For years we have known or have at least had an inkling that the nutritional guidelines that trickle down to us, the consumer, are economically and industrially influenced; meaning, that what we eat is influenced by policies that are not really centered on our health.

The 4 Food Groups have been nearly decimated as politically motivated, (notice you don't hear much about them any more) and nutritionally speaking, they where just a nutritional marketing tool to get us to consume more food servings from every food group out there.

Can you imagine today having 11 servings (cups) of bread, pasta and what ends up being largely refined grains a day? Even your worst, most unhealthy eaters would have trouble with that!

But what's really behind nutritional policy in America? T Colin Campbell. Ph.D of Cornell University reveals a great deal about this in The China Study. Coming from a person who has held several major nutritional policy positions in the US, the information is very credible and first hand.

But now, with the advent of video and the research from people like Joel Fuhrman M.D. and Michael Greger M.D. both of whom are scouring the nutritional research to make sure we have the most up-to-date nutritional knowledge possible, (most of which is focused on high nutrient density eating), we can actually learn as close to first hand as possible, how to formulate our our own policies--the most influential kind-- for how we're going to eat.

By the way, the 90% or More Plant Based Nutrient Rich approach is a nutritional policy in itself, and it is based on the conclusion that virtually all of today's nutritional research leads to - consuming mostly foods of plant origin in as close to their natural state as possible, so that you meet ALL of nutrient needs and don't take in what you don't need from food.

If you are going to take my advice, and formulate your own nutritional policy, it will do you well to start from here.

So here's a video from Michael Greger on what's behind our nutritional guidelines:

The story behind the first U.S. dietary guidelines explains why to this day the decades of science supporting a more plant-based diet have yet to fully translate into public policy.

The post Formulate Your Own Personal Nutritional Policy - Forget the Government appeared first on Nutrient Rich.

How Eating Nutrient Rich Superfoods Can Change Your Life for the Better—Forever

Hi Friends, an article about what we are up to as a community here at Nutrient Rich Life, was recently published by Living Well Magazine, a Lifestyle Magazine for Thriving Adults.

Eating Nutrient Rich is all about "thriving"!

"Everywhere you turn, we are hit with ads on how to eat, what to eat and when to eat. The “why” is often limited to weight loss-only programs that push “half-baked” healthier eating styles that are simply not focused on true health and are unsustainable. The marketing claims seem amazing and the canned testimonies border on the miraculous, yet most of these “diets” are based on making changes that don’t really solve the core problem—why we gained weight in the first place.

According to Nutrition and Lifestyle expert John Allen Mollenhauer, the relationship between food and health leads to the reality that we need to make a decision to switch from eating predominantly nutrient-poor foods to mostly nutrient-rich ones. Any conversation on healthy eating, let alone practicing nutritional excellence, should start and stay at eating micronutrient-rich foods. When this happens, every other aspect of what makes an eating style “healthy” falls into place.

“I have spent decades researching and testing and have lived through cycles and programs that I thought were healthy but were based on limited information,” says Mollenhauer who founded NutrientRich.com eight years ago as part of emerging a new meme for lifestyle that focuses on getting all aspects of your lifestyle working for you, not against you. Lifestyle change starts with improving the way you eat without the need for dieting, and the healthy way to eat is nutrient rich!”

Mollenhauer has become one of the nation’s leading Nutrition Education Trainers and spends countless hours coaching nutritional insiders as well as the mass audience he has attracted online. The NutrientRich.com site has grown into a leading online resource motivating people to Build a Nutrient Rich Body by “Nutrifying” and detoxifying, and dropping the weight of the past.  This enables you to dramatically improve your health, reverse lifestyle-induced diseases, increase your energy, age slower and look younger, for longer. “I can finally say that eating Nutrient Rich superfoods up to 90% or more of the time or more is the most effective nutritional path to long-term wellness and promotes living at or near your ideal weight all the time.”

Since founding the NutrientRich.com site, Mollenhauer has driven himself and those around him to develop a flexible approach to eating more plant-based, nutrient-rich foods in everyday modern life. “What is “SAD” is our Standard American Diet strips out nutrients and throws useless and even harmful ingredients into the foods we eat,” states Mollenhauer. It doesn’t need to be that way. His objective is to bring people to the understanding that eating healthy can be fun, affordable, convenient and very tasty.

The Nutrient Rich business model combines free introductory education with simple products and support services that help people make the nutrition transition from eating mostly nutrient-poor to eating mostly nutrient-rich superfoods so they can fuel their bodies right. NutrientRich.com offers free monthly teleconferences on topical areas of superfood eating while connecting people to the Nutrient Rich products that make this eating style so enjoyable. The company also offers micronutrient-rich foods and drink mixes, as well as educational materials and support. For serious individuals, Mollenhauer has established the Performance Lifestyle^® Club to help people maintain the pathway to incredible health, as well as personalized “Nutriventions,” for those who desire one-on-one coaching.

According to Mollenhauer, success depends on Building a Nutrient Rich Body based on superfoods that provide all the nutrients your body needs to function without overwhelming it with what it doesn’t need from food. “Really, we offer a nutrition and lifestyle solution for anyone, from Joe the hamburger eater to the contemporary lifestyle- conscious individual that wants to achieve their goals in a health-promoting way.

For more information, visit www.NutrientRich.com or contact John Allen Mollenhauer, NET, CPLC, or Jackie Schatell directly at 1-800-870-4068 or via email by contacting us here.

The post Making the “Switch to Rich”—How Eating Nutrient Rich Superfoods Can Change Your Life for the Better—Forever appeared first on Nutrient Rich.

Balancing Hormones, as if that was something you could actually do with any level of accuracy (which you can't), other than providing the right "conditions" for natural, healthy hormonal balance, is a popular topic today. Ironically, many people who are attempting to do so, don't realize the effect that animal protein has on hormonal balance, and are promoting the proliferation of one of the most influential growth-promoting hormones in our bodies, beyond what's natural or what's healthy, often two times per day, when they eat a diet rich in animal protein.

It's called raising IGF-1 - insulin-like growth factor.

Here's a great article by Joel Fuhrman M.D. on why minimizing or eliminating animal products is important from a scientific perspective, not humane, moral or environmental reasons alone. If you want to balance your hormones, this is a great place to start.

Of course, the reason we define animal products as nutrient poor here at NutrientRich.com, is because they are largely devoid of micronutrients - phytochemicals and fiber, among many other factors. I touched on this subject a while back, in this video series with Michael Greger MD as well.

You can learn more about Dr. Fuhrman's knowledge, food and nutrition products here.

Most people are aware of the connections between red and processed meats and cancer – that there is convincing evidence that these dangerous foods are a cause of colon cancer.¹ In addition, cooking any meat at high temperatures (for example, grilled or fried chicken) forms carcinogenic compounds such as heterocyclic amines, which contribute to cancer risk.^2,3 However, animal foods such as non-fat dairy products, egg whites, and fish are considered healthful by most people.  It not yet widely recognized that foods such as these, since they are so high in animal protein, can also contribute to increased cancer risk.

When we consume animal protein, the body increases its production of a hormone called IGF-1, (insulin-like growth factor 1). IGF-1 is one of the body's important growth promoters during fetal and childhood growth, but later in life IGF-1 promotes the aging process.  Reduced IGF-1 signaling in adulthood is associated with reduced oxidative stress, decreased inflammation, enhanced insulin sensitivity and longer lifespan.⁴ In contrast, IGF-1 has been shown to promote the growth, proliferation and spread of cancer cells, and elevated IGF-1 levels are linked to increased risk of several cancers, colon cancer included.^5-8  Several observational studies have suggested that high circulating IGF-1 may translate into promotion of tumor growth in the colon.  For example, one study in men and one another in women found that those with higher levels of IGF-1 had double the risk of colorectal cancers compared to those with lower levels.^9,10

Which foods raise IGF-1?
Since the primary dietary factor that determines IGF-1 levels is animal protein, the excessive meat, fowl, seafood, and dairy intake common in our society elevates circulating IGF-1. Refined carbohydrates, like white flour, white rice, and sugars can also raise IGF-1 levels, because they cause rapid increases in insulin levels, leading to increases in IGF-1 signaling. In fact, IGF-1 signaling is thought to be a major factor in the connection between diabetes and cancer.^11,12

It is the amino acid distribution of animal protein that sparks IGF-1 production.¹³ For this reason, isolated soy protein, found in protein powders and meat substitutes, may also be problematic because the protein is unnaturally concentrated and its amino acid profile is very similar to that of animal protein.

How can we keep IGF-1 in a safe range?
Reducing IGF-1 levels by dietary methods is now considered by many scientists to be an effective cancer prevention measure.  Minimizing or avoiding animal protein, isolated soy protein and refined carbohydrates can help to keep our IGF-1 levels in a safe range. Green vegetables, beans and other legumes, and seeds are rich in plant protein and they have cancer-preventive, not cancer-promoting properties. For optimal cancer protection, vegetables, beans, fruits, intact grains, nuts and seeds should comprise the vast majority of our calories.

References
1.Continuous Update Project Interim Report Summary.  Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer. . World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute for Cancer Research.; 2011.
2.Thomson B: Heterocyclic amine levels in cooked meat and the implication for New Zealanders. Eur J Cancer Prev 1999;8:201-206.
3.Zheng W, Lee S-A: Well-Done Meat Intake, Heterocyclic Amine Exposure, and Cancer Risk. Nutr Cancer 2009;61:437-446.
4.Bartke A: Minireview: role of the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor system in mammalian aging. Endocrinology 2005;146:3718-3723.
5.Chitnis MM, Yuen JS, Protheroe AS, et al: The type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor pathway. Clin Cancer Res 2008;14:6364-6370.
6.Werner H, Bruchim I: The insulin-like growth factor-I receptor as an oncogene. Arch Physiol Biochem 2009;115:58-71.
7.Davies M, Gupta S, Goldspink G, et al: The insulin-like growth factor system and colorectal cancer: clinical and experimental evidence. Int J Colorectal Dis 2006;21:201-208.
8.Sandhu MS, Dunger DB, Giovannucci EL: Insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), IGF binding proteins, their biologic interactions, and colorectal cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 2002;94:972-980.
9.Ma J, Pollak MN, Giovannucci E, et al: Prospective study of colorectal cancer risk in men and plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-binding protein-3. J Natl Cancer Inst 1999;91:620-625.
10.Giovannucci E, Pollak MN, Platz EA, et al: A prospective study of plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 and binding protein-3 and risk of colorectal neoplasia in women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2000;9:345-349.
11.Cannata D, Fierz Y, Vijayakumar A, et al: Type 2 diabetes and cancer: what is the connection? Mt Sinai J Med 2010;77:197-213.
12.Venkateswaran V, Haddad AQ, Fleshner NE, et al: Association of diet-induced hyperinsulinemia with accelerated growth of prostate cancer (LNCaP) xenografts. J Natl Cancer Inst 2007;99:1793-1800.
13.Thissen JP, Ketelslegers JM, Underwood LE: Nutritional regulation of the insulin-like growth factors. Endocr Rev 1994;15:80-101.

The post So You Want to Balance Your Hormones? This is Not The Way appeared first on Nutrient Rich.

Hi Friends,

I can't tell you how many times I have been criticized for promoting "90% or More," as the percentage of plant-based, nutrient-rich, whole foods you'll want to be eating, if you're going to have the level of health everyone is talking about, but so few actually experience.

Everyone seems to agree that we need to be eating "more plant-based nutrient-rich" foods, but when they discover they need to be eating up to 90% or more of these health-promoting foods, even most fitness and health professionals are like, "What? That much?"

Of course, the worry is that they won't enjoy eating "healthy" as much as they are enjoying eating "relatively healthy" or "healthier" than most people, (so they think), which underscores a point--if you don't understand what it means to eat nutrient rich, you may think you are eating healthy--when you're not!

And, many diet professionals are just as food-addicted as the clients they serve; it's often the blind leading the blind, no matter how well-intentioned. And, we wonder why people stay stuck in a vicious cycle of eating nutrient poor, unable to get to those healthy success results they've been promised.

They are either learning what is still a nutrient-poor way to eat, or just not taking it far enough even if they are eating a plant-based diet!

Look, I don't make rules when it comes to health, I just unearth them, and then call it the way it is. The rules are based on years and years of reviewing the evidence, with the help of the leading high nutrient density nutritional researchers, reflecting on decades of personal and client experiences to further reveal the patterns, trusting common sense, and the reality that the longest-lived populations all consume less than 10% of those foods considered to be nutrient poor, if they eat them at all.

Eating "Healthy," by it's very definition,  means eating "nutrient-rich," so why the lobby to tone it down-- especially, when you can be eating nutrient rich in as many great-tasting ways as you may be eating in nutrient-poor unhealthy ways? Does My permission, or someone Else's permission, and weaker definition for what is healthy make a difference?

As it is, every step, every percentage of movement toward a nutrient-rich healthy eating style is applauded, but does that mean we should set the bar low? No, not at all. After all, we each need something to strive for--don't we?

Are you fighting to maintain the status quo? If so, you might want to examine why--because it's an irrational, and addictive story playing in your head. We all have some irrational thinking in us, and that's OK, as long as we are not doubling down on it with more irrationality. What's your intention?

The reasons why you want to be eating nutrient rich are not so much about just eating "healthy" itself. Really, we shouldn't even have to talk about eating "healthy." That's a given. What's not a given is your capacity to function and perform well, which is what we all depend on every day.

When you tune in to that, you will naturally gravitate toward eating in a whole-food, plant-based, nutrient-rich way that you also enjoy, so that you can function and perform at the level you want.

The trap is the confusion over what is making us feel good in the short term, and giving us the perception of enhanced function and performance, when it's not.

You want to be eating in a way that improves the way you feel because genuinely improved health results in better personal performance.

How do you know you are eating nutrient rich?
You are eating healthy when:

1. You know what true hunger is and enjoy "getting hungry--actually earning it.
2. You don't have cravings--only desires to eat less often.
3. You can go 4-6 hours with no headache or symptoms.
4. You don't feel deprived at all, not one bit.
5. You see food "primarily" as fuel, and nourishment--as a means to a greater end, not as an end itself.
6. You don't have weight loss goals, but rather have daily objectives to eat in a way that keeps your body clean, fueled right, healthy, and functioning and performing at a high level. When you do that, as part of a whole lifestyle, which  supports you, you will live at or near your ideal weight, all the time.
7. You are confident about how you eat, and know beyond the shadow of doubt that you have comprehensive micro-nutrient adequacy. If you aren't yet eating plant-based, nutrient rich, or you have been doing so for a long time, and now want to optimize the way you eat for nutrient density, food volume, variety and great taste, so that you don't consume more calories than you need, click here to learn about the Nutrient Rich® Superfood Nutrition System.
8. You are not taking in calories, in any significant amounts, that contain what you don't need.
9. You are eating food in as close to its natural and original state, as possible.
10. You are enjoying the way you eat!

The post The 10 Ways to Know You Are Eating Nutrient Rich [Audio Blog for Subscribers] appeared first on Nutrient Rich.

There is a new voice in the nutrition community—and it is a booming one! John Allen Mollenhauer, a leading proponent of the More Plant-Based Nutrient Rich^® Approach to nutrient rich healthy eating, is proud to announce the re-launch of nutrientrich.com, a robust website chock full of goodies including The Complete Nutrient Rich^® Healthy Eating Plan and Support System that enables people to make “the Switch” from nutrient-poor unhealthy eating to the great-tasting “nutrient-rich” healthy eating style that is growing in popularity. The site also offers Mollenhauer’s Switch to Rich Digest, a Blog of well-written and researched relevant articles and current event commentary, on this revolutionary new eating style; a delicious and nutritious line of raw, whole, organic super food nutrition products at The Rezealiant Living Store; a comprehensive support system; and a healthy Recipe Database that is second to none! It is the culmination of his life’s work—and it shows! John Allen has wrapped it all up into the simplest and most direct path to success!

The beauty of the nutrient-rich way of eating and living is that you can eat Vegetarian or Vegan or not, gluten-free or not, organic or not, low calorie or not, low fat or not, and even low-carb or not--and still be eating the Nutrient Rich Way. It is an eating style that starts with optimizing the foods and meals you eat for nutrient density, variety, volume and great taste, free of addictive substance so you eat the right amount of calories for you, when you are truly hungry.

It is based on the emerging body of nutritional research that demonstrates the healing powers of higher-micro-nutrient per-calorie foods that detoxify the body, promote natural weight loss, dramatically improve health, reverse disease, and promote slower aging, a younger look and a longer life.

This is not a one-diet-fits-all approach; rather, nutrient-rich healthy eating is a normal and natural way to eat that is designed to meet all of your needs, all the time, including Great Taste!

“This is not just a website—it is a complete healthy eating system that starts delivering the minute you subscribe,” states Mollenhauer, a nutrition education trainer and performance lifestyle coach.

When people enter the site, they are invited to download a very revealing guide called, Wow, I Thought I Was Eating Healthy! Have You Tricked Yourself into ‘Believing’ You’re Eating a Healthy Diet? A must read, as it illuminates the 9 ‘healthier’ diet tactics that are causing us to gain weight, drain our energy and age faster.

After reading this insightful Guide, users are then invited to take a Personal Diet Quality (PDQ) Assessment, which provides them with a Nutrient Rich^® Healthy Eating Score, and recommendations for improvement, as well as a fun icon that inspires users to take the way they eat to a whole new level.

Next they get The Nutrient Rich Healthy Eating Plan, which is available in printed and digital formats including .pdf, and .epub and .noki for Ipad, Nook and Kindle ereaders, etc., and consists of:

• Step 1: Switch to Rich—Nutrient Rich^® Healthy Eating  
• Step 2: Shop, Organize, Prepare & Eat Out The Nutrient Rich^® Way
• Step 3: Simple, Quick & Easy^™ Nutrient Rich^® Recipes (created by Chef Ramses Bravo)
• Step 4: How to Lose Weight the Nutrient Rich^® Way!

The Plan also comes coupled with an extensive Membership Site, which includes online and phone support, a Member Forum, Training and Q&A Calls, with John Allen, and much, much more, as well as a free 300-gram, 30-day supply of Rezealiant "Living Feast" —the great-tasting, whole food, nutrient-rich low-calorie way to fill up, and also speed up body detoxification and natural weight loss!

After many years of being on the path of improving his eating and overall lifestyle, while developing a new worldview on how to live a healthy lifestyle successfully, and be better able to achieve your goals, known as Performance Lifestyle^®, John Allen wanted to establish a new standard of eating. Naturally, he arrived at eating nutrient rich because, as John Allen says, “All paths of dietary practice eventually lead to nutrient-rich healthy eating.”

Mentored early on, by Joel Fuhrman, MD, a leading physician and high-nutrient density nutrition researcher, John Allen became a consummate student on the subject and ultimately launched nutrientrich.com, and was one of the first in the world to begin defining how to eat in a nutrient-rich way.

John’s approach is fresh, modern and to the point. His clear and direct message fully explains what it means to eat "nutrient rich"—the buzz term for healthy eating that we have been hearing so much about these days, which is based on the cornerstone of nutrition called, "nutrient density.”

Mollenhauer says, “When I first caught wind of this idea, I didn’t approach it from a weight loss-only or an "eating healthier" motivation because, as a former body-builder, I had already traveled those paths and knew they didn’t provide sustainable results. Rather, I wanted to find the healthiest and most successful way to eat, and make that ‘The New Normal’ for people who were clearly suffering from hidden lifestyle challenges that were holding them back—the biggest of which, was how they were eating!”

And thanks to his tireless work this healthy eating style is finally being discovered by a whole new generation of people! However, John Allen admits that he did not discover this eating style all on his own and clearly acknowledges that The Nutrient Rich^® Healthy Eating Style and Plan were developed on the shoulders of giants—all of whom cleared the way by heroically doing the long-term studies, clinical work and research on plant-based nutrition and lifestyle intervention, as the way to live disease free. Throughout his career, John Allen has had the leadership and mentoring of many of these leading health and performance professionals, several of whom he now calls close friends, and many of whom are members of The Lifestyle Health and Science Advisory at nutrientrich.com. John simply mined all of the information and ideas he could find, taking the best of the best to create The Complete Nutrient Rich^® Healthy Eating Plan and Lifestyle Support System—the most direct path to success.

Nutrient-Rich eating is The Great-Tasting Healthy Way to Eat that delivers what he has coined as The 7 Success Results Every Body Wants—detoxification, natural weight loss, optimized health and performance, reversal of life-style induced diseases (being overweight, heart disease, and diabetes, etc.), slower aging, looking younger and maximized longevity.

“Eating nutrient rich is not a fad—once you discover it, you can’t go back,” adds Mollenhauer, CEO, Nutrient Rich Life., Inc.

"I can only imagine starting from this place when I began my search for the healthiest and most successful way to eat,” says John Allen, with a smile.

John Allen Mollenhauer invites the public to check out http://nutrientrich.com, where they can take their time in understanding this amazing new eating style, by reading and discovering their own paths to Nutrient Rich^® Healthy Eating!

The post Develop a “New Normal” Healthy Eating Style You Can Call Your Own appeared first on Nutrient Rich.

I thought I would share it with you.

The post Replay of Live Spreecast Interview with John Allen Mollenhauer on Making the Switch to Nutrient Rich Healthy Eating. appeared first on Nutrient Rich.