Recently, the great Sir Paul McCartney wrote an article in the Huffington Post called "My Life as a Vegetarian", reflecting on the life of his late wife Linda McCartney, who started a movement with Meatless Mondays, and who like John Robbins, among others leaders in plant-based nutrition, brought to our awareness the fact that eating animals every time we sit down for a meal; for some multiple times per day, has a huge, negative impact not only on our health but on other species inhabiting our planet and the environment.

It's a great article and is accompanied by a new campaign that Sir Paul is coming out with to continue her legacy. Have a read...

That said, many people miss the main point about eating More Plant-Based, Nutrient Rich and 'potentially' going Vegetarian or Vegan.

Let me clarify...

From a 'nutritional' point of view (which is where most people are focused, on health and weight loss...), eating More Plant-Based, Nutrient Rich is not primarily an animal rights or environmental issue. These points of view are directly related, but whole 'other' conversations in and of themselves. And while these are major reasons why many people choose to eat less or eliminate meat or animal products from their diet, reasons I/we as a company do support for switching up the way people eat; they are not the primary reasons we need to be eating more plant-based, nutrient-rich diets. Not understanding the main reason, is also the primary cause of diet, weight and long-term health issues.

Note: We say plant-based, "nutrient rich" because according to Joel Fuhrman M.D. the SAD Standard American Diet is actually a "plant-based" diet with 62% of calories coming from refined plant foods, 25% of calories coming from animal products, and roughly 12% coming from vegetables and fruit (mostly from fries and ketchup), of which, only 5% come from fresh produce!

Translation: If you understand that refined foodstuffs are nutrient-barren, even if they come from plants, then the above statistics reveal that 90% or more of the foods people are eating are nutrient poor- meaning they are devoid of any substantial amount of phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals and health-promoting forms of protein, carbohydrates and fat.

Eliminating or limiting meat and going "plant based" is not enough; not nearly. Even if you eliminate or limit nutrient-poor animal foods from your diet, you may still be eating just a healthier version of the same SAD nutrient barren diet, as many do, resorting to fake meats and an endless variety of refined foods that are not much better than the foods they aim to supplant; which is why we say, "More Plant-Based Nutrient Rich".

"Nutrient Rich" means the foods are whole food of plant origin, not refined (they can be processed, but not refined). Understanding this, is what ensures you will actually be eating healthy. And for many, realizing this prompts them to make the "switch" to 90% or More, Plant-Based, Nutrient Rich, healthy eating, or to at least get on that path, away from how they are eating right now.

So, when we talk about eating More Plant Based Nutrient Rich, we are first and foremost talking about eating in a way that optimizes your health, by eating mostly micronutrient-rich foods--leafy, green, and colored vegetables and fruits, beans, seeds, nuts, and whole grains, small amounts of animal products if you choose to eat them and outright eliminating refined foods which provide no nutritional value whatsoever; in great-tasting ways you like and enjoy.

Eating "nutrient rich" is not 'about' going vegan or vegetarian (although by all means do if you are ready and want to). Few, if any primates are actually 100% vegan (at the very least, they are also consuming insects, etc.). Even though we can thrive very well in being 100% vegan (there is more than enough science to make this point intelligently, and we are in no way discouraging you from going vegan; the main point in eating More Plant-Based, Nutrient Rich and potentially going vegetarian or vegan is about making sure you are meeting all your nutrient needs. In addition, not overwhelming your body with substances that it does not need from foods, and eating foods in as close to their natural state as possible to protect nutrient integrity.

You want to make sure you are in line with The 5 Golden Rules of Healthy Eating.

So, if you are going to go vegan (which can be an ideal way to eat if it's nutritarian or nutrient rich), or improve the way you eat in any way towards that direction, make sure you understand the main point-- its a necessity to eat the More Plant Based Nutrient Rich foods for purposes of staying healthy!

Nutrients, Nutrient Diversity and Nutrient Quality. Learn More, next.

The post Are You Missing the Main Point of Eating More Plant-Based Nutrient Rich and Potentially Going Vegetarian or Vegan? appeared first on Nutrient Rich.

Green and / or lean?

See the Nutrient Rich Food and Recipe Database at nutrientrich.com

This is a big question and it’s been on the minds of people for decades, particularly the last 50 years. This question raises countless more questions about health, whether you’ll get enough protein, calcium etc, and less importantly, but no less urgent for most people, it raises questions around weight.

What’s the best way to lose weight or burn fat when it comes to diet?

Is it lean foods or green foods?

Well, if you consider the primary message of the diet industry, the dominant answer has been "low carb", which, translates to eating lean, high protein animal foods that have virtually no carbohydrate. If you are relatively inactive, depriving your body of carbohydrate works just about every time to quickly eliminate water weight and promotes the use of body fat as a fuel source.

Given the fact that most people are relatively inactive (physically speaking) and the fact that animal foods taste good, are super stimulating and therefor "boost" your metabolism, they are great for weight loss, and this is a particularly powerful message.

Sounds wonderful doesn’t it?

You don’t have to have a particularly healthy lifestyle and you can manage your weight!

Millions bought into this seemingly intelligent message and still do, even though, the low carb message has fallen out of favor since is main proponent, Dr Robert Atkins, of the Atkins Diet died of a heart attack, because of an animal product based diet.

Whoops, he diet clogged his arteries.

The problem, even though eating predominantly lean low carb foods, like lean chicken and fish (and now bison) another lean, low carb, fat loss food, helps you lose weight and are rich in some nutrients, they are nutrient poor poor as a whole food.

They are defined as whole foods, but nutrient rich, they are not.

Yeah, you heard me, chicken and fish are nutrient poor.

Want to know why?

Lets look at lean:

* Their protein is not health promoting: Ref: The China Study - The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted, Revealing the Relationship Between Diet and Disease with Startling Implications!

* They are high in saturated fat and loaded with injected hormones. Even if they are grass fed, they are still loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol.

* They have virtually no carbohydrate,
* And while they are rich in some vitamins and minerals, and "EFAs" (fish)…
* They have no fiber,
* They have no water, and
* They have no phytochemicals… you know those things that protect your cells and keep you free of radical toxins in your system?
* They also promote faster growth and "aging" for that matter,
* And, not to mention, the mass production of animal foods just plain rapes the earth.

If you compare the natural resources required to produce one pound of beef versus a bushel of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts or grains, you would be startled. And given our current environmental situation in the world, producing nutrient poor animal foods at that cost seems hardly worth it.

Especially, when the unspoken but generally accepted and primary reasons why we eat animal products at the level we do, are as follows -

1) We still think that animal foods represent "rich" and affluence.

Historically and socially eating animal foods meant you were eating first class, but that was when calories ware scarce and regular access to animal foods was rare. Kings and queens weren’t exactly known for their health and fitness; rather gout, diabetes and heart disease.

Today food is abundant for most people, and the only thing animal foods are rich in, besides some nutrients are calories and substances your body does not need. Yes, they are rich in protein but I don’t think anyone is suffering from a lack of protein these days, given it’s in everything, and the only way you would ever show signs of protein deficiency would be if you were lacking calories.

2) We eat animal foods because they help physically less active people maintain their weight.

And for those who are more active, they lose even more weight!

That’s it.

It’s easy to lose weight the nutrient poor way, eating a low carb, high animal protein diet if you want. The only thing you need to do for fat loss, is trade your health!

Does that sound like a fair trade to you?

I dont think so.

You need a Nutrient Rich diet to be optimally healthy, for higher performance and only nutrient rich foods, will promote natural weight loss if you know how. That would mean you would need to know how to lose weight the nutrient rich way and that’s a different discussion.

Even if they are lean, animal foods can’t hold a candle to green foods that are Nutrient Rich.

Now let’s look at green:

Green foods, don’t just mean salads and string beans, they refer to foods that are rich in all the nutrients we need to succeed, and they don’t contain food stuffs we don’t need, like saturated fat and cholesterol, and they are good for the planet.

* Their protein is health promoting: Ref: The China Study - The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted, Revealing the Relationship Between Diet and Disease with Startling Implications!

* They don’t have saturated fat and aren’t with injected hormones. We don’t have to talk about grass fed, becuase they grow in the same stuff grass does.
* They don’t have cholesterol
* They have real food carboydrate
* They are vitamins and minerals, and "EFAs" (nuts)…
* They have plenty of fiber,
* They have plenty of whater
* They are rich the thousands of phytochemicals… you know those things that protect your cells and keep you free of radical toxins in your system?
* They do not promote faster growth and reduce the rate of "aging" for that matter,
* And, their mass production better respect the earth we live in.

See the Nutrient Rich Food and Recipe Database at nutrientrich.com

Right now one of the biggest consumers of oil, and our food, is the animal products industry, to the tune of over 30%! This just doesn’t make sense on any front other than economics because this industry employes a great many people. That I cannot deny, it is a reality and one that needs to be taken into consideration. Why else would anyone support the production of animal protein at over $10,000 per lb…(true!) It happens because of the economy, it has nothing to do with healthy nutrition.

Note: For those of you who are right now, thinking "I know where this is headed" keep reading… this is not an article on being a vegan or a carnivore or a vegetarian.

When you are going beyond optimal health, and demanding high performance (like most people are these days) you will have increased needs for protein, amongst increased needs for other nutrients too.

There are easy ways to increase your nutrient intake without having to eat so much extra food, and can promote faster recovery without accumulating health problems from eating too much of foods that are known to be rich in protein, but cause other health problems - that’s the subject of another article.

Green and / or lean?

Well, let’s discuss this, with a commitment to the most considerate answer.

The premise to the answer is this.

There are 3 Classes of foods…

The foundation of a healthy diet, are the first class foods we call nutrient rich, the worlds healthiest foods on the planet. They are rich in all the nutrients we need to function and perform optimally, for health and success.

The most nutrient rich are leafy greens, then beans, fruits, raw nuts and seeks and whole unrefined grains. Smaller amounts of second class foods we call nutrient poor, if you eat them. Thy are rich in some nutrients but as a whole they are nutrient poor; such as lean fish, chicken, low fat dairy….

Whatever you do, don’t base your diet on them!

And get rid of refined foods, if you eat them at all. Notice I didn’t say processed (there are many health promoting processed foods). I said "refined" foods where the nutrient value has been literally stripped out of them, with virtually nothing left but stimulating chemicals. These are third class foods otherwise known as Nutrient Barren.

What you do you want to eat?

• First class?
• Second class?
• or
• Third class?

I think you have your answer.

Today, "eating first class" means eating at least 90% of nutrient rich foods that are "rich" in nutrients and appropriate in calories. Not all nutrient rich foods are low in calories, but because they are rich in all the nutrients you need for your body to succeed, you just don’t need to eat that much of them.

The better you eat, the less you need to eat, for health, higher performance and natural weight loss.

The question is, how are you going to transition your diet to Nutrient Rich, to accomplish your personal objectives like health, higher performance, natural weight loss?

~ JAM

John Allen Mollenhauer "JAM" is the founder the Performance Lifestyle Community and Training Center where every day achievers - fast tracked business owners, professionals and parents learn how to maintain higher levels of health, energy and fitness so they can perform well and achieve their goals while maintaining their quality of life.

As a former worn down workaholic turned Healthy High Achiever, John Allen Mollenhauer (aka “John Allen”) helps you optimize your lifestyle similar to the way athletes do for better results, even if you are not into sports or a fitness enthusiast. Unleash your full potential to perform, look and feel better and achieve your goals even more successfully, in a Performance Lifestyle.

He is also the founder of Nutrient Rich - The Most Successful Way to Eat for Health, High Performance and Natural Weight Loss, and Lose weight the Nutrient Rich Way.

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