've tried diets that were don't eat this, don't eat that, and i gained weight because i would break down and pig out! true i stay away from certain things, like fried foods, which actually make me sick to my stomach (which chocolate would do that! lol) but when i just used portion control and watched my calories, it took on a life of it's own.
do i feel better the more fruits and veggies i eat? SURE! but i love tastey critters and coffee too much to give up meat and caffiene.
Eh, I'm a vegan (and in general they worship any and all 'authority' that pushes vegan-esque diets) and I lost about 15 pounds in like 3 weeks doing ETL.
But I hated every single second of it. I lasted about 10 weeks total and couldn't touch a salad again for like 5 months afterwards.
YMMV, of course.
As for the throat hunger...ehhhhh...just trying to get my head wrapped around the role of leptin in dieting and hunger makes me very very very very very (did I mention very?) skeptical of any pat answers when it comes to how hunger works.
/end cranky skepticism
I have been mostly vegetarian for the last 10 years, and have recently started adding meat BACK into my diet. And I feel pretty awesome. Of course, I'm pretty picky about my meat - must be organic, free range, had a personal masseuse, etc. - but I feel a lot better fueled than I had in the past. And I'm finally starting to drop the poundage again. I think everyone has different needs.
had a personal masseuse... snicker.
I've been a vegetarian for a long time and recently became vegan and honestly it's not that hard. Of course, if you had talked to me a year ago there is no way I could have or would have been vegan because I didn't know nearly enough about nutrition. I think that books like this are a good starting point to learn about nutrition but it would be nice if someone were able to write a book about nutrition that was readable but that wasn't promoting a certain type of diet.
Ok, I feel like the crazy veg lady now. :) I eat pretty much like the ETL summary...only more so.
Only an apple, a cuke, and a cup of leaves per day??? Try 6+ cups of greens, 2 bananas, a pear, a kiwi, and some grapes. And a pile of raw carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower with hummus.
As for the cooked veggies, how about dinner of balsamic roasted asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, brussels sprouts, and sweet potato. And maybe some pineapple for dessert.
Limit the grains? Check. About 1 serving per day, usually something other than rice or wheat, and always in the least processed form.
Animal products? I'm what I call "flegan." Flexible vegan. No ethical issues with animal products, but I very rarely eat any kind of meat, poultry, or fish. Dairy? Once or twice a week. Eggs more frequently now that I'm doing power and interval training.
Alcohol? Rarely. Sugar? Nuh-uh. Processed foods? Barf. I don't eat things with bar codes. Caffiene? Here's where Dr. F and I part ways -- I do have a couple cups a day.
Lots of nuts, seeds, plant oils, and beans. Total around 2600 cal/day, 80 grams protein. I'm 5'3", 110 lbs, lean and fit.
This isn't hard, folks, and it's TASTY if you like to cook, which I do.
:) Cheers, Crank -- glad to have found your blog.
I don't eat things with barcodes. I love this!
Still reading through the comments (my we are verbose today, cranky readers).
I could/would not do this diet. NOT because of the veggies, but because of the no things that make eating special: meat, coffee, alcohol.
I spent about 6 months eating flexitarian: mostly ovo-vegetarian with fish or chicken when I weight trained. Lost weight, but was in such a protein deficit that I lost lean muscle. Learned something important: it's very hard to do if you can't do dairy.
It sounds like a starvation diet.
Still, if you could do it for 6 weeks it would definitely make you lose weight. And that is tempting, as a quick fix.
I think I'm going to try and steer clear of "diets", but this is the first one that's ever really tempted me to buy the book. So, I guess, Great review Merry!
HAHAHAhahahahaha! Wait, wait, I'm fine . . . AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaaa!
Ahem. OK. *wipes tears of laughter from eyes* I'm better now.
Let's get this up out front: I'm notnotnot ENTIRELY giving up processed food, caffeine or alcohol. Never gonna happen. That said, I could live with it if it was a once-a-month or even a bi-monthly thing.
But this:
Yeah, changing your mindset and getting your body used to a more healthy diet is no fun, but once you've made the adjustment it seems to me you'll be having a whole lot more fun in life.
Words of wisdom right there. I swear I'm gonna print this out and hang it on my wall/fridge/mirror/anywhere else I can think of.
I don't think I could folow such a strict diet, honestly. It sounds healthy and all, but I need my indulgences, infrequent as they are. Caffeine is one of those indulgences...and i do enjoy a glass of wine every now and then.
Hurray for no processed foods! I think I just fell in love with this guy. I gotta find a copy of this book. I agree with Dr. J; it only SEEMS super strict because we all eat so poorly!
I've become very nearly a vegetarian- I've only eaten meat on 2 occasions in the last few weeks, and both times it was salmon. It's kinda nice to save meat for special occasions.
A nice advantage about living in Israel is our vegetables are delicious. There's no problem about getting used to eating them here. ;)
P.S. Interesting blog Merry!
I see good and bad here but I don't see how this diet is sustainable AT ALL
all he wants you to eat is veggies really and you can eat veggies all day long, none stop and you still wouldn't get enough calories to live off of long term.
I like the no processed foods but if he's saying give up meat then where's the calories coming from.
I hate processed foods but even when my vegetarian friend asked me if she should give them up I said, I wouldn't unless you're ready to start calorie counting and making sure you're getting more than 500 calories a day. a calorie restrictive diet can really mess with your thyroid. Eeek.
I do support all those veggies though! I try to eat that much each day, plus my fruits and lots of meat and ice cream... er... meat. :)
Ha ha ha ha ha ha, "give up alcohol", I don't think so funny man.
I was vegetarian from age 8 to about 16, but I admit that there were long expanses in that time period during which I subsisted primarily on Cheetos and Mountain Dew.
I could do that diet for 6 weeks if I were single- it isn't too far off from what I eat now, and if I weren't buying the meat and carbs for the boyfriend I wouldn't have much temptation- but I wouldn't do it my whole life. Do legumes count as a vegetable? I like to eat quite a bit of protein and it otherwise wouldn't be too healthy longterm imho.
During the 6-week period, he wants you to eat 1 cup of beans a day, as well as 1 tsp flax seed and limited amounts of nuts.
Sounds good, and I think I even understand the prohibitions against caffeine and alcohol, but not well enough to actually give them up. Might be worth buying the book to see if he makes a good argument for it, though.
Should've checked his website before posting:
Per the FAQs, Dr. Fuhrman isn't prohibiting caffeine and alcohol, he is encouraging moderation, no more than one serving per day of either, which does make a lot of sense, even though that would be cutting back on caffeine for me. I don't drink much alcohol anyway, I just don't want to completely give it up. One cup of coffee a day, though...
I'll go back and check the book; my understand was during the six-week period they were not on the Things To Consume list, and afterward they were not encouraged.
I think you're going to have to find your own level of what's okay not to give up. Makes sense to try giving them up and then see if your life is unbearable without 'em.
given our society... the title says it all... how we should live... eat to live rather than live to eat methinks
happy trails
gp
Merry,
Excellent post.
I would love to read this book.
I was a vegetarian (and at times, nearly vegan) for years.
Now I'm following more of a Primal Blueprint type nutrition (not with perfect adherence, but moving more and more in that direction), because, as a vegetarian, I was eating WAY TOO MANY refined carbs. This was not really a problem until I:
1) Quit smoking (after 15 yrs.!)
2) Started shoveling food into my face non-stop (was "focusing" on quitting smoking--didn't want to "stress myself out too much")
3) Didn't move enough, and a couple months into my quitting, started gentle yoga only (not enough, given what I was eating, but did reduce stress)
4)All this coincided with being "thirty something".
This was the perfect storm. I got FAT, FAT, FAT!
So, I amped up my activity, moderated my food intake, and toned up a bit, but progress was glacially slow.
Finally, a friend lost weight eating low carb, and I thought I should put my bias aside and at least check it out.
So, I became a low-carb mostly vegetarian (I occasionally ate seafood).
And I dropped weight. At long last!
For me personally, though, there was NOT ENOUGH VARIETY in my diet, so I added meat back into it (mostly organic and local beef--I'm a Coloradan, so it's not too hard to come by).
Anyway, are you still reading this?
I feel like I'm still a vegetarian deep down, as I was one for primarily ethical reasons (my guilt is somewhat alleviated by eating cruelty free meat, the fact that I consume very few packaged products, and that I buy local as much as I can...but still, a little guilty).
So, I would love to read Dr. Fuhrman's research. I am nothing if not open to new ideas, although of course, my own experience with any nutritional program is the ultimate test.
Thanks, and sorry for giving you my whole life story.
Ruth, please don't feel sorry -- we love reading about people's life stories! And I'm glad you've found a diet-lifestyle that works for you!
He probably limits his intake of flax because of its proinflammatory nature.
There's a good post on the subject over on the Primal Wisdom blog.
http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-ten-problems-with-applying_09.html
I've never gone completely vegetarian, but being a semi-veg has made a huge improvement in my health. If I could ever learn to make tofu taste appetizing, then I might go vegetarian. But I don't think hell is freezing over anytime soon.
Seriously though, if you decide to incorporate more vegetables onto your plate, try this: red bell pepper, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes sauteed with garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with fresh thyme and rosemary. Yum. I could eat it for every meal.
Merry, you are just tell another person's plan...no flames will come from me. I find it very interesting that quite a few "diet gurus" these days are telling us no more meat and eat your heart out of veggies and fruits. I have to believe that there is something to that.
I personally don't find it difficult to not eat meat every day, but I feel like I am lacking something to give it up totally.
Great review.
I love this new way of eating. I am a cronic junk food snacker and this diet helps me stay satified and I don't crave sweets and salty snacks after dinner like I used to. My energy level is great too and I am 62 years old. I have cheated a tiny bit, have wine occasionally, and meat once a week and still have lost weight, about 2lbs/week (and it's not water weight either) which is fine with me.
i just bought this book after reading an article about it at the gym, its hard, its a hard plan to follow. i stopped eating meat when i was ten (thanks to peta...) and was vegan for thirty days once, most expensive thirty days of my life. the problem is, i love coffee and wine and vodka. so, here it is, day one of this plan for me. i ate spinch and oatmeal and grapefruit for breakfast,with one cup of black coffee, a crap ton of herbal tea, a subway veggie sandwhich minus cheese and olives for lunch, and i am feeling okayish. i really want something sweet, but i generally do. i just started the gym thing about two weeks ago and lost ten pounds already, this is without this crazy diet. i think i can stand five weeks and four days of this, but with thanksgiving looming, i think i will have a massive cheat day times three. and what about happy hour with the girls tonight? maybe i am in over my head?