Dr Joel Fuhrman is considered to be an authority on nutritional guidance. He has the backing of eminent doctor-writers like Dr. Mehmet Oz. His book Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss has been hailed by one section of readers and damned by another half. So, you’ll either love the book or hate it, but you won’t be indifferent to it.
Eat to Live: an overview
Nutrient density is the main premise of the book. According to the doctor, the state of our health is directly related to the nutrient density of the food we take in.
Before we plunge deeper into the book, it’s probably a nice thing to know that this is primarily a vegetarian diet. It hinges on the intake of plenty of vegetables and fruits. Recommended foods include:
- Unlimited amounts of raw vegetables (dieters are asked to eat at least 1 pound of raw veggies every day)
- Steamed vegetables (1 pound daily)
Dieters can take in any vegetable of choice although starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn and whole grains are to be limited. 1 ounce of raw nuts is allowed. Also, one teaspoon of oil per day is allowed. Snacking is taboo and the diet follows a pattern of three square meals a day.
The book promises to help followers lose up to 20 pounds in 6 weeks. The aggressive six week vegetarian plan is for those who want to lose weight quickly. The more moderate weight loss plan is for those who cannot do without an animal product. Such people are allowed to take in an egg white omelet and a serving of lean fish like flounder or tilapia once in a week.
Refined carbohydrates are off the list of food items with pastas, pizzas, bread, white rice, fruit juices and sugary foods coming under fire.
Doctor Fuhrman stresses the importance of exercising although he does maintain that followers of this diet can lose weight even if they abstain from exercises (due to medical reasons).
Eat to live: a review
As you can see, this diet plan does require the willingness to make a lifestyle change. If followed stringently, there is no doubt that the diet can help followers lose weight and feel healthy, as harmful foods are completely eliminated from the diet. The diet is beneficial to people suffering from new age diseases like diabetes and cardio vascular diseases. The book does not recommend calorie counting. Therefore, it is easy to follow.
Eat To Live Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Recommends the intake of healthy foods
- Aims to bring about a lifestyle change
- Can deliver what it promises
- Beneficial for people who suffer from blood sugar imbalances
- Beneficial for those who need to lose weight quickly
- Stresses the importance of exercise
- Includes recipes
- Includes meal plans
Cons:
- Extremely stringent in food selection
- Limited appeal to non-vegetarians
- Unnatural and therefore unsuited to eating outside
- May lead to food cravings
- May lead to yo-yo dieting
- May be deficient in proteins
- A high fiber diet may not suit those with certain medical conditions
The Eat to Live diet is sane advice but it is extremely hard to follow, day after day, week after week. However, in the long term, if followers can implement at least some of the tenets of the diet, they can expect improved health and greater fitness.
