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Starting the Day with Sun-Derived Plant-Based Nutrients

Nutrient Rich — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:34:55 +0000

Sometimes it is truly amazing to realize how much of our daily lives are directly linked to the sun and to our diets. Our energy levels and our general daily functionality in the world we live in are all connected to the diet we choose to live by—and that diet is directly influenced by the energy of the sun. Our overall health is affected by so many things that we encounter—or we don’t encounter—every day. It is harder for us to get going on those sunless, overcast days or if we have to get up while it is still dark. Some days and in some places, you can’t even see the sun because of smog and other pollution. If the sun is out—even when the temperature is cold, don’t you always feel so much better? The sun can lift our spirits and lift our energy levels both directly and by the foods we eat—remember that a plant-based nutrient rich diet produces the nutrients we rely on by directly converting the energy of the sun by the photosynthetic process. So why not supplement your daily nutritional needs with the most effective boost you have at your disposal?

What exactly is the most effective boost at your disposal? The answer to that question is simple. By choosing a diet that

is largely (we suggest at least 90%) or More Plant Based Nutrient Rich foods. In other words, those foods that grows naturally on the planet! Plant based foods are simply the best way to give your body the energy and nutrients you need. The reason for this source of energy is the fact that plants receive their energy directly from the strongest energy source in our solar system, the sun. Plants vegetables, fruits, beans legumes, raw nuts and seeds, and whole grains) take the sun’s energy and through photosynthesis transfer the sun’s energy into the nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy. And these plants have a very nutrient dense nutritional value—this is what makes them an ideal choice for your diet. Data from large studies have definitively shown that vegetarian and vegan diets (even better when optimized for nutrient density) result in a healthier life, decreased early deaths, decreased deaths from heart disease and a decreased incidence of a number of chronic diseases.[1],[2],[3]

Now that the decision to live a nutrient rich life has been made, where do you start looking for your ideal meals? Many supermarkets carry a variety of nutrient rich foods for you to choose from. Most communities also have a farmers market where many organic, pure foods can be found. It’s probably best to begin with vegetables and fruits that you are already familiar with before you begin experimenting with non traditional foods so as not to shock your taste buds out of your new life plan. But remember that there are many nutrient rich foods that you can choose from!

The next step in this plan should be to purchase the Nutrient Rich® Healthy Eating System that will help you save years of time effort and money and give you the most direct path to eating successfully, the same way people in-the-know about health and nutrition do, even after they have been eating healthy for 20 years or more… These guides will give you several ideas on meals that you can make and get you started living a nutrient-rich life! These Nutrient Rich Recipe Guide v1.0 will also give you ideas on what kinds of different ingredients you can use—perhaps ingredients that you have never even thought about before!

[1] Lindbloom EJ., Long-term benefits of a vegetarian diet Am Fam Physician – 1-APR-2009; 79(7): 541-2

[2] Dewell A; Weidner G; Sumner MD; Chi CS; Ornish D., very-low-fat vegan diet increases intake of protective dietary factors and decreases intake of pathogenic dietary factors.
J Am Diet Assoc – 01-FEB-2008; 108(2): 347-56

[3] Chahbazi J; Grow S., Common foods and farming methods thought to promote health: what the data show. Prim Care – 01-DEC-2008; 35(4): 769-88.

Starchivore or Nutritarian

Nutrient Rich — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:41:31 +0000

Recently, I attended the VegSource Healthy Lifestyle Expo in Santa Monica California. After a few years, it was great to be back as I am a regular of this amazing "plant based" expo.
There were amazing presentations by some of the heavyweights in the plant based diet movement, including John McDougall M.D. and Joel Fuhrman M.D., both of whom are on the expert panel here at NutrientRich.com.

Interestingly, I learned that in February 2012, these two esteemed docs are going head to head with a very high profile CEO moderator to debate whether a plant based diet should be starch-based (potatoes, rice, corn etc) or vegetable-based (leafy greens, vegetables etc). For a little background on the subject, read this post on a plant "based" diet.

This is big stuff for people who are tuned into plant based nutrition as a key aspect of their lifestyle, and the consequences are big too. So most people want to get this right, and are dealing with a bit of an identity crisis, as the terminology around plant based eating for many (not all) is switching from eating "vegan or vegetarian" to "nutritarian" or eating "nutrient rich"; which can be vegan, but is about so much more. And I say that, not to discount one bit, the emotion and sentience that characterize an eating style that does not include the consumption of animals but only to highlight that there are other major benefits.

While out in California I had a conversation about this debate with another esteemed doctor whom will go unnamed in this article, over why there is so much tension around this issue.

Here are my thoughts:

Regarding our philosophical conversation about the potential winner of the upcoming "smackdown", one thing I realize clearly after this weekend, is that Dr. McDougal and Dr. Fuhrman are in two similar but very different conversations with the common theme of getting healthier, losing weight, and reversing disease.

Dr. McDougall IS most definitely helping people get healthy, lose weight and reverse disease as an enduring pioneer in plant based nutrition, and Dr. Fuhrman is doing the same, with an added focus on performance and longevity. The nutrient-rich way to eat is inherently a broader and more detailed discussion about maximizing health, performance AND longevity; hence, the focus on nutrient density, naturally reduced caloric intake as a result of comprehensive nutritional adequacy (not proactive calorie restriction AKA dieting) and minimization of even mild withdrawal symptoms caused by higher salt, more calorie rich, less nutrient dense foods.

Dr. Fuhrman gives additional attention to a new level of detail for maximizing healing, recovery and longevity overall. You probably know the studies on longevity, as an obviously astute researcher; combine them with performance and you have a very new message. That is not what Dr. McDougall is focused on in my assessment even though he enables improvements in both additional areas, somewhat, simply by virtue of that fact that he promotes a healthier diet than the SAD and weight loss only diets.

I support Dr. McDougall 100% nonetheless. I love what he does in the world. This is about the targeted benefits that require an evolution of the standard vegetarian or vegan or even the plant based message, to one that is based on maximizing the nutrient per calorie ratio of the foods you eat. Even though the end result may be similar, the mindset is greatly enhanced.

Dr. Fuhrman has just taken things to a new level, and one that in my assessment after the conference, many are simply just beginning to come to terms with, including many of the doctors in the plant based community. And it has naturally created tension. This is good. There are many entrenched nutritional paradigms that are getting uprooted and in some cases upstaged right now as the message about the healthiest way to eat through nutrient density or "nutritional excellence" evolves. The science of nutrient rich nutrition has emerged.

Healthy eating is not simply about not eating meat as you already know; it's about knowing how to eat a whole food, plant-based, nutrient-rich eating style optimally, and not everyone is ready for that. It depends on where they are in the nutrition transition we define and help people make, here at this site.

Dr. Fuhrman is focused on how to do that optimally, so you get all the real health benefits including maximum performance and longevity. This is true here a NutrientRich.com as well. Eating up to 90% or More, Plant Based Nutrient Rich is not inherently about weight loss, but weight loss and living at or near your ideal weight all year round, is a natural consequence of eating for health, performance and longevity. This is a complimentary but broader more detailed discussion and the reason why the discussion about what your diet is "based" in, has been so tenuous. These two doctors are sending similar but different messages.

Dr. Fuhrman is basing his approach on the most nutrient dense foods that are naturally low calorie, with higher calorie yet still nutrient-rich foods in smaller amounts pending activity levels. He refers to people who seek the most nutrients per calorie as a "nutritarian".

Dr. McDougall is basing his approach on calorically dense foods that are still considered nutrient rich, with the most nutrient rich, lower calorie foods added in after a person get's enough calories. He refers to the person who eats a starch based diet as a "starchivore".

Both of these approaches have their merits but become more meaningful, relevant and actionable when you understand the complex of benefits they are designed to realize for the healthy eater. Pending the array of benefits you are seeking, where you are in your nutrition transition, and other individualized considerations, will determine what approach you take.

In my view, if a person is not active enough, or is starchy carb sensitive, they can very easily gain weight as a starchivore especially after they have been eating this way for a while and their body has transitioned fully from their previous usual nutrient poor diet. If a person who is eating a vegetable based diet as primates do, and needs more calories, or to eat more often for any of a variety of potential reasons, they can just do so; but they are surely going to get the most nutrient rich foods when they eat with the nutrient density of foods in mind first and foremost. And this favors a vegetable based diet since vegetables are the most nutrient rich foods around and the best for healthy weight loss. Especially in a world that is not that active anymore. This is why in my opinion, one eats kale before corn and romaine before russet potatoes…

This broader conversation requires a great deal of additional nutritional education to understand concepts not yet commonly discussed in the vegan, vegetarian, now plant based community, so it's no wonder that some percentage of people are going to misinterpret, or simply miss aspects of the message. It's inevitably going to happen, but that does not in anyway constitute a message gone awry. It's a message not yet fully understood, that requires at least a basic nutritional education.That's what I see.

After a few years away from this conference, following 6 prior years of attendance, and a 23 year evolution to this point on this very subject, I could see this pretty clearly.

It was an amazing conference!

Consumers say they’re eager to eat a more plant-based diet, but need help understanding how.

Nutrient Rich — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:49:27 +0000

On a day with Nutrient Rich, the new two word buzz term for healthy eating, we are beginning to see the consumer research come out about what they want to learn. According to the National Peanut Board (biases factored in)… "consumers say they're eager to eat a more plant-based diet, but need help understanding how, research finds."

What was so surprising was the intense focus on a "plant based diet", a term you only learned among the early adopters and "foodies" in years past, and the use of the new term in nutrition "nutrient rich".

From the "Skinny On Nuts"

Vocabulary Lesson:

In the past few years, a new term has been added to the nutrition dictionary: nutrient rich (nutrient density to those who want to be really fancy). The American Dietetic Association defines nutrient density as a way to compare the nutrients provided to the calorie count in a single food. According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, nutrient rich foods are foods that provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals for relatively few calories (USDA, 2005)2005).

National Peanut Board launches new skinnyonnuts.com site to assist (in making the Switch to Rich!)

ATLANTA, March 09, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — While most consumers say they agree with recommendations in the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans that call for eating a more plant-based diet — rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and other plant-based foods — only a third believe they’re knowledgeable about how to do so.

That’s one key finding in research commissioned by the National Peanut Board (NPB) that led to the creation of skinnyonnuts.com – a new web site focused on helping consumers decipher the recently released dietary guidelines and increasing their consumption of nuts and other plant-based foods.

“Americans have never been more conscious about eating nutritious foods, but they’re saying they need help to turn that desire into action,” explained registered dietitian Deanna Segrave-Daly.

Along with information about plant-based diets, skinnyonnuts.com features nutrition and health information, recipes and energy-boosting snack ideas. It also presents tips on eating a gluten-free diet and managing food allergies.

“When you consider that 90 percent of American pantries contain one or more jars or peanut butter, sometimes the challenge is as straightforward as connecting the dots to foods people already enjoy,” said Raffaela Marie Fenn, president and managing director of the National Peanut Board. “That’s precisely why we created this new site.”

Among the research findings:

While 66 percent of respondents believe they are very or generally knowledgeable about nutrition and diet overall, only 33 percent say they are very or generally knowledgeable about plant-based diets.

67 percent did not know that eating a more plant-based diet could help manage overeating and craving.

38 percent said say they’re mostly or usually eating a plant-based diet today, with 68 percent admitting they definitely or probably should consume more plant-based foods.

According to respondents, three challenges in particular make it difficult for them to eat a more plant-based diet: eating out or eating at other peoples’ homes, staying with a plant-based diet and finding tasty, enjoyable foods and recipes.

Fewer than half (41 percent) of respondents said they are very or generally knowledgeable about nuts, their nutritional value or the role they play in eating a more plant-based diet.

Read More…

Learn more about making the Switch to Rich!

A Nutrient Dense or “Nutrient Rich” Diet: A Working Definition

Nutrient Rich — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:18:40 +0000

Nutrient Rich.com: Eat up to a 90% or More, Whole Foods, Plant-Based, Nutrient Rich Diet. AKA Nutrient Dense diet.

A Nutrient Rich Diet is guided by the Nutritarian Food Pyramid created by Joel Fuhrman M.D., the leader in high nutrient density nutritional research and education.

A Nutrient Rich diet is based primarily on real, whole natural foods of plant origin. In our current market most of the foods sold are packaged as “natural” when they are in fact inherently not natural, nor nutrient rich, and while animal foods are arguably considered “whole foods” in the market, they are not considered “nutrient rich” either. Ref: The Food Class System.

A Nutrient Rich diet includes raw and cooked foods with a smaller percentage of cooked foods, but can be raw or high-raw if you want it to be. Some foods can increase in nutritional value when cooked conservatively and substantial nutrients are neither lost or destroyed. (Example: Soups)

A Nutrient Rich diet can include small amounts of animal products – ideally wild, grass fed or farm-raised – if you eat them. Many people feel better eating small amounts of animal products in their diet for a variety of reasons, although this is not essential for healthy eating.

A Nutrient Rich diet can include processed foods where the nutrient value and integrity are maintained. (Example: smoothies, hummus and chopped salads…)

A Nutrient Rich diet eliminates and/or limits refined foods where the nutrients are stripped out and pleasure stimulating chemicals are either left in or added which can cause addiction, over consumption and rapid increase of insulin levels and disease potential.

A Nutrient Rich diet is able to creatively duplicate the same pleasing effects of traditional junk food without the harmful result of overly refined products. You can actually have your cake and eat it too; although this is technically not “natural” even if made from whole natural, nutrient dense foods that are processed and the nutrient value and integrity are maintained.

A Nutrient Rich diet can be customized to the individual based on their genetic predisposition, blood tests, and prior conditions with the help of a qualified health care practitioner. Environment, present situation, preferences and goals also play a big role. Supplementation may be essential, even though you are eating a nutrient-rich diet.

A Nutrient Rich diet is a lifestyle decision that works with your body’s natural systems.

A Nutrient Rich diet is the cornerstone of a successful lifestyle that is health promoting.

The General Process of Transitioning from nutrient poor to a Nutrient Rich Diet

Nutrient Rich — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:45:35 +0000

This is what most people go through when transitioning from nutrient poor to a plant, based, whole foods, Nutrient Rich diet. What you’ll notice is that until you actually go the next level in healthy eating, you will suffer from one diet trap after another!

Ref: The Food Class System

1. We eat the standard American diet (SAD) – including limited amounts of 1st class nutrient rich foods.
Basically 80-90% 2nd and 3rd class foods which are nutrient poor, overly concentrated, and overly stimulating, leave us over fed, yet chronically undernourished, driving us to over consume.

2. We then eat less of the SAD otherwise known as “dieting” and this means less of the nutrient poor foods that are not serving us to begin with, or promoting our health as a whole, and this makes you feel like you’re starving, reinforces craving and overeating. You are merely riding the fence, trying to eat better, yet predominantly nutrient poor at the same time. This is a weight gain diet, posing as a weight loss diet.

3. We get so frustrated and go back to one, because we want the freedom of “just eating” what’s there and as much as we want. S0, we head back for pleasure. Problem is we’re headed back to nutrient poor foods as the basis of our diet which undermines our health, happiness and personal performance.

4. You may go through this process (1-3) a few times. This makes sense given the strategy up until this point, doesn’t work and really can’t work for anyone.

5. Eventually, we start to “get” that we need to being eating predominantly first class, nutrient rich foods with small amounts of second class foods if you eat them, and very small amounts of third class foods if you eat them at all; but instead of eventually going 90% of the way, or more, you sit on the fence, doing the same you’ve always done eating long shelf life animal based products, and economical, highly refined over stimulating foods because you are used to them and know them better. While eating a little bit healthier it’s not enough change to give the shift any momentum. This is the “wash your pastry down with some veggies”, “take your vitamins”, “eat healthy when I’m sick”, and the “token vegetable on the side” strategy. It always fails because while eating a little bit better is good, eating healthy is what works!

6. We may again go back to #1.

7. Then we get smarter and realize that we have to a) go beyond eating “plain vegetables” at a time when our taste buds are geared for sugar cereals, bagels and butter, pretzels, steak, pasta, cake… and b) let our taste buds adjust as we focusing on how to shop, organize, prepare and eating out the nutrient rich way; discovering the full breadth and depth of eating a great tasting nutrient rich diet style, and c) get into a more successful lifestyle – no wonder we get the wrong impression when it comes to eating healthy. (BTW, when it comes to eating Nutrient Rich, “boring” is a word that just does not apply).

8. The taste bud adjustment period is the only tough time you’ll have, not because the foods you’re now choosing to eat aren’t great tasting, but because you’ll experience some withdrawal symptoms from 2nd and particularly 3rd class foods which are low in nutrients or have all the nutrients stripped out and only the pleasure inducing chemicals left in. So, while perhaps less intensive, it’s a little like getting off drugs! We have to be careful not to associate the pain of withdrawal from the lower class foods, to the emerging pleasure of health promoting, Nutrient Rich foods, which frankly taste better.

You decide to go to the next level in healthy eating!

9. Then you realize “hey there are more great tasting foods to eat, that are Simple, Quick & Easy to eat than there are days in the year! You feel good while you’re eating and even better after, and you can avoid all the dieting “traps” behind. You can just live and be free and enjoy all the discovery of nutrient rich foods, from fast to gourmet made from predominantly, if not all, first class foods – vegetables, fruits, legumes/beans, raw nuts and seeds, whole unrefined grains and natural seasonings, sauces and gravies that make already great tasting foods taste even better!!

10. You may again go back to testing the old foods, but this is only normal! Just do it, get the experience and press on towards eating first class Nutrient Rich foods anyway.

11. After a while your taste buds shift and you realize you are achieving weight loss in the process of getting incredibly healthy. And there is no reason to turn back to foods that make you overweight and sick, despite the fact that they are designed to stimulate your taste buds and they still will. But eventually you resolve to say that the secondary effects of these food stuffs, beyond the initial pleasure-inducing chemical “hits”, can not be tolerated by your body, so you go after more of a good thing! More great tasting health promoting nutrient rich foods that give you optimal health and the foundation for high performance.

12.        You realize that weight loss is just one of the many benefits of something bigger and more important – health and high performance. During this phase you can lose a lot of weight as your body starts getting healthy food consistently for maybe the first time in your life. There are many dynamics going on during this phase but the biggest is that your body begins a major transition towards health and literally rebuilds itself using better quality foods.This is a very fun period!

13.        High performance is now possible because your body IS nutrient rich always satiated and full. Combined with the other aspects of a PerformanceLifestyle – you start getting a real handle on your lifestyle and   become very passionate.

14.       You start setting goals that are not food based, but life based and you begin to realize that the better you eat, the better you are able to function and perform. You leave the obsession with dieting in the past and continue to learn and make new distinctions about how you are eating, thinking and living.

15.        You start living your life at the next level, no longer mired in diet traps, and low level concepts that keep you stuck, you get it and get on with your life focused on bigger and better things.

Again, there are lots of little steps and dynamics that go on in this process, but these are the basic steps a person goes through when they are transitioning to a nutrient rich diet.

Read them again and again.

Nutrient Rich Food Interview with John Allen Mollenhauer, by Joe Meglio

Nutrient Rich — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:11:22 +0000

Recently, Joe Meglio of of Meglio Fitness interviewed Me (John Allen Mollenhauer) on Eating Nutrient Rich for Athletes.

The Nutrient Rich Athlete is the new trend in athletics whereby everyone from the bodybuilder to the endurance athlete is realizing the next level in healthy eating is not about eating more animal protein, but rather natural foods which take the stress off the digestive system, give the body the nutrients it needs to stay healthy, function and perform well, free of overwhelm, so they can have more energy for performance.

Joe ask a few basic yet key questions on people minds that you are sure to enjoy, and there will be a part II!

==>> Click here to listen… to the interview!

About Joe Meglio

Joe Meglio is a strength & conditioning coach at the Underground Strength Gym in Edison, New Jersey. He is mentored by one of the brightest minds in the strength and conditioning industry, Zach Even-Esh. While Joe has worked with various athletes at the high school, college and professional level, Joe specializes in the training of baseball players. In addition to training athletes, Joe has written numerous articles for EliteFTS.com. Aside from being a strength coach, Joe competed in his first power lifting meet on December 11, 2010 and set the NJ State squat, dead lift and Total records in his weight class and division. He will be graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson University in May of 2011 with a BS in Entrepreneurial Studies and is captain of the FDU Devils baseball team. For more information on Joe Meglio and his unique training methods please check out his website. You can also follow him on Facebook here.

==>> Click here to listen… to the interview!