Time to bust this weight loss-only myth once and for all!

The Truth: You CAN eat carbs — the "good" ones! Yes, you read that right. You CAN eat carbs and still lose weight! I know that a lot of trendy diets (like Atkins and Paleo) have popped up over the years based on the principle that a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet is the key to weight loss. It's not.

I’m here to tell you that is mostly false and very unhealthy: You don’t have to banish carbs to lose weight. Even though you may want to limit starches, you don't have to succumb to a nutrient poor diet of animal protein and limited fruits, because you are afraid of gaining weight.

In fact, eating "nutrient rich" fruits as part of a superfood, high-nutrient density, or nutritarian eating style will even aid in your weight-loss efforts as your nutrient needs get met, you don't overwhelm your body with what does not promote health, and you naturally eat less. Think about it — fruits and vegetables have carbohydrates and they are the two best food groups out there. The key is choosing the right carbs to consume. Here are a few other reasons why carbs are NOT the enemy.

Healthy carbs help you feel full. But muffins, cupcakes, french fries, white bread, white rice…? These are the evil carbs. These refined and processed carbohydrates have very little nutritional value and can definitely make you gain weight — which is why it’s about time you replaced them with a healthy version or just eliminated them altogether. Carbohydrates that are 100 percent whole grain and fiber rich help you feel full because they get absorbed slowly into your system and keep your blood sugar balanced, and come packaged with thousands of nutrients.

Other healthy carbs that fit the bill? Look to non starchy vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains like quinoa (which is technically a seed), oats, wild rice...
Our bodies need carbs for fuel. Limiting carbs will never work long-term because our bodies crave and need them for obvious reasons. Depriving yourself of a major food group like beans for example, is not a manageable weight-loss plan because, like the elimination or limiting of fruits, the replacements wreak havoc on your metabolism.

One study found that women who severely restricted their carbohydrates for three days ended up binging on carbs the fourth day — eating 44 percent more calories from carbohydrate foods than they had before they restricted their carb intake. You should have real food carbs, health promoting protein, and essential fat in the the quantities they are available in whole natural foods.

Carbohydrate also help fight disease. People who eat three servings of whole grains a day are 30 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. And that's just whole grains. The right mix of healthy "Nutrient Rich" carbs (because you are not just getting carbs when you eat nutrient rich foods) is the best way to control your blood sugar and avoid diabetes. Carbohydrate rich foods are also the vehicle for many of nature’s disease fighters, like phytochemicals.

Without real food carbohydrates, we’d be sitting ducks for cancer, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, chronic inflammation, and digestive problems.

The Bottom Line: Remember, while you should ditch white flour and white rice from your diet and cut back on refined carbohydrates, it is a mistake to eliminate all carbs. Healthy carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains are an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. Enjoy!

The post MYTH: Carbs Are the Enemy 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.

As described by Michael Greger MD in this recent NutritionFacts video, this particular version of the Healthy Eating Score is proposal for a phytochemical index to help people determine if they are eating healthy and to create a score.

One distinction that I think is interesting is that phytonutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential for life, whereas phyto "chemicals" are merely essential for a long and healthy life. Isn't that a pretty revealing idea?

Which one do you want?

If you haven't already learned, here a nutrientrich.com, we talk about the vague nature of the words "healthy eating".

Everyone thinks they are eating “healthy,” but most are not because they don't really know what this means. It should mean you are eating a nutrient-rich diet, rich in phytochemicals, etc., but for most people, "healthy eating" is just a vague idea, some sort of directionless process that seems rather uninspiring. It may result in you living longer for reasons that are unknown or not understand, but compared to a weight-loss diet, which has a goal of being slim, it just falls flat.

By the weight loss-only measure, any method for manipulating calories or a body function that promotes weight loss, makes a food "healthy" even if it is not. We are changing that here at nutrientrich.com.

With the whole concept of eating nutrient rich emerging, for the first time we have a definition for what healthy eating truly means. it can now be defined as eating up to 90% or More Plant-Based Nutrient Rich foods, and optimizing the way you eat for nutrient density, calories and volume with a focus on eating great-tasting foods meals and menus that you like free of addictive substances, and get these Success Results--detoxify your body, lose weight naturally, improve your health and personal performance, reverse disease, age slower, look younger and maximize your longevity. Whew!

Sure, you can stay alive and survive, by merely eating the SAD Standard American Diet, eating a few nutrient-rich foods on top of your nutrient-poor eating style, and taking your vitamins, but you can only get the kinds of health benefits and Success Results mentioned above, and live a long and healthy life by letting the majority of what you eat come from foods that are rich in phytochemicals.

The average person eating the SAD is currently getting a Healthy Eating Score, as defined in the video, of 12 on a scale of 1-100!

Watch the video to calculate your healthy eating score. Just remember that this is not really a healthy eating score the way we deliver it and improve it here at nutrientrich.com. In the video it's really a nutrient rich score that they are talking about, based on the percentage of foods you eat that are high in phytochemicals.

A true healthy eating score is about your overall style of eating, and the actual nutrient-rich foods you eat is only part of that, albeit a key part.

At nutrientrich.com, we will help you assess your style of eating.

Improving a true Healthy Eating Score, means Switching to Rich--Nutrient Rich Healthy Eating.

Just imagine what would happen to your results if you were eating up to 90% or More Plant-Based Nutrient Rich.

Then to you weight loss only diets would then seem like you were sold short. Well, if you are are only losing weight, you are being sold short.

The post Do You Know Your Healthy Eating Score? appeared first on Nutrient Rich.

I'll share with you a few insights on each of these going-nowhere approaches to losing weight that make up most of the $50B diet industry supposedly about helping you lose weight, when really it's about keeping you diet trapped!

• Nutrient Deprivation: or manipulation is about drastically cutting or eliminating carbohydrate out of your diet. The problem with this approach is that our bodies run on carbohydrate for fuel and we ALL have a sweet tooth, for that very reason. Carbohydrates are sweet, even natural carbs. When most people cut their carbohydrate they typically cut out plant foods, where there is ample, natural carbohydrate, and base their diets on fish, chicken and other meats which are also devoid of carbohydrate and great for quick-fix weight loss (water loss). The minute you do this you are now eating nutrient poor because animal foods are nutrient poor, missing whole categories of nutrients; the most important being phytochemicals. You can't be healthy this way, therefore you will always have weight and health problems.
  
  
• Proactively eating less: This is dieting, and most people are proactively eating less on top of nutrient deprivation. Meaning, the nutrient needs their body is striving to meet, aren't getting met, and now they are eating less on top of it! This is like having your food on the break and the gas pedal at the same time; you will chase your tail this way. Nobody can do this, unless you are an adept dieter almost warrior-like with deprivation. Some people can do it, as they buy into the "heroic" story of weight loss thinking that they must live this deprived live to deal with their lot in life. It's a great accomplishment, losing weight, but it's not heroic and doesn't require heroism. It requires that you understand how to eat in a nutrient rich way, as part of a successful lifestyle.
  
  
• Dependency on exercise to burn calories: This is the all time biggest sham ever! Exercise is not about losing weight, it's about getting fit. Sure, you use more calories when you exercise; your weight will fluctuate with increased activity levels and usually in the right direction, but trying to burn up nutrient poor and nutrient barren calories by relying on exercise is a futile way of life. It also does not prevent your from experiencing health complications even if you were to maintain a lower weight.
  
  

There is a diet trap that is holding almost everyone back from getting all the health and natural weight loss benefits they want and it is eating 90% or more nutrient poor food! No matter what type of diet you go on Paleo, low carb, vegan, vegetarian, low fat, low cal, low glycemic, gluten free etc... if you are eating nutrient poor you will struggle guaranteed, or sell yourself short from getting ALL the health benefits that you deserve from a nutrient rich healthy eating style.

To name the top health benefits...

• Detoxification from the accumulation of saturated fat, cholesterol, refined and added oil, salt and sugar that are causing problems in your system.
  
  
• Reversal of diet style-induced diseases, like diabetes, and heart-disease...
  
  
• Natural Weight Loss, which happens when you know the cycles your body has to get through before you eat again.
  
  
• Slower Aging and a younger look, which happens when you aren't eating overstimulating food that promotes inflammation, and super fast growth...
  
  
• Maximized Longevity, which is the natural result of getting more nutrients in less calories, causing less stress, wear and tear on your body, and managing your energy!
  
  

When you lose weight the nutrient rich way, you engage in the same natural process that healthy people living at or near their ideal weight engage in to maintain their healthy state. You get ALL your nutrient needs met, get free of substances you'll inevitably have to withdraw from (detoxify) that create addictions, and eat when you are truly hungry... when all three of these dynamics are in play, you WILL lose weight, only now in a nutrient rich way!

Make the Switch to Rich; begin the Nutrient Rich® Healthy Eating Plan with Nutrition Transition support.

The post Lose Weight the Nutrient Rich Way in 2012 appeared first on Nutrient Rich.

This Was Then: Rosie in May 2010

She's my partner Rosie Battista.

Not only did she lose weight in a Nutrient Rich way, she fulfilled a long held ambitious dream to compete in a figure competition and better yet with her 20 year old daughter who is also a site to behold.

Rosie joined me about 10 months ago, to help me found the new nutrientrich.com and The Lifestyle Coaching Center where we operate from, when the dream to compete in a figure competition entered her mind.

This was not a simple decision for Rosie; at that time she was dealing with some major life stresses that warranted changes she needed to be make; in addition to facing all the challenges that would face her preparing for her first figure competition ever.

Not only had she never done something like this before, but she was going to do it with her 20 year old daughter, while turning 50, while selling her home, while moving, and getting into a new aspect of her career. All of  this meant she was going to face at times overwhelming changes, emotions, and demands on her energy.

I was suspect that this was a good idea, given all that she was in process with to restructure her life, and it was challenging for me, because as someone promoting health, most body building and figure competitions promote the exact opposite (even though it is healthy to lose weight) and I know from having been an amateur body builder years ago.

But Rosie, was determined to do it and determined to do it in a healthy way.

The Turning Point Was In Her Kitchen.

Now when Rosie makes a decision she really makes a decision as I look back in retrospect. Things had been very challenging for her last year with some major life changes that prompted the need for hard decisions. Stress of that kind has a major impact on you, and your weight, often times even if you are eating healthy. Cortisol and stress hormones and the stress that cause their release are great weight gainers. Even if you are eating nutrient rich foods, you can gain weight if you are eating for the wrong reasons and when you are not hungry. That was the problem for Rosie, and she didn't have a goal other than weight loss. (more on that later).

This is Now: Rosie in August 2010

It took some weeks of contemplation, (can you imagine?) but once she did, Rosie provided any lookers on, one of the most compelling examples of transformation one could want to witness. (I watched it)

I can't be prouder of Rosie, and frankly because of her I'm competing in a 10k race next week following a month of training running 3-6 miles per training day. She helped me make needed changes from where I was at and I thank her. Actually she's been coaching me on taking my diet to the next level of healthy eating!

I hope that at some point you get a chance to work with Rosie or take one of her courses; she has lots of experience to share.

We'll be sharing more about Rosie's Transformation; particularly how she lost weight the Nutrient Rich way and exercised while achieving her most ambitious life goal and without burning out to stand side by side her also beautiful daughter with tantalizing Allure, Beauty and Grace.

Stay tuned.

The post Newly Minted 50 Year Old Woman Loses 35lbs and Stands Side by Side Her 20 Year Old Daughter With Tantalizing Allure, Beauty and Grace! appeared first on Nutrient Rich.

Perfect fat for athletes

I found this great article from Body Sport.com that addresses one of the biggest nutritional myths ever~that a low fat diet will equal weight loss.

I have been eating a lot of avocado's lately and loving them. Not only becuase they are creamy, satisfying and delicious but becuase they helped me lose weight- 30 pounds!

Currently, while preparing for a figure competition,  I added an avocado a day into my meal plan and the weight just kept coming off.   I never allowed myself to eat an avocado prior to this experience as I always thought they were FAT and would make me FAT. Well nothing can be further from the truth.

Figure competitors have low body fat and eat avocado's which proves the point that nutrient rich fats are healthy and promote natural weight loss.

This is one diet trap that I am happy to have broken free of. By the way there are many, many other diet traps that keep ups stuck in dieting hell.  If you are unfamiliar with what a diet trap is Click here for a free report and leave a comment on some of the diet traps you've personally experienced and what you have discovered.

Rosie Battista

The post Perfect Fat For Athletes and Anyone else looking to lose weight naturally appeared first on Nutrient Rich.