Nutrient Density is a critical concept in devising and recommending dietary and nutritional advice to patients and to the public. Not merely vitamins and minerals, but adequate consumption of phytochemicals is essential for proper functioning of the immune system and to enable our body’s detoxification and cellular repair mechanisms that protect us from chronic diseases

Nutritional science in the last twenty years has demonstrated that colorful plant foods contain a huge assortment of protective compounds, mostly of which still remain unnamed. Only by eating an assortment of nutrient-rich natural whole foods can we access these protective compounds and prevent the common diseases that afflict Americans. Our modern, low-nutrient eating style has led to an overweight population, the majority of whom develop diseases of nutritional ignorance, causing our medical costs to spiral out of control - Joel Fuhrman M.D.

Nutrient Density – The ratio of the amount of a nutrient in foods to the energy (calories) provided by these same foods.

Nutrient-Rich – The latest buzzword in healthful eating. It’s not low-calorie, low-carb or low-fat: It’s nutrient-rich. A term developed through consumer research to describe the concept of nutrient density. Research shows that people respond well to this term and to the positive approach to food choices it represents.

Nutrient-Dense Foods – Foods that provide substantial amounts of phytochemicals (micro nutrients), vitamins, minerals and other nutritional factors relative to calories (appropriate in calories).

Low Nutrient-Dense or “Nutrient Poor” Foods – Foods that supply calories but relatively small amounts of micronutrients or phytochemicals vitamins, minerals, water, fiber, (sometimes none at all) health promoting protein, real food carbohydrate  and essential fat and contain substances your body does not need.

Nutrient-Rich Foods – A consumer-friendly way to describe nutrient-dense foods including those from the five basic food groups, such as:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Beans
• Raw Nuts Seeds
• Whole Unrefined Grains
• The Unlimited Meals and Menus You Can Create From These First Class Food Categories

Nutrition Profiling – The science of ranking or classifying foods based on their nutrient composition.

ANDI – Aggregate Nutrient Density Index for Nutrient Rich Foods.

To guide people toward the most nutrient dense foods, Joel Fuhrman M.D. developed a scoring system called ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index), which ranks foods based on their ratio of nutrients to calories.

Because phytochemicals are largely unnamed and unmeasured, these rankings underestimate the healthful properties of colorful natural plant foods compared to processed foods and animal products. One thing we do know is that the foods that contain the highest amount of known nutrients are the same foods that contain the most unknown nutrients too. So even though these rankings may not consider the phytochemical number sufficiently they are still a reasonable measurement of their content.

Keep in mind that nutrient density scoring is not the only factor that determines good health. For example, if we only ate foods with a high nutrient density score our diet would be too low in fat. So we have to pick some foods with lower nutrient density scores (but preferably the healthier ones) to include in our high nutrient diet. Additionally, if a slim  or highly physically active individual ate only the highest nutrient foods they would become so full from all of the fiber and nutrients that would keep them from meeting their caloric needs and they would eventually become too thin. This of course gives you a hint at the secret to permanent weight control – to eat the greatest quantity of the foods with the highest ANDI scores, and lesser amounts of foods with lower ANDI scores. For further information, read chapter 3 of Eat for Health, in which I discuss nutrient density and the importance of phytochemicals in detail.

The Nutrient Rich Foods Way – The Nutrient Rich way is a positive, healthy eating plan that considers the complete nutrient package of foods( what foods have that you need and want, and what they contain that you don’t need from dietary sources) as a way to help people build the healthiest eating plans and encourages the selection of nutrient-rich whole foods always, or as best as possible.

There are reasons why Nutrient Rich.com is aligned with Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritional guidelines which we have coined “The Gold Standard”.

First, I discovered Dr Fuhrman 20 years ago before the world knew who he was, in the most unlikely of places, at a most unlikely time. As a 245 pound body builder who was eating 30 eggs a day and at least one chicken, along with white rice and a token veggie on the side (nutrient poor)… in a world that was as foreign to “good health” as one could be.

I was in my gym (I owned a gym called Olympia at the time) and learned of an organization called the American Natural Hygiene Society. Now called the National Health Association.I’ll tell that story in greater detail in another post.

A rag mag about health found it’s way into my gym (strangely) and it just blew me a way. It made sense! Mind boggled by a sense of clarity about healthy eating like I had never experienced before, I took a trip to an event to learn more. It was then and there that I was introduced to a whole new world of health information and one of the guys leading the charge was Dr. Fuhrman. Needless to say, I did not feel healthy, living and eating the way I was, so I opened my mind and the rest was history.

Within 1 year, I lost 75 pounds and literally rebuilt my body. Only this time with a healthy eating plan, I build my body healthy! I don’t recall exactly what Dr Fuhrman was talking about when I first met him, but it (the knowledge) was very convincing, and surely what he said was a precursor to the kind of wisdom you’ll learn from Dr Fuhrman yourself starting now with this video above on nutrient density.

When it comes to a healthy eating plan, focusing on the nutrient density of your diet is the key to good health. The nutrient density of your food is not the only reason that determines what you eat or why, but from a standpoint of knowing you have a healthy eating plan, it starts which understanding nutrient density and Dr. Fuhrman is the expert many experts like me, learn from.

Today, that’s why NutrientRich.com, is all about this new trend in eating for health, performance and natural weight loss. Nutrient density is the most fundamental concept of nutrition and Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritional education and guidance on the subject is second to no one. He is the leader in the nutrient rich revolution.

Nutrient Density is the concept you want to learn. It IS the key to good health.
Have a listen and come to your own conclusions.

That speculation is about to end.

First, what are the Top 10 Most Nutrient Rich Foods?

According to DrFuhrman’s Nutritional Research, they are:

1. Kale
2. Collards
3. Bok choy
4. Spinach
5. Broccoli Rabe
6. Chinese/Napa Cabbage
7. Brussel Sprouts
8. Swiss Chard
9. Arugula
10. Cabbage

Now, I will admit, short of the Bok Choy, these are not the most flavorful foods in the world, (Bok Choy is incredibly flavorful) they are the top 10 most nutrient rich foods in the world and we want to be eating these foods.

The question is, how?

In our next post we will be sharing the 6 S’s of Success, but here is what you need to know now.

There are hundreds of other nutrient rich foods, to compliment these foods so that your meals are just as flavorful and more naturally flavorful than the foods and meals you are eating right now, with of course, a nutritional punch so strong you can’t get it anywhere else.

The key is to a) learn how to shop, prepare, organize and eat out the Nutrient Rich way, b) gain access to great tasting nutrient rich recipes (nutrient rich “healthy” recipes have many definitions these days) guide by sound nutritional research based on nutrient density, and give yourself some time to get the experience. Getting the lifestyle knowledge and experience is what will give you a leg up.

That’s what we are you get here at NutrientRich.com as Nutritional Education Trainers, with a world class education from DrFuhrman.

We will be uploading many new recipes that include the top 10 and top 3o most nutrient rich foods  – the worlds best and healthiest foods – that are great tasting and ensure you’ll live free of the lifestyle-diseases caused by nutrient poor foods.

The menus were grounded in the latest research in eating for health, giving us all “hang-your-hat-on-it ” confidence that the science behind what we were eating was as correct and as it was delicious.

That was my experience this past week. It was good to spend time having fun, and not worrying about the consequences of what I just ate.

Here are some pics from the fun time we had at Dr Fuhrman’s Health Getaway.

Dr Fuhrman was very accessible to all.

Nutrient Rich Pizza

Nutrient Rich food in every dish

Mmmm, I love pistachio's

A Simple Breakfast

The Staples

John Allen, Lisa Fuhrman, Joel Fuhrman

After Morning Run

John Allen at dinner with friends

John Allen and Rosie Battista on the Excursion

Ahh, Shade!

Dr Fuhrman and DrFuhrman, Answering questions

Healthy Chocolate Cake

Every nutrient rich meal had the ingredients right next to it.

Nutritional Education Daily

What’s so great about the Nutritional Research project IS the mission, which is to conduct clinical research to study diet styles designed for their disease-preventing and disease-reversing properties. Of course we learned about the disease preventing and disease reversing diet Eat for Health, all week long.

Within, 20 minutes of announcing this project at the Getaway over $50,000 was raised and this is just the start. It will take almost $1m per protocol awaiting funding and here at NutrientRich.com we are going to do everything we can to help raise the money. Will you do your part and contribute?

Here are the details direct from Nutritional Research.org.

Why is this so important?

Diabetes, obesity, heart disease, stroke and dementia are ravaging our health in the 21st century. The statistics are staggering: 72% of Americans are either overweight (38%) or obese (34%). 90 million Americans have either diabetes or pre-diabetes. More than 1 in 3 U.S. adults (81million) currently live with one or more types of cardiovascular disease. Cancer is also a preventable cause of death significantly linked to diet and environmental factors.

What is the answer to these epidemics?

Interventional cardiology and cardiovascular surgery have not been found to extend the lifespan of patients with atherosclerotic heart disease. Drugs offer only mild benefit in some diseases but do not alter significantly the trajectory of chronic degenerative disease. Furthermore, prescription medicines have been shown to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. ^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

The Nutritional Research Project proposes to study diet styles ideally designed to maximize the potential for disease prevention and disease reversal. Dr. Fuhrman has elaborated, tested and described the features of a diet-style and supplemental requirements designed for maximizing disease reversal and longevity. The salient features of this program have already been investigated in small preliminary scientific studies with dramatic results. Such a diet has the following specific features:

• High nutrient density
  A micronutrient-dense diet provides not just adequate vitamins and minerals but also thousands of phytochemicals that impact profoundly cell signaling and function, enabling the body to heal and repair. The attention to consumption of adequate raw green and cooked green vegetables(the most nutrient dense food) in conjuction with beans, seeds, onions, mushrooms and fresh fruit form at least 90 percent of calorie intake.
• Plant based, but without processed foods.
  A plant-based diet rich in colorful vegetables, greens, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds and a small amount of whole grains provides critical nutrients that reduce cellular toxicity, DNA damage and immune system dysfunction. The design of meal plans and food choices restrict or prohibit processed foods such as refined sweets, oils, flours, white rice and white potato. Animal products are restrcted to less than 8oz per week (one or two servings) used as condiments to the vegetable based meals.
• Reduced calorie intake – Consumption of plant foods with low caloric density enables satiation with less calories.
  Animal studies have demonstrated that caloric restriction is associated with increased longevity. A diet with high micronutrient content and reduced calories affords powerful protection against disease.

When this type of diet is applied clinically, remarkable results occur. It remains to evaluate and document the efficacy of this diet style in controlled scientific studies. Our goal is to initiate and support research that will investigate the impact of an optimally healing diet in the treatment of chronic disease states. Research on the the therapeutic implications of juice fasting and water fasting are also of interest to the mission of the Nutrititional Research Project.

1. Flegal KM et al. Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999-2008. JAMA 2010; 303(3)
2. Van Cleave J, Gortmaker SL, Perrin JM. Dynamics of obesity and chronic health conditions among children and youth. JAMA 2010; 303(7): 623-630.
3. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2007.pdf
4. de la Monte SM et al. Review of insulin, insulin-like growth factor expression, signaling and malfunction in the CNS: Relevance to Alzheimer’s disease. J Alzheimer’s Dis 2005 Feb 7(1): 45-61.
5. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, McDowell MA, Flegal KM. Obesity among adults in the United States-no change since 2003-2004. NCHS data brief no 1. National Center for Health Statistic; 2007

This guy can't forget he has a stomach, he's too full

This was one of the most amazing quotes from Dr Fuhrman of the whole week at the DrFuhrman Health Getaway. I don’t mean to say that there weren’t more intelligent sounding teachings throughout the week – too many to mention – but this seeming ridiculous statement was one of the most profound.

“Forget You Have a Stomach” – Joel Fuhrman M.D.

It’s simple.

Right now you can’t feel your kidneys, your spleen, or your bowels. When you finish eating, you want to not feel your stomach.

Again, it’s simple.

If you can feel your stomach after you’ve eaten, you have eaten too much!

Now don’t be an idealist with this, but get the point. We are almost always over eating and when eating nutrient rich, this is THE point.

Eating Nutrient Rich you must pay attention to how your body feels, when hunger has shut off and your stomach is about 75% full. Before you start feeling your stomach it’s time to stop eating!

This may be the most challenging concept in eating period.  But especially when eating nutrient rich, because you’re nutritional needs are met so fast because of the quality of the food.

There is much that goes into being able to eat when you are hungry and stopping when you are slightly full. It’s simple. Really it’s very simple, but for many it’s not very easy.

Believe me, I have been eating nutrient rich for 20 years and I still have challenges with stopping when I’m no longer hungry.

We will be talking more about this exercise with food, as we progress together.

And we will master this exercise together!