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The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes
Despite what you might have heard, diabetes is not a lifelong condition.
It does not have to shorten your life span or result in high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, or other life-threatening ailments. In fact, most diabetics can get off medication and become 100 percent healthy in just a few simple steps. In The End of Diabetes, Dr. Joel Fuhrman shows how you can prevent and reverse diabetes and its related symptoms and lose weight in the process.
The End of Diabetes is a radical idea wrapped in a simple plan: Eat Better, End Diabetes. While the established medical protocol aims to control diabetes by limiting your carbohydrate intake, monitoring glucose levels, and prescribing bottomless doses of medicine, Dr. Fuhrman believes this long-standing approach to fighting diabetes is wrong—and possibly fatal.
Designed for anyone ready to enjoy a healthier and longer life, Dr. Fuhrman's plan is based on a single formula: Your Health Future (H) = Nutrients (N) / Calories (C). Foods with a high nutrient density, according to Dr. Fuhrman, turn our bodies into the miraculous, self-healing machines they can be, which results in significant weight loss, improved health, and, ultimately, the end of diabetes and other diseases.
In engaging, direct, and easy-to-follow language, The End of Diabetes supplies the science and clinical evidence to prove that diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are not inevitable consequences of aging. They are reversible and preventable. This simple and effective plan offers great food, starts working right away, and puts you on a direct path to a longer, better, fuller, disease-free life.
It does not have to shorten your life span or result in high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, or other life-threatening ailments. In fact, most diabetics can get off medication and become 100 percent healthy in just a few simple steps. In The End of Diabetes, Dr. Joel Fuhrman shows how you can prevent and reverse diabetes and its related symptoms and lose weight in the process.
The End of Diabetes is a radical idea wrapped in a simple plan: Eat Better, End Diabetes. While the established medical protocol aims to control diabetes by limiting your carbohydrate intake, monitoring glucose levels, and prescribing bottomless doses of medicine, Dr. Fuhrman believes this long-standing approach to fighting diabetes is wrong—and possibly fatal.
Designed for anyone ready to enjoy a healthier and longer life, Dr. Fuhrman's plan is based on a single formula: Your Health Future (H) = Nutrients (N) / Calories (C). Foods with a high nutrient density, according to Dr. Fuhrman, turn our bodies into the miraculous, self-healing machines they can be, which results in significant weight loss, improved health, and, ultimately, the end of diabetes and other diseases.
In engaging, direct, and easy-to-follow language, The End of Diabetes supplies the science and clinical evidence to prove that diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are not inevitable consequences of aging. They are reversible and preventable. This simple and effective plan offers great food, starts working right away, and puts you on a direct path to a longer, better, fuller, disease-free life.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published December 26, 2012
1034 people are currently reading
1395 people want to read
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July 29, 2016
I try to keep personal details out of my reviews--this is, after all, the internet. But I don't know how to review this, how to contribute to the discussion about it and get feedback about it, without getting personal and giving my context and with it the reasons for my deep skepticism and why I won't be trying Fuhrman's program. I was diagnosed with breast cancer about a month ago. I had to have a Pet Scan to make sure it hadn't spread--it hadn't, and my prognosis is excellent. But I couldn't complete the procedure the first time I tried. It requires consuming radioactive sugars at a low blood sugar after a fast of several hours. Mine was 313--normal should have been 70 to 110. I have diabetes. I do believe they call that a one-two punch. Because they needed to get the blood sugar down fast for the test and because I was going to soon start chemotherapy, they put me on insulin. So I've gotten a fast education on diabetes. I've met with a nutritionist, a diabetes educator and an endocrinologist. I'm telling you all this because I'm going to share what I've learned from them that makes me feel dubious about this book.
First, what Fuhrman recommends--his "nutritarian" plan, is basically a "Vegan" diet. He believes that ideally we should eat no meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy. His plan concedes enough to individual tastes to allow (very restricted and occasional) fish and poultry: one ounce three times a week. Now, I am convinced by what I've read that we Americans do consume far too much meat and dairy--especially high fat kinds--and too few vegetables. I'm on board with that. But I also suspect advocacy of vegetarianism and veganism has more to do with a social and political agenda than health. This is what Fuhrman has to say on the subject:
Humans are primates, and all primates eat a diet of predominantly natural vegetation. If they eat animal products, it is a very small percentage of their total caloric intake. (Page 133)
When we hear something over and over, starting when we’re young children, we accept it as true. For example, the myth that plant proteins are “incomplete” and need to be “complemented” for adequate protein is repeated over and over. (Page 145)
AND
For many years, most Americans incorrectly believed that only animal products contained all the essential amino acids and that plant proteins were incomplete. False. They were taught that animal protein is superior to plant protein. False. They accept the outdated notion that plant protein must be mixed and matched in some complicated way that takes the planning of a nuclear physicist for a vegetarian diet to be adequate. False.
I guess they never thought too hard about how a rhinoceros, hippopotamus, gorilla, giraffe, or elephant could become so big while eating only vegetables. Animals do not make amino acids from air; all the amino acids originate in plants. Even the nonessential amino acids that are fabricated by the body are just basic amino acids that are modified slightly by the body. So the lion’s muscles can only be composed of the protein precursors and amino acids that the zebra and the gazelle ate. Green grasses (or leafy greens) made the lion and are the mother of all the protein that built all the creatures on planet Earth. (page 234)
I find such reasoning breathtakingly idiotic. Yes, we and monkeys and apes are all primates. So what? Whales and dolphins and porpoises are all cetaceans. Do you have any idea how diverse the species are in that order? And their very different dietary needs? Humans have been hunters since the species began. We're omnivores--NOT herbivores. Our teeth and bowels are along those lines. We don't have multiple stomachs to break down grasses--we do have stomach acids to break down meat. Even if it were true that vegetarianism is the healthiest possible diet, his reasoning for it is specious.
Note, he recommends a supplement of "Long-Chain Omega-3 (EPA and DHA)"--found in fish. If his diet is optimal and natural for humans--why would it need supplements--one found precisely in one of the foods he tells us to avoid? I'd note I've also often seen that vegetarians should consume supplements of B-12--again, because you don't get that in plant food. Iron and calcium are better absorbed by humans through meat and dairy than through plant sources. Moreover, the vegetarians I know, even the vegan ones, are careful to get complete proteins--if not through eggs and dairy, then by soy and quinoa and by matching complimentary proteins--such as rice and beans. Furhman's plan includes beans, and often oats and forms of soy, and one recipe includes wild rice. It's just that considering his dismissal of the necessity I don't trust he does so enough. I used the SparkPeople site to run through the numbers of Day One of Furhman's plan, and this was the result and feedback:
Calories: 1,265
Fat: 52
Carbohydrates: 161
Protein: 46
Fiber: 39
Feedback:
Fiber, total dietary My Goal – 25-35 Today – 39
While a high-fiber diet has many benefits, too much fiber can cause problems. Eating more than 50-60 grams of fiber a day can interfere with nutrient absorption and cause digestive distress.
Protein My Goal – 60-136 Today – 46
Protein is an essential nutrient that does more than build muscles. It plays a role in cell repair, hormone production and fluid balance, to name a few. So pump up your protein intake to stay fit and healthy.
I had to run the numbers through SparkPeople because Furhman doesn't give the nutrition facts for his plan. And estimate amounts at times using the Meal Planning Guide given to me by my nutritionist, because Furhman eschews giving portions much other than for his recipes. This isn't the way I'm being told how to eat. For one, the calories are too low--at least for me. I'm told chemo is like running a marathon--I'm told to drink loads of water--and the nutritionist recommended 1,500 calories a day. (And I've read low calorie diets can lower your metabolism, sabotaging a diet.) I was also told to include not just 3 meals but a snack, and space them about 4 hours apart so as to not overload the pancreas. Furhman believes in only 3 meals a day to "rest the pancreas." My nutritionist said the carbs should be spread out evenly between breakfast, lunch and dinner, each of which should have about 50 to 55 grams of carbs each, with the snack about 15 grams. Fuhrman's breakfast the first day is 271 calories (38 grams), Lunch 448 (66 grams), Dinner 480 (40 grams). I'd add that given beans are categorized as a starch, it's hard to go vegan and yet follow the standard recommended diabetic diet. My nutritionist, for instance, recommended that if I want a meatless meal of grains and beans I also have some greek yogurt.
This also isn't an easy diet to follow--especially for someone new to the disease who has a busy life--whether as a person preparing food for themselves or a family. It can be overwhelming making changes when diagnosed with diabetes. It's much easier to make a veggie egg white omelet with toast or pour some Kashi GoLean cereal with soy milk and blueberries for breakfast, grill some fish or poultry for lunch or dinner with some rice, throw together a salad and steam some veggies. But preparing a 10 serving pot of soup of a dozen ingredients then figuring out what to do with the leftovers? (I tried making Dr. Fuhrman's "Famous Anti-Cancer Soup." It sounded tasty--but it did not go well. These aren't all easy recipes.) And much of his plan requires some out of the way (to say the least) and expensive ingredients--at least for many Americans, even if as a New Yorker I can find all of these: organic vegetables and fruits, wild rice, tofu, edamame, bok choy, white miso, nutritional yeast, coconut water, carrot and celery and pomegranate juice, date sugar, tahini, exotic mushrooms, ground flaxseeds, almond butter, hulled barley, wheat germ, lemongrass, black fig vinegar, riesling reserve vinegar, spicy pecan vinegar, Bragg liquid aminos, soy or hemp or almond milk. And VegiZest and MatoZest--sold on Fuhrman's own website for $18.75 for an 8 oz container.
I'm not saying vegetarianism isn't a valid, healthy life style for many--and superior to the usual American diet. I am saying I'm deeply skeptical it's optimal, and that people recommending it are doing so on solid evidence rather than their own deeply held personal beliefs that are often anchored by views on animal rights and the environment rather than nutritional and medical science. And given a choice between following the advice of a man trying to sell books, supplements and food additives, and the people on my medical team whose only interest is to get me healthy... well.
Diabetes is a scary disease--that's why the book caught my eye. But for that very reason, I'm not about to take chances with my health. And if not well managed, diabetes is dangerous--not something to experiment with from a book on your own without careful monitoring and cooperation from your doctor. So I find it scary that some diabetics might try this on their own.
There is some useful information here the medical professionals I've talked to agree with, which is why I'm not rating this even lower. For instance, the importance of diet, glycemic index and load. My nutritionist says the jury is out on organic food but if you want to be cautious, you could avoid the "dirty dozen" of the worst offenders--something Furhman pointed to. Both my endocrinologist and nutritionist encouraged me to eat more beans--and like Furhman, believe the supposed link between soy and cancer has been debunked. Exercise is key too, though I was encouraged to do mine after meals, not before as Furhman recommended. Notably my nutritionist agrees that for many Type 2s diabetes can be reversed--or more precisely made to go dormant so you become asymptomatic and can manage without medication--if you eat right and exercise. And people didn't need to follow Furhman's program (or go vegetarian) to do it.
Addendum: June 1, 2014: My most recent AC1 was 4.9--normal--and I was taken off all diabetes medications over a week ago and my fasting sugars remain below 95. I did this following the advice of my doctors and nutritionist--not Fuhrman. Notably as my weight went down so did my insulin dosage until it was down to nothing with Januvia remaining my only diabetes med. I've lost over 60 pounds--and from what I've read and been told, especially for newly diagnosed diabetics, it's possible to "reverse" the disease if you lose as little as ten percent of your body weight. Don't misunderstand--I'm not cured. Once you cross that threshold into diabetes there are changes on the cellular level currently irreversible. I haven't turned back the clock--I can't drink alcohol or eat sugary foods and expect to react like a non-diabetic. But I may be able to avoid the progression and complications of the disease through diet and exercise alone for the rest of my life--not a small thing.
It wouldn't surprise me if Fuhrman's program worked too. It's so restrictive, and for so many so unappetizing, many would lose weight following his guidelines and that might be enough--but it's not the only way to do this--as I've found. Portion (and carbohydrate) control goes a long way--even while eating plenty of Fuhrman's demonized animal proteins and vegetable oils. People looking to control the disease should know that.
First, what Fuhrman recommends--his "nutritarian" plan, is basically a "Vegan" diet. He believes that ideally we should eat no meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy. His plan concedes enough to individual tastes to allow (very restricted and occasional) fish and poultry: one ounce three times a week. Now, I am convinced by what I've read that we Americans do consume far too much meat and dairy--especially high fat kinds--and too few vegetables. I'm on board with that. But I also suspect advocacy of vegetarianism and veganism has more to do with a social and political agenda than health. This is what Fuhrman has to say on the subject:
Humans are primates, and all primates eat a diet of predominantly natural vegetation. If they eat animal products, it is a very small percentage of their total caloric intake. (Page 133)
When we hear something over and over, starting when we’re young children, we accept it as true. For example, the myth that plant proteins are “incomplete” and need to be “complemented” for adequate protein is repeated over and over. (Page 145)
AND
For many years, most Americans incorrectly believed that only animal products contained all the essential amino acids and that plant proteins were incomplete. False. They were taught that animal protein is superior to plant protein. False. They accept the outdated notion that plant protein must be mixed and matched in some complicated way that takes the planning of a nuclear physicist for a vegetarian diet to be adequate. False.
I guess they never thought too hard about how a rhinoceros, hippopotamus, gorilla, giraffe, or elephant could become so big while eating only vegetables. Animals do not make amino acids from air; all the amino acids originate in plants. Even the nonessential amino acids that are fabricated by the body are just basic amino acids that are modified slightly by the body. So the lion’s muscles can only be composed of the protein precursors and amino acids that the zebra and the gazelle ate. Green grasses (or leafy greens) made the lion and are the mother of all the protein that built all the creatures on planet Earth. (page 234)
I find such reasoning breathtakingly idiotic. Yes, we and monkeys and apes are all primates. So what? Whales and dolphins and porpoises are all cetaceans. Do you have any idea how diverse the species are in that order? And their very different dietary needs? Humans have been hunters since the species began. We're omnivores--NOT herbivores. Our teeth and bowels are along those lines. We don't have multiple stomachs to break down grasses--we do have stomach acids to break down meat. Even if it were true that vegetarianism is the healthiest possible diet, his reasoning for it is specious.
Note, he recommends a supplement of "Long-Chain Omega-3 (EPA and DHA)"--found in fish. If his diet is optimal and natural for humans--why would it need supplements--one found precisely in one of the foods he tells us to avoid? I'd note I've also often seen that vegetarians should consume supplements of B-12--again, because you don't get that in plant food. Iron and calcium are better absorbed by humans through meat and dairy than through plant sources. Moreover, the vegetarians I know, even the vegan ones, are careful to get complete proteins--if not through eggs and dairy, then by soy and quinoa and by matching complimentary proteins--such as rice and beans. Furhman's plan includes beans, and often oats and forms of soy, and one recipe includes wild rice. It's just that considering his dismissal of the necessity I don't trust he does so enough. I used the SparkPeople site to run through the numbers of Day One of Furhman's plan, and this was the result and feedback:
Calories: 1,265
Fat: 52
Carbohydrates: 161
Protein: 46
Fiber: 39
Feedback:
Fiber, total dietary My Goal – 25-35 Today – 39
While a high-fiber diet has many benefits, too much fiber can cause problems. Eating more than 50-60 grams of fiber a day can interfere with nutrient absorption and cause digestive distress.
Protein My Goal – 60-136 Today – 46
Protein is an essential nutrient that does more than build muscles. It plays a role in cell repair, hormone production and fluid balance, to name a few. So pump up your protein intake to stay fit and healthy.
I had to run the numbers through SparkPeople because Furhman doesn't give the nutrition facts for his plan. And estimate amounts at times using the Meal Planning Guide given to me by my nutritionist, because Furhman eschews giving portions much other than for his recipes. This isn't the way I'm being told how to eat. For one, the calories are too low--at least for me. I'm told chemo is like running a marathon--I'm told to drink loads of water--and the nutritionist recommended 1,500 calories a day. (And I've read low calorie diets can lower your metabolism, sabotaging a diet.) I was also told to include not just 3 meals but a snack, and space them about 4 hours apart so as to not overload the pancreas. Furhman believes in only 3 meals a day to "rest the pancreas." My nutritionist said the carbs should be spread out evenly between breakfast, lunch and dinner, each of which should have about 50 to 55 grams of carbs each, with the snack about 15 grams. Fuhrman's breakfast the first day is 271 calories (38 grams), Lunch 448 (66 grams), Dinner 480 (40 grams). I'd add that given beans are categorized as a starch, it's hard to go vegan and yet follow the standard recommended diabetic diet. My nutritionist, for instance, recommended that if I want a meatless meal of grains and beans I also have some greek yogurt.
This also isn't an easy diet to follow--especially for someone new to the disease who has a busy life--whether as a person preparing food for themselves or a family. It can be overwhelming making changes when diagnosed with diabetes. It's much easier to make a veggie egg white omelet with toast or pour some Kashi GoLean cereal with soy milk and blueberries for breakfast, grill some fish or poultry for lunch or dinner with some rice, throw together a salad and steam some veggies. But preparing a 10 serving pot of soup of a dozen ingredients then figuring out what to do with the leftovers? (I tried making Dr. Fuhrman's "Famous Anti-Cancer Soup." It sounded tasty--but it did not go well. These aren't all easy recipes.) And much of his plan requires some out of the way (to say the least) and expensive ingredients--at least for many Americans, even if as a New Yorker I can find all of these: organic vegetables and fruits, wild rice, tofu, edamame, bok choy, white miso, nutritional yeast, coconut water, carrot and celery and pomegranate juice, date sugar, tahini, exotic mushrooms, ground flaxseeds, almond butter, hulled barley, wheat germ, lemongrass, black fig vinegar, riesling reserve vinegar, spicy pecan vinegar, Bragg liquid aminos, soy or hemp or almond milk. And VegiZest and MatoZest--sold on Fuhrman's own website for $18.75 for an 8 oz container.
I'm not saying vegetarianism isn't a valid, healthy life style for many--and superior to the usual American diet. I am saying I'm deeply skeptical it's optimal, and that people recommending it are doing so on solid evidence rather than their own deeply held personal beliefs that are often anchored by views on animal rights and the environment rather than nutritional and medical science. And given a choice between following the advice of a man trying to sell books, supplements and food additives, and the people on my medical team whose only interest is to get me healthy... well.
Diabetes is a scary disease--that's why the book caught my eye. But for that very reason, I'm not about to take chances with my health. And if not well managed, diabetes is dangerous--not something to experiment with from a book on your own without careful monitoring and cooperation from your doctor. So I find it scary that some diabetics might try this on their own.
There is some useful information here the medical professionals I've talked to agree with, which is why I'm not rating this even lower. For instance, the importance of diet, glycemic index and load. My nutritionist says the jury is out on organic food but if you want to be cautious, you could avoid the "dirty dozen" of the worst offenders--something Furhman pointed to. Both my endocrinologist and nutritionist encouraged me to eat more beans--and like Furhman, believe the supposed link between soy and cancer has been debunked. Exercise is key too, though I was encouraged to do mine after meals, not before as Furhman recommended. Notably my nutritionist agrees that for many Type 2s diabetes can be reversed--or more precisely made to go dormant so you become asymptomatic and can manage without medication--if you eat right and exercise. And people didn't need to follow Furhman's program (or go vegetarian) to do it.
Addendum: June 1, 2014: My most recent AC1 was 4.9--normal--and I was taken off all diabetes medications over a week ago and my fasting sugars remain below 95. I did this following the advice of my doctors and nutritionist--not Fuhrman. Notably as my weight went down so did my insulin dosage until it was down to nothing with Januvia remaining my only diabetes med. I've lost over 60 pounds--and from what I've read and been told, especially for newly diagnosed diabetics, it's possible to "reverse" the disease if you lose as little as ten percent of your body weight. Don't misunderstand--I'm not cured. Once you cross that threshold into diabetes there are changes on the cellular level currently irreversible. I haven't turned back the clock--I can't drink alcohol or eat sugary foods and expect to react like a non-diabetic. But I may be able to avoid the progression and complications of the disease through diet and exercise alone for the rest of my life--not a small thing.
It wouldn't surprise me if Fuhrman's program worked too. It's so restrictive, and for so many so unappetizing, many would lose weight following his guidelines and that might be enough--but it's not the only way to do this--as I've found. Portion (and carbohydrate) control goes a long way--even while eating plenty of Fuhrman's demonized animal proteins and vegetable oils. People looking to control the disease should know that.
September 23, 2013
As a recently diagnosed diabetic, I initially picked up this book because I had seen Dr. Fuhrman on several documentaries discussing healthy eating and lifestyle patterns. Much of what he and other nutritionists shared played a huge role in sparking my motivation to change the course of my dietary landscape. I also hate the shots and medications that are part and parcel of this disease and I’m determined to do whatever it takes to get rid of them, so I’m currently neck deep in the “Health Documentary” section of NetFlix.
This book quickly convinced me of one central fact in a very deep sea of facts…Dr. Fuhrman is a much better “view” than he is a “read”. He is probably one of the most intelligent people I’ve listened to, but within the first few pages of reading, you are adrift in a sea of details, and dry details at that, with no idea of when you’ll reach the shore of practicality. Maybe it’s just a doctor’s tendency to give you every last drop of scientific and clinical information that relates to your case, and I’m all for being well informed and educated, but I quickly found myself screaming “Oh Good Lord! Get to the point already and tell me what to do!”
Part of it may have been that I’d already researched diabetes and what that meant for me personally. Part of it may have also been that menopause and a Texas summer were making me stabby, but his writing style made me want to drink on several occasions and unfortunately, alcohol is highly discouraged in his plan.
Also discouraged in his plan are most forms of meat and dairy. Dr. Fuhrman is fully convinced thru his years of a successful practice that plant-based proteins easily and more effectively serve the human body in its attempts to return to a strong and healthy state. This may very well be true and he provides a boatload of studies for you to cling to as you navigate that sea of facts I mentioned earlier, but I’m not yet entirely sold. The same day I finished this book, another famous doctor was touting the miracle product that is Greek yogurt and how if I’d only listen to him and partake of this food from the gods on a daily basis, my life would never again be the same.
Dr. Fuhrman does include some great recipes in his book that I’ll be incorporating into my family’s meals and I intend to decrease the amount of animal protein in our diet, but in the end, the only facts I’m completely sure of are these:
1. Vegetables and fruits are good and I should definitely increase my consumption of them.
2. I can still be a true American without having animal protein at every meal.
3. They should totally make all these doctors fight it out in a cage match. I’d be way more convinced by a vegetarian if he could beat up a doc who knows the best place in town for a good pork barbeque.
4. I’m going to miss having Sam Elliott tell me that beef is what’s for dinner because he’s totally dreamy and was also a ghost rider and who in their right mind wouldn’t follow the suggestions of a man in flames? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure he never said “Eggplant. It’s what’s for dinner,” and that fact alone says it all.
This book quickly convinced me of one central fact in a very deep sea of facts…Dr. Fuhrman is a much better “view” than he is a “read”. He is probably one of the most intelligent people I’ve listened to, but within the first few pages of reading, you are adrift in a sea of details, and dry details at that, with no idea of when you’ll reach the shore of practicality. Maybe it’s just a doctor’s tendency to give you every last drop of scientific and clinical information that relates to your case, and I’m all for being well informed and educated, but I quickly found myself screaming “Oh Good Lord! Get to the point already and tell me what to do!”
Part of it may have been that I’d already researched diabetes and what that meant for me personally. Part of it may have also been that menopause and a Texas summer were making me stabby, but his writing style made me want to drink on several occasions and unfortunately, alcohol is highly discouraged in his plan.
Also discouraged in his plan are most forms of meat and dairy. Dr. Fuhrman is fully convinced thru his years of a successful practice that plant-based proteins easily and more effectively serve the human body in its attempts to return to a strong and healthy state. This may very well be true and he provides a boatload of studies for you to cling to as you navigate that sea of facts I mentioned earlier, but I’m not yet entirely sold. The same day I finished this book, another famous doctor was touting the miracle product that is Greek yogurt and how if I’d only listen to him and partake of this food from the gods on a daily basis, my life would never again be the same.
Dr. Fuhrman does include some great recipes in his book that I’ll be incorporating into my family’s meals and I intend to decrease the amount of animal protein in our diet, but in the end, the only facts I’m completely sure of are these:
1. Vegetables and fruits are good and I should definitely increase my consumption of them.
2. I can still be a true American without having animal protein at every meal.
3. They should totally make all these doctors fight it out in a cage match. I’d be way more convinced by a vegetarian if he could beat up a doc who knows the best place in town for a good pork barbeque.
4. I’m going to miss having Sam Elliott tell me that beef is what’s for dinner because he’s totally dreamy and was also a ghost rider and who in their right mind wouldn’t follow the suggestions of a man in flames? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure he never said “Eggplant. It’s what’s for dinner,” and that fact alone says it all.
December 30, 2013
My husband and I both read this book although he is the only one of us with diabetes. The book is uplifting and gives hope for those who are willing to take serious measures in order to end diabetes. My husband was on insulin, and just like the book said, after a few weeks following the diet he no longer needed to take these shots. He was able to reduce his 42 units gradually but quickly. What we put in our mouth does make a significant difference on our health! I suggest this book to anyone who wants to get rid of their diabetes. It's amazing!
May 31, 2016
The only reason I am not giving this wonderful, life changing book less than five stars is that the author keeps referring to his "delicious" recipes. I will decide whether they are delicious or not, thank you very much.
Also, there's a tad too much cheerleading in the book for this eating plan.
But aesthetic considerations aside, this is the book you read and follow if you, like me, were foolish as a young eater and now suffer through diabetes. This guy really does set you straight.
Surprise! The eating plan consists of vegetables, beans, nuts and fruit. Who coulda seen that coming?
Dr. Fuhrman did his homework. He outlines in detail why the Standard American Diet (SAD) is destructive for you, and how to get your body back in whack.
I have read lots of diet books over the years and tried a few. This one works. I've been following it 95% for the last six weeks. I am not only losing weight, I am gaining energy and feeling lots better.
What I particularly like is that this is not a diet fad. It's a life plan that you can adhere to because you don't get ravenously hungry as you do on artificial diets. This plan is designed for health, not mere weight loss.
Also, there's a tad too much cheerleading in the book for this eating plan.
But aesthetic considerations aside, this is the book you read and follow if you, like me, were foolish as a young eater and now suffer through diabetes. This guy really does set you straight.
Surprise! The eating plan consists of vegetables, beans, nuts and fruit. Who coulda seen that coming?
Dr. Fuhrman did his homework. He outlines in detail why the Standard American Diet (SAD) is destructive for you, and how to get your body back in whack.
I have read lots of diet books over the years and tried a few. This one works. I've been following it 95% for the last six weeks. I am not only losing weight, I am gaining energy and feeling lots better.
What I particularly like is that this is not a diet fad. It's a life plan that you can adhere to because you don't get ravenously hungry as you do on artificial diets. This plan is designed for health, not mere weight loss.
July 11, 2014
Amazing book. Literally cured my mom of diabetes, and brought my dad's under very good control. Also her eyesight which was affected by diabetic retinopathy improved.
May 31, 2016
After telling me I was prediabetic months earlier, my doctor told me I was diabetic in mid-February. He wanted to put me on three kinds of medicine. Instead I found this book, despaired at the recommendations but then tried them, and in three months lost about 10% of my weight. I also stopped needing blood-pressure pills, and am now in remission. Thank you, Dr. Fuhrman!
January 27, 2013
As an RN of 28 years, I wish I could put this in the hands of all current and prediabetics, whether type 1 or type 2. I see the complications of diabetes in my work daily and frustrated for them by the outsated and complicated diet info that is given to patients, and very influenced by corporate misinformation to sell product or more drug. This is not a hard or expensive plan to follow-the complications of diabetes is so much harder and expensive!
February 25, 2013
What I love about Dr. Fuhrman is that he backs up his plan with real medical research. In my opinion his principles are indisputable. In this book, he explains what diabetes is and how it affects the body. It may be too technical or dry for some readers but for the doubtful reader that needs proof of his claims, it's worth reading. Otherwise you can skip through the book to learn the methods of his plan. This book focuses on how diabetics should modify his Eat to Live plan to accommodate the disease. The amazing thing is that type 2 diabetes can be reversed and type 1 can have a lower dependence on insulin. I don't have diabetes but it runs in my family and I'm at risk. Personally, if I had diabetes, I'd do whatever I can to get rid of it. This book really made me realize how serious a disease it is. I'm transitioning to Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live plan to prevent getting diabetes. I hope more people learn about his plan and join me. It's challenging but worth it!
October 28, 2019
May 2019
This book was eye-opening. If you have ever been told that you are pre-diabetic or that you have diabetes you should be instructed to exercise and change your diet. If you have been medicated for years without being told this, your doctor is doing you a disservice.
This book encourages you to move, and change your eating habits. You may not know just how bad you are eating until you begin keeping a food journal and realize that you eat some sort of carb every day whether it is in the form of wheat, grain or flour. Foods like potatoes, rice, rolls, and crusts.
Usually people don’t know just how bad things are until a doctor says the words “pre-diabetic” And prescribed some meds. Some blindly take the medication without question and accept the doctor telling then they really need it. The others will refuse and do research.
If you are doing the research I commend you. Don't ever blindly put your life in someone else's hand. Do your research. Some doctors will automatically put you on medication, but the medicine only helps the symptoms, not the problem. As you get older, the doctor will only increase, multiply or prescribe another pill.
When I met my husband 5 years ago he was on one medication, a blood thinner because he gets blood clots around his ankles. As he began building a new building (his job) the stress increased and he was put on blood pressure medication. Now in only 5 years, he is taking 6 medications including 2 for blood pressure and one to help him sleep at night. Now his doctor wants to put him on more medication because now he is prediabetic.
When we got married and moved in together just over a year ago, I started going with him to his doctor appts and not once did his doctor mention exercise and change of diet. I found this book an I have changed the kinds of foods we eat. I didn't know rice was full of carbs, and that we should cut back on meat and eat more vegetables. My health is fine so I didn't think the food was the problem. Since beginning to read this book a week ago and eating more veggies and fruits, we signed up at a gym and my husband has lost a notch on his belt and I have lost 2 pounds. I will update how we're doing after his next doctor appt.
Oct 2019 Update
My husband never went back to that doctor he’d been going to for 30 years. We found a new doctor who is persistent in asking about his exercise and diet. And we’re working on weaning him off some of these medicines. He’s lost 10 pounds and I’ve lost 12. He is going to get bloodwork done and we’ll go back to the doctor to move forward.
This book was eye-opening. If you have ever been told that you are pre-diabetic or that you have diabetes you should be instructed to exercise and change your diet. If you have been medicated for years without being told this, your doctor is doing you a disservice.
This book encourages you to move, and change your eating habits. You may not know just how bad you are eating until you begin keeping a food journal and realize that you eat some sort of carb every day whether it is in the form of wheat, grain or flour. Foods like potatoes, rice, rolls, and crusts.
Usually people don’t know just how bad things are until a doctor says the words “pre-diabetic” And prescribed some meds. Some blindly take the medication without question and accept the doctor telling then they really need it. The others will refuse and do research.
If you are doing the research I commend you. Don't ever blindly put your life in someone else's hand. Do your research. Some doctors will automatically put you on medication, but the medicine only helps the symptoms, not the problem. As you get older, the doctor will only increase, multiply or prescribe another pill.
When I met my husband 5 years ago he was on one medication, a blood thinner because he gets blood clots around his ankles. As he began building a new building (his job) the stress increased and he was put on blood pressure medication. Now in only 5 years, he is taking 6 medications including 2 for blood pressure and one to help him sleep at night. Now his doctor wants to put him on more medication because now he is prediabetic.
When we got married and moved in together just over a year ago, I started going with him to his doctor appts and not once did his doctor mention exercise and change of diet. I found this book an I have changed the kinds of foods we eat. I didn't know rice was full of carbs, and that we should cut back on meat and eat more vegetables. My health is fine so I didn't think the food was the problem. Since beginning to read this book a week ago and eating more veggies and fruits, we signed up at a gym and my husband has lost a notch on his belt and I have lost 2 pounds. I will update how we're doing after his next doctor appt.
Oct 2019 Update
My husband never went back to that doctor he’d been going to for 30 years. We found a new doctor who is persistent in asking about his exercise and diet. And we’re working on weaning him off some of these medicines. He’s lost 10 pounds and I’ve lost 12. He is going to get bloodwork done and we’ll go back to the doctor to move forward.
February 18, 2019
Now listening to the audio version since I did skim over some of the parts about the Type 1 diabetic. What Fuhrman discusses is extremely eye-opening. Will write more later.
April 12, 2013
The book is a convincing pleading to improve people health, especially those with already bad blood tests, by eating a light diet based mostly on vegetables and fruit, nuts and beans, less meat, and so the like, in essence stuff with more nutrients and less calories, coupled, if possible, with moderate exercise. The text is unpretentious, medical explanations trimmed to the minimum required for understanding the mechanisms, and a practical behavioral kit how to reduce high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and the risk of cancers is presented. Culinary recipes are presented, but knowing the principles I think one can manage by himself without needing them.
Even if personally I do not believe in miracle cures and all the advertised benefits of this or that supplement or vitamin (hard for me to swallow advertisements), the book convinced me that a common sense diet along the simple lines promoted by the book will be beneficial to my health. The proof of any pudding being in its eating, it seems to me that after a few weeks following the advices of the book, I slightly reduced my weight, improved my border line diabetes and it was easy to continue. Could be only a self suggestion, therefore I recommend to anyone interested in improving his health to read the book, and based on his own judgment to decide to give or not its diet a try. To me, the merit of the book, which is far from pretending to be a revelation one, is that with its unpretentious and simple message it has convinced me to change what I eat, and this being the scope of the book, I consider it was attained. I recommend the book as an easy reading which may convince some people to change their dietary habits, and once the brains are convinced, the rest will follow suit and be quite easy.
Even if personally I do not believe in miracle cures and all the advertised benefits of this or that supplement or vitamin (hard for me to swallow advertisements), the book convinced me that a common sense diet along the simple lines promoted by the book will be beneficial to my health. The proof of any pudding being in its eating, it seems to me that after a few weeks following the advices of the book, I slightly reduced my weight, improved my border line diabetes and it was easy to continue. Could be only a self suggestion, therefore I recommend to anyone interested in improving his health to read the book, and based on his own judgment to decide to give or not its diet a try. To me, the merit of the book, which is far from pretending to be a revelation one, is that with its unpretentious and simple message it has convinced me to change what I eat, and this being the scope of the book, I consider it was attained. I recommend the book as an easy reading which may convince some people to change their dietary habits, and once the brains are convinced, the rest will follow suit and be quite easy.
January 13, 2021
The End of Diabetes by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
This books has a lot to offer, and can be extremely beneficial to anyone with diabetes. I was especially interested in his chapter arguing for the use of nuts and seeds in a mainly plant-based diet, and how that contrasts to other plant-based advice on diabetes reversal. He specifically said that having your percentage of fat calories at 15-30% a day was no problem, as long as you eat low to moderate calories.
So I tried it. After having been on a low fat plant-based diet for several days in a row, and getting healthy glucose readings on my glucose monitor, I ate more nuts and seeds for a day. Lots of homemade nut milk with pecans, hemp seeds, almonds, and brazil nuts in my overnight steel-cut oats for breakfast. The same in my creamy red lentil soup for lunch. For dinner I had tempeh and Brussels sprouts with quinoa, not actually including nuts and seeds, but had soy which is higher in fat. My total fat percentage was calculated at 21% fat, and I had fine post-meal glucose readings for the entire day. However, the next day my fasting glucose level crossed into the pre-diabetic range. With this in mind, I went back to my normal low fat diet with lots of beans and veggies, some whole grains, and some fruit. The fat from the day before was still in my system though, and messed up my readings for the entire day. Pre-diabetic all day.
So, I’m convinced the recommendations in Mastering Diabetes by Cyrus Khambatta and Bobby Barbaro are more sound. They recommend keeping your fat at 15% or less of calories, and this has proven more effective for me over the course of a few months, though probably would be more so if I was more consistent. There is also the benefit of not having to restrict calories, which I would imagine makes Fuhrman’s plan harder to sustain, even if effective in the long run if sustained.
I would also point out that the chapter in which Fuhrman argues fervently for the use of nuts and seeds in the diet relies strongly on a study in which the participants were eating 5 servings of nuts or seeds every week (the other studies he cites didn’t have such a specific serving size). This is great support for the use of nuts and seeds, but I would like to point out that those weekly portions can easily be fit into Cyrus and Bobby’s <15% of calories recommendation if eating adequate calories, and shouldn’t be used at evidence for bringing fat consumption up to 15-30% of calories.
I thought it was of additional note that there are a few differences in recommendations to diabetes here from some of the other books of his I’ve read. For example, he has previously recommended against dates for diabetics. That was not stated in this book. Another example is a recommendation he had that overweight people do not need fat in the diet because the release of fat from their body essentially means they are on a high fat diet. His nut and seed recommendations are in conflict with that advice. I’m sorry, I don’t recall which books these were as it has been years since I read them. Those were just pieces that really stuck with me.
This books has a lot to offer, and can be extremely beneficial to anyone with diabetes. I was especially interested in his chapter arguing for the use of nuts and seeds in a mainly plant-based diet, and how that contrasts to other plant-based advice on diabetes reversal. He specifically said that having your percentage of fat calories at 15-30% a day was no problem, as long as you eat low to moderate calories.
So I tried it. After having been on a low fat plant-based diet for several days in a row, and getting healthy glucose readings on my glucose monitor, I ate more nuts and seeds for a day. Lots of homemade nut milk with pecans, hemp seeds, almonds, and brazil nuts in my overnight steel-cut oats for breakfast. The same in my creamy red lentil soup for lunch. For dinner I had tempeh and Brussels sprouts with quinoa, not actually including nuts and seeds, but had soy which is higher in fat. My total fat percentage was calculated at 21% fat, and I had fine post-meal glucose readings for the entire day. However, the next day my fasting glucose level crossed into the pre-diabetic range. With this in mind, I went back to my normal low fat diet with lots of beans and veggies, some whole grains, and some fruit. The fat from the day before was still in my system though, and messed up my readings for the entire day. Pre-diabetic all day.
So, I’m convinced the recommendations in Mastering Diabetes by Cyrus Khambatta and Bobby Barbaro are more sound. They recommend keeping your fat at 15% or less of calories, and this has proven more effective for me over the course of a few months, though probably would be more so if I was more consistent. There is also the benefit of not having to restrict calories, which I would imagine makes Fuhrman’s plan harder to sustain, even if effective in the long run if sustained.
I would also point out that the chapter in which Fuhrman argues fervently for the use of nuts and seeds in the diet relies strongly on a study in which the participants were eating 5 servings of nuts or seeds every week (the other studies he cites didn’t have such a specific serving size). This is great support for the use of nuts and seeds, but I would like to point out that those weekly portions can easily be fit into Cyrus and Bobby’s <15% of calories recommendation if eating adequate calories, and shouldn’t be used at evidence for bringing fat consumption up to 15-30% of calories.
I thought it was of additional note that there are a few differences in recommendations to diabetes here from some of the other books of his I’ve read. For example, he has previously recommended against dates for diabetics. That was not stated in this book. Another example is a recommendation he had that overweight people do not need fat in the diet because the release of fat from their body essentially means they are on a high fat diet. His nut and seed recommendations are in conflict with that advice. I’m sorry, I don’t recall which books these were as it has been years since I read them. Those were just pieces that really stuck with me.
September 28, 2019
An advocate for treating the cause of disease rather than just the symptoms, Fuhrman disagrees with doctors who tell their patients that once diagnosed with diabetes, they will always have diabetes.
He claims to have successfully treated hundreds/thousands of patients through a regimen of diet and exercise.
He dubs his recommended mode of eating as a nutrarian diet, which really is nothing more than a vegetarian diet that emphasizes whole, nutrient rich plant foods while avoiding processed foods of plant or animal origin. "Beans and greens." These are the basis of his eating plan.
And while he does recommend a handful of supplements in passing, he tends to put more emphasis on getting the nutrients we need from our diet, which he says is pretty easy if you follow the plan. I think this is a strength of the book as it seems more in line with the research we have to date which historically has shown that not only is supplementation often not helpful, but it is sometimes detrimental to one's health.
The reality is any diet that focuses on fruits and veggies as well as whole vs. processed foods is bound to lead to improved health and weight loss.
As a doctor, he often treats patients that are already taking insulin and thus monitors them very closely as he quickly tries to first wean them off of insulin. He also makes a point of reminding readers that those with diabetes may require a stricter diet, at least until their blood sugar is under control and they have successfully shed some of the extra weight.
I also think he does a decent job of gearing the book toward diabetics, although, much of the same nutritional advice could apply to anyone, even those without diabetes.
He claims to have successfully treated hundreds/thousands of patients through a regimen of diet and exercise.
He dubs his recommended mode of eating as a nutrarian diet, which really is nothing more than a vegetarian diet that emphasizes whole, nutrient rich plant foods while avoiding processed foods of plant or animal origin. "Beans and greens." These are the basis of his eating plan.
And while he does recommend a handful of supplements in passing, he tends to put more emphasis on getting the nutrients we need from our diet, which he says is pretty easy if you follow the plan. I think this is a strength of the book as it seems more in line with the research we have to date which historically has shown that not only is supplementation often not helpful, but it is sometimes detrimental to one's health.
The reality is any diet that focuses on fruits and veggies as well as whole vs. processed foods is bound to lead to improved health and weight loss.
As a doctor, he often treats patients that are already taking insulin and thus monitors them very closely as he quickly tries to first wean them off of insulin. He also makes a point of reminding readers that those with diabetes may require a stricter diet, at least until their blood sugar is under control and they have successfully shed some of the extra weight.
I also think he does a decent job of gearing the book toward diabetics, although, much of the same nutritional advice could apply to anyone, even those without diabetes.
December 29, 2020
I've read so many health books in last few years...seriously....a lot. I've also watched a plethora of documentaries on the topic. It seems like all of the different authors have their own take of what healthful eating looks like. But the one thing that they all have in common, including this book, is that we need to eat more veggies. So far, not one of the authors that I've read has said, "Eating more veggies is bad for you." So I think most can agree on that one commonality and that is the message this author, Joel Fuhrman, shouts out to the masses. He even suggests eating salad for breakfast. I had to say, "What???? Seriously?"
I liked this author's passion about his plan and his research. I often wondered, "Why?" at some of this suggestions and in the next paragraph the why was always answered. He explained things clearly especially for all to understand. So 4 stars.
I liked this author's passion about his plan and his research. I often wondered, "Why?" at some of this suggestions and in the next paragraph the why was always answered. He explained things clearly especially for all to understand. So 4 stars.
February 2, 2020
Joel fuhrman ,MD writes with compassion and conviction about ridding the body of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease,poor cholesterol, obesity. He has long purported eating little animal products and liberally consuming greens, nuts, seeds, and fruits. He makes convincing arguements to radically change the typical diet to lead the body to wholesome health. There are dozens of recipes and plan menus to make this enlightened plan the easiest way to good health.
August 2, 2019
OK, but mostly outdated advice!
September 15, 2013
Great info and diet to reverse the disease. For anyone who has not had success with other diets or protocols. This is very strict and will be difficult for most people but if you truly want results you must change what you eat. I will use this when counseling my clients.
November 8, 2017
Pretty good book on a topic that needs more exposure to the public eye. I found it more technical than it needed to be and I have to wonder at several instances of word choice. Overall, good introduction to the idea of reversing diabetes. I prefer Barnard's book over this.
January 25, 2013
Best Diet book ever. I am loosing 1 lb a day, sugars are back to normal, and I feel great.
May 29, 2018
If there was an (insert eye roll) rating instead of stars, this book would be a candidate.
October 25, 2019
As usual, when I read a book, I take notes. In this case I simply quit taking notes – there is too much information. I decided to put one sticky note on the cover of the whole damn book. I did keep a few of the notes I made in the beginning, but there are so many important details contained inside, that I simply couldn’t keep putting 5 or 6 sticky notes on a single page.
I will quibble with Doctor Furman on two points (I feel bad about it, because this is truly an outstanding book): 1. He says it’s ok to have a small (and he does say it must be very small and very infrequent) amount of meat products. Why tell people to eat meat at all? 2. He recommends meat products be fish. Sorry doc, but from everything I’ve read, fish is no better off than chicken, pork, beef, turkey, or any other animal flesh. The problem is in our ability to raise an uncontaminated animal. 99% of our animal products sold to the masses are raised on CAFOs. It is impossible to get a product that I would feel comfortable with – and even if I could, does that mean I would want to eat it? Would it benefit my body in some manner?
He also has a great number of delicious looking recipes in the back that I hope to try out.
Overall, tremendous and informative. I hope many people can change their lives because of the information contained within.
P2 As a diabetic, you probably have a plan to keep on top of your conditions with glucose monitoring, HbA1C measurements, regular physician visits, and medication adjustments. These standard and accepted practices to maintain control of your blood glucose are seen as essential to your health. Unfortunately, this is all wrong.
P3 Contrary to popular speculation, the many diseases that plague all people and threaten our lives are not an inevitable consequence of aging. We are not the victims of poor genetics. We do not need a steady supply of pills for the rest of our lives. We have come to believe that our excess, disease-causing body fat is normal, acceptable and too difficult to take off. Drugs are not the solution to weight, diabetes, or other problems that seem to come with aging.
P4 When you eat sufficient micronutrients and fiber with a high nutrient diet, it suppresses food cravings. Amazingly you begin to naturally crave fewer calories.
P9 The average type 2 diabetic incurs $6,649 in health care costs directly attributable to diabetes per year. More than half of Americans will have diabetes or be prediabetic by 2020 at a cost of $3.35 trillion to the U.S. health care system if current trends go on unabated.
P13 More than one third of type I diabetics die before age 50.
P21 The ADA diet uses the diabetic exchange list to help diabetics create what they call balanced meals. This exchange diet divides foods up into groups based on similarities in nutrient content and includes starches, fruits, milk, vegetables, meats, fats, sweets, and other carbohydrates. It looks to make meals that are based on a preconceived notion that balancing an equal amount of fat, carbohydrates, and protein at each meal is favorable. It then allows exchanges based on the amount of calories from that macronutrient. For example, in the starch group, one slice of toast can be exchanged for a half cup serving of cooked oatmeal.
Because the foods the diet is designed with are inherently poor in fiber, micronutrients, and resistant starch, they fuel an obsession with food because the dieter is never satisfied. This continual struggle with dieting and trying to maintain small portion sizes of foods that do not biologically fill you up rarely works. Even in controlled dietary studies in which calories are carefully monitored, the results are relatively poor simply because the American dietary standard is so poor and the ADA diet mimics this failed dietary pattern utilizing too much unhealthy low-micronutrient foods. Researchers have also frequently noted the difficulties involved in the ADA plan, particularly the requirements to dramatically restrict portion sizes that most individuals simply cannot comply with long term.
P26 Jim’s story illustrates not merely how powerful this dietary protocol is but also how the standard nutritional advice given to diabetics from conventional physicians and dieticians can be disease promoting. The standard nutritional advice given to diabetics is not only insufficient – it is dangerous.
P33 The tendency to throw drugs at every medical condition is the problem with medicine today. Physicians prescribe drugs in an attempt to lower dangerously high blood sugar, risky high cholesterol, and damaging high blood pressure levels typically seen in diabetics, since these high levels can lead to further damage or premature death. Unfortunately, treating diabetes with medication gives patients a false sense of security because they mistakenly think their somewhat controlled glucose levels mean they are healthy. Whether patients have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or any other risk factor, the use of medication takes the emphasis away from the complete overhaul of the lifestyle and diet style that is absolutely essential to save their life. Going to doctors and getting a pill for every issue has a subconscious effect to avert personal responsibility, and the motivation for patients to earn back their health is lessened.
P35 In fact, studies that follow patients who carefully monitor their glucose level, adjusting their medications precisely to maintain the most favorable levels, show that these people have increased mortality. They do not do better. The only way to beat diabetes is to get thin, eat right, and use less medication.
On February 6, 2008, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute stopped the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes study when results showed that intensive treatment of diabetics increases the risk of dying compared to patients who are treated less aggressively. When you read the comments of physicians and researchers discussing these results, it is apparent that they still do not understand why this occurred. Physicians are still looking for the magic combination of drugs to treat diabetes. They still do not understand that drugs cannot effectively treat this disease, which is merely a side effect of an unhealthy lifestyle and diet.
P37 The ADA medical advisory committee states: “It is nearly impossible to take very obese people and get them to lose significant weight. So rather than specifying an amount of weight loss, we are targeting metabolic control.” This is doublespeak for “Our recommended diets don’t work, so we just give medications and watch patients deteriorate.”
P39 Following a correct diet and exercise plan as a remedy should not be labeled alternative or complementary medicine. It is simply the way all properly educated doctors should be practicing. Everything else should be called malpractice medicine. Offering patients drugs and surgical interventions without informing them that, for most diseases, nutritional excellence and exercise are safer and more effective in the long run is not adequate informed consent to the use of medications. The risks of medicines are downplayed and their supposed benefits greatly exaggerated by a medial profession and drug industry who offer drugs as the panacea to all that ails us.
P44 Yes, to lose weight and improve your health, you need t eat less fa, less carbohydrate, and less protein, reducitn total caloric intake. But the secret is not to count calories to reduce calories. That never works. The secret is to focus on micronutrients. I know it defies logic, at first, but true health lies in a high-quality diet – eating foods packed with micronutrients.
P45 Micronutrients include fourteen vitamins and sixteen essential minerals known to be vital to human health, . . . However, these vitamins and essential minerals, identified over 75 years ago, are just two types of micronutrients.
Phytochemicals are the third type of micronutrient and were identified more recently.
P47 When you seek to consume a broad array of both discovered and undiscovered micronutrients via your food choices, you are a nutritarian. It is not sufficient to merely avoid trans fats or saturated fats. It is not sufficient for the diet to have a low glycemic index. It is not sufficient for the diet to be low in animal products. It is not sufficient for the diet to be mostly raw food. A truly healthy diet must be micronutrient rich, and the micronutrient richness must be adjusted to meet individual needs.
P65 Calorie counting simply doesn’t work in the long run. Diets based on portion control and calorie counting generally permit the eating of highly toxic, low-nutrient foods and then require us to fight our addictive drives and attempt to eat less. This combination undernourishes the body, resulting in uncontrollable and frequent food cravings.
P68 diabetics mostly die of heart attacks. A meat-based diet promotes artherosclerosis, increases the risk of blood clots, and accelerates kidney failure in diabetics. A diet high in animal products and low in vegetables and beans is the formula for a medical disaster. Diabetics need the opposite: a diet high in vegetables and beans and low in animal products.
Some people have bought into the faulty logic that if sugar and refined grains and other high-glycemic foods raise blood sugar and triglycerides, then we should eat more animal products instead of these refined carbohydrates. Unquestionably, sugar, white flour, and other processed grains are unfavorable and must be removed to achieve good health, but to increase animal products at the expense of vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, and other low-glycemic, nutrient –rich plant foods (which are protein adequate) is not only dangerous but also reduces the potential for the diabetic to recover and get off all medications.
Carbohydrate-restricive diets that are rich in animal products can offer some short-term imporovement in glucose control and can potentially aid weight loss in some people, but because those diets are too rich in animal products (which do not contain phytochemicals or antioxidants), they incur other significant risks such as cancer, heart disease, and kidney disease. The main problems with recommending a diet with a significant amount of animal products for diabetics are that the increased protein intake promotes the progression of diabetic kidney disease, and the animal-source protein and saturated fate intake raise cholesterol and promote heart disease.
P69 Not only are diets very high in animal products dangerous in the short-term, they are more dangerous when followed long term. Animal products need to be restricted for disease reversal to occur predictably.
P70 Tip: Eat more foods rich in vegetable protein and less or no foods with animal protein.
I have seen many diabetic patients on a physician-recommended high-protein diets develop kidney or heart problems. Numerous people have suffered and died needlessly because of misinformation. I consider this advice malpractice. This issue still exists. Many doctors are still advocating this diet style for diabetics. Advocates for high-animal protein diets flood bookstores and the Internet because people want to hear they can eat all these rich foods that they desire. People buy into the hype and often don’t understand the dangers until it is too late.
P72 The paleo diet uses a distorted view of ancient history to argue that a diet of 50 to 80 percent animal products is the most life span enhancing.
P73 It is also well established that lots of meat equals lots of gout and kidney stones.
P74 …we can prevent disease with a high-nutrient diet. It is important that we all know that we can no longer deny the dangers from a diet style rich in meat and other animal products.
Humans are primates, and all primates eat a diet of predominantly natural vegetation. If they eat animal products, it is a very small percentage of their total caloric intake. Luckily, we have modern science that shows that most common ailments in today’s world are the result of wrong nutritional choices arising from misguided nutritional information.
I quit taking notes here, it was just too much, but I did want to note one last thing.
P131 For many years, most Americans incorrectly believed that only animal products contained all the essential amino acids and that plant proteins were incomplete. False. They were taught that animal protein is superior to plant protein. False. They accept the outdated notion that plant protein must be mixed and matched in some complicated way that take the planning of a nuclear physicist for a vegetarian diet to be adequate. False.
I guess they never thought too hard about how a rhinoceros, hippopotamus, gorilla, giraffe, or elephant could become so big while eating only vegetables
@professorbennett
I will quibble with Doctor Furman on two points (I feel bad about it, because this is truly an outstanding book): 1. He says it’s ok to have a small (and he does say it must be very small and very infrequent) amount of meat products. Why tell people to eat meat at all? 2. He recommends meat products be fish. Sorry doc, but from everything I’ve read, fish is no better off than chicken, pork, beef, turkey, or any other animal flesh. The problem is in our ability to raise an uncontaminated animal. 99% of our animal products sold to the masses are raised on CAFOs. It is impossible to get a product that I would feel comfortable with – and even if I could, does that mean I would want to eat it? Would it benefit my body in some manner?
He also has a great number of delicious looking recipes in the back that I hope to try out.
Overall, tremendous and informative. I hope many people can change their lives because of the information contained within.
P2 As a diabetic, you probably have a plan to keep on top of your conditions with glucose monitoring, HbA1C measurements, regular physician visits, and medication adjustments. These standard and accepted practices to maintain control of your blood glucose are seen as essential to your health. Unfortunately, this is all wrong.
P3 Contrary to popular speculation, the many diseases that plague all people and threaten our lives are not an inevitable consequence of aging. We are not the victims of poor genetics. We do not need a steady supply of pills for the rest of our lives. We have come to believe that our excess, disease-causing body fat is normal, acceptable and too difficult to take off. Drugs are not the solution to weight, diabetes, or other problems that seem to come with aging.
P4 When you eat sufficient micronutrients and fiber with a high nutrient diet, it suppresses food cravings. Amazingly you begin to naturally crave fewer calories.
P9 The average type 2 diabetic incurs $6,649 in health care costs directly attributable to diabetes per year. More than half of Americans will have diabetes or be prediabetic by 2020 at a cost of $3.35 trillion to the U.S. health care system if current trends go on unabated.
P13 More than one third of type I diabetics die before age 50.
P21 The ADA diet uses the diabetic exchange list to help diabetics create what they call balanced meals. This exchange diet divides foods up into groups based on similarities in nutrient content and includes starches, fruits, milk, vegetables, meats, fats, sweets, and other carbohydrates. It looks to make meals that are based on a preconceived notion that balancing an equal amount of fat, carbohydrates, and protein at each meal is favorable. It then allows exchanges based on the amount of calories from that macronutrient. For example, in the starch group, one slice of toast can be exchanged for a half cup serving of cooked oatmeal.
Because the foods the diet is designed with are inherently poor in fiber, micronutrients, and resistant starch, they fuel an obsession with food because the dieter is never satisfied. This continual struggle with dieting and trying to maintain small portion sizes of foods that do not biologically fill you up rarely works. Even in controlled dietary studies in which calories are carefully monitored, the results are relatively poor simply because the American dietary standard is so poor and the ADA diet mimics this failed dietary pattern utilizing too much unhealthy low-micronutrient foods. Researchers have also frequently noted the difficulties involved in the ADA plan, particularly the requirements to dramatically restrict portion sizes that most individuals simply cannot comply with long term.
P26 Jim’s story illustrates not merely how powerful this dietary protocol is but also how the standard nutritional advice given to diabetics from conventional physicians and dieticians can be disease promoting. The standard nutritional advice given to diabetics is not only insufficient – it is dangerous.
P33 The tendency to throw drugs at every medical condition is the problem with medicine today. Physicians prescribe drugs in an attempt to lower dangerously high blood sugar, risky high cholesterol, and damaging high blood pressure levels typically seen in diabetics, since these high levels can lead to further damage or premature death. Unfortunately, treating diabetes with medication gives patients a false sense of security because they mistakenly think their somewhat controlled glucose levels mean they are healthy. Whether patients have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or any other risk factor, the use of medication takes the emphasis away from the complete overhaul of the lifestyle and diet style that is absolutely essential to save their life. Going to doctors and getting a pill for every issue has a subconscious effect to avert personal responsibility, and the motivation for patients to earn back their health is lessened.
P35 In fact, studies that follow patients who carefully monitor their glucose level, adjusting their medications precisely to maintain the most favorable levels, show that these people have increased mortality. They do not do better. The only way to beat diabetes is to get thin, eat right, and use less medication.
On February 6, 2008, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute stopped the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes study when results showed that intensive treatment of diabetics increases the risk of dying compared to patients who are treated less aggressively. When you read the comments of physicians and researchers discussing these results, it is apparent that they still do not understand why this occurred. Physicians are still looking for the magic combination of drugs to treat diabetes. They still do not understand that drugs cannot effectively treat this disease, which is merely a side effect of an unhealthy lifestyle and diet.
P37 The ADA medical advisory committee states: “It is nearly impossible to take very obese people and get them to lose significant weight. So rather than specifying an amount of weight loss, we are targeting metabolic control.” This is doublespeak for “Our recommended diets don’t work, so we just give medications and watch patients deteriorate.”
P39 Following a correct diet and exercise plan as a remedy should not be labeled alternative or complementary medicine. It is simply the way all properly educated doctors should be practicing. Everything else should be called malpractice medicine. Offering patients drugs and surgical interventions without informing them that, for most diseases, nutritional excellence and exercise are safer and more effective in the long run is not adequate informed consent to the use of medications. The risks of medicines are downplayed and their supposed benefits greatly exaggerated by a medial profession and drug industry who offer drugs as the panacea to all that ails us.
P44 Yes, to lose weight and improve your health, you need t eat less fa, less carbohydrate, and less protein, reducitn total caloric intake. But the secret is not to count calories to reduce calories. That never works. The secret is to focus on micronutrients. I know it defies logic, at first, but true health lies in a high-quality diet – eating foods packed with micronutrients.
P45 Micronutrients include fourteen vitamins and sixteen essential minerals known to be vital to human health, . . . However, these vitamins and essential minerals, identified over 75 years ago, are just two types of micronutrients.
Phytochemicals are the third type of micronutrient and were identified more recently.
P47 When you seek to consume a broad array of both discovered and undiscovered micronutrients via your food choices, you are a nutritarian. It is not sufficient to merely avoid trans fats or saturated fats. It is not sufficient for the diet to have a low glycemic index. It is not sufficient for the diet to be low in animal products. It is not sufficient for the diet to be mostly raw food. A truly healthy diet must be micronutrient rich, and the micronutrient richness must be adjusted to meet individual needs.
P65 Calorie counting simply doesn’t work in the long run. Diets based on portion control and calorie counting generally permit the eating of highly toxic, low-nutrient foods and then require us to fight our addictive drives and attempt to eat less. This combination undernourishes the body, resulting in uncontrollable and frequent food cravings.
P68 diabetics mostly die of heart attacks. A meat-based diet promotes artherosclerosis, increases the risk of blood clots, and accelerates kidney failure in diabetics. A diet high in animal products and low in vegetables and beans is the formula for a medical disaster. Diabetics need the opposite: a diet high in vegetables and beans and low in animal products.
Some people have bought into the faulty logic that if sugar and refined grains and other high-glycemic foods raise blood sugar and triglycerides, then we should eat more animal products instead of these refined carbohydrates. Unquestionably, sugar, white flour, and other processed grains are unfavorable and must be removed to achieve good health, but to increase animal products at the expense of vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, and other low-glycemic, nutrient –rich plant foods (which are protein adequate) is not only dangerous but also reduces the potential for the diabetic to recover and get off all medications.
Carbohydrate-restricive diets that are rich in animal products can offer some short-term imporovement in glucose control and can potentially aid weight loss in some people, but because those diets are too rich in animal products (which do not contain phytochemicals or antioxidants), they incur other significant risks such as cancer, heart disease, and kidney disease. The main problems with recommending a diet with a significant amount of animal products for diabetics are that the increased protein intake promotes the progression of diabetic kidney disease, and the animal-source protein and saturated fate intake raise cholesterol and promote heart disease.
P69 Not only are diets very high in animal products dangerous in the short-term, they are more dangerous when followed long term. Animal products need to be restricted for disease reversal to occur predictably.
P70 Tip: Eat more foods rich in vegetable protein and less or no foods with animal protein.
I have seen many diabetic patients on a physician-recommended high-protein diets develop kidney or heart problems. Numerous people have suffered and died needlessly because of misinformation. I consider this advice malpractice. This issue still exists. Many doctors are still advocating this diet style for diabetics. Advocates for high-animal protein diets flood bookstores and the Internet because people want to hear they can eat all these rich foods that they desire. People buy into the hype and often don’t understand the dangers until it is too late.
P72 The paleo diet uses a distorted view of ancient history to argue that a diet of 50 to 80 percent animal products is the most life span enhancing.
P73 It is also well established that lots of meat equals lots of gout and kidney stones.
P74 …we can prevent disease with a high-nutrient diet. It is important that we all know that we can no longer deny the dangers from a diet style rich in meat and other animal products.
Humans are primates, and all primates eat a diet of predominantly natural vegetation. If they eat animal products, it is a very small percentage of their total caloric intake. Luckily, we have modern science that shows that most common ailments in today’s world are the result of wrong nutritional choices arising from misguided nutritional information.
I quit taking notes here, it was just too much, but I did want to note one last thing.
P131 For many years, most Americans incorrectly believed that only animal products contained all the essential amino acids and that plant proteins were incomplete. False. They were taught that animal protein is superior to plant protein. False. They accept the outdated notion that plant protein must be mixed and matched in some complicated way that take the planning of a nuclear physicist for a vegetarian diet to be adequate. False.
I guess they never thought too hard about how a rhinoceros, hippopotamus, gorilla, giraffe, or elephant could become so big while eating only vegetables
@professorbennett
August 6, 2020
Well, this was the last thing I ever would have picked up, but I put my dad in assisted living/memory care in May of this year and along with family and friends, began to move him out of his apartment. Dad has always been a big fan of Dr. Joel Fuhrman (I may have another book listed here by him, because Dad sent me a box of 3 books by him once...I know I didn't read all three) and our family has a strong history of diabetes (grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins, etc.). My doctor has been telling me for years, "For you, based on your family history, it's not 'if' but 'when.'"
So I read it. And I really liked it (took me all summer to finish). And his advice seems pretty sound. I don't think I'll rush out and try all his recipes, but I have begun to use meat and dairy products as more of a condiment (eating animal products more sparingly, but haven't eliminated them) and I have totally increased my vegetable intake. I've also begun sprinkling a teaspoon of chia seeds (he suggests a variety of nuts and seeds) into some of my food. Prepping the food after grocery shopping (chop chop) and eating all the vegetables on time before they spoil requires commitment, but I feel better and have dropped a couple of pounds. And I feel super satisfied (not hungry).
On page 124, Dr. Fuhrman says,
"I call high-nutrient, high-volume foods that fill you up the unlimited foods. They include:
1. All raw vegetables
2. All cooked green vegetables
3. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, cauliflower
The goal is to eat large amounts of these three food categories to flood the body with micronutrients and fiber. Memorize them!"
I don't quite have them memorized yet and I've never in my life purchased an eggplant let alone cooked one, so there's a learning curve yet to be experienced.
He also says he'll ask his patients how often they forget to take their diabetes medications and they usually say "Never." He goes on to point out if people want to neglect themselves or say they are too busy, they should forget to take their prescription drugs, but they should never forget to exercise. He says, "Too many people suffering from diabetic conditions believe that drugs are their savior." I thought that was an interesting argument/point.
He also has a list of which organic produce really should be purchased and which produce is okay to buy even if it's not organic (pesticides).
I learned a lot!
So I read it. And I really liked it (took me all summer to finish). And his advice seems pretty sound. I don't think I'll rush out and try all his recipes, but I have begun to use meat and dairy products as more of a condiment (eating animal products more sparingly, but haven't eliminated them) and I have totally increased my vegetable intake. I've also begun sprinkling a teaspoon of chia seeds (he suggests a variety of nuts and seeds) into some of my food. Prepping the food after grocery shopping (chop chop) and eating all the vegetables on time before they spoil requires commitment, but I feel better and have dropped a couple of pounds. And I feel super satisfied (not hungry).
On page 124, Dr. Fuhrman says,
"I call high-nutrient, high-volume foods that fill you up the unlimited foods. They include:
1. All raw vegetables
2. All cooked green vegetables
3. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, cauliflower
The goal is to eat large amounts of these three food categories to flood the body with micronutrients and fiber. Memorize them!"
I don't quite have them memorized yet and I've never in my life purchased an eggplant let alone cooked one, so there's a learning curve yet to be experienced.
He also says he'll ask his patients how often they forget to take their diabetes medications and they usually say "Never." He goes on to point out if people want to neglect themselves or say they are too busy, they should forget to take their prescription drugs, but they should never forget to exercise. He says, "Too many people suffering from diabetic conditions believe that drugs are their savior." I thought that was an interesting argument/point.
He also has a list of which organic produce really should be purchased and which produce is okay to buy even if it's not organic (pesticides).
I learned a lot!
January 25, 2020
There are many people suffering from Type I and Type II diabetes that are struggling to keep it under control. Dr. Fuhrman writes a fascinating and hopeful book with information on how a person can greatly improve their diabetes by following a high micro-nutrient diet. In fact, he claims that people with Type I and Type II diabetes can have a huge improvement within a week on his diet.
He outlines the symptoms of Toxic Hunger versus True Hunger, which surprised me a bit. Toxic hunger can easily be mistaken for True Hunger, and if you consume a low nutrient diet, you could be suffering from this. Once you improve your diet with healthier food choices, your Toxic Hunger disappears and True Hunger takes over. Even though Dr. Fuhrman believes in a mainly plant-based diet, he allows you to eat certain meat choices on an infrequent basis.
Dr. Fuhrman's chapter on high protein, low carb diets and their pitfalls was extremely convincing; especially as the Keto Diet seems to be so popular these days. Most people are not aware of the possible long-term health problems that can arise from eating this way. He quotes many studies and research to back up his evidence.
Included in the book are seven days of meal plans, guidelines and a section of very yummy sounding recipes. The added benefit is that you will lose some weight on his plan, and your blood work will greatly improve. I would sooner follow a diet by Dr. Fuhrman than any other diet that exists! Fortunately, I already have a good collection of the several books that he has written and have already tried some of his recipes, and will continue to do so. Keep up the great work Dr. Fuhrman!!
He outlines the symptoms of Toxic Hunger versus True Hunger, which surprised me a bit. Toxic hunger can easily be mistaken for True Hunger, and if you consume a low nutrient diet, you could be suffering from this. Once you improve your diet with healthier food choices, your Toxic Hunger disappears and True Hunger takes over. Even though Dr. Fuhrman believes in a mainly plant-based diet, he allows you to eat certain meat choices on an infrequent basis.
Dr. Fuhrman's chapter on high protein, low carb diets and their pitfalls was extremely convincing; especially as the Keto Diet seems to be so popular these days. Most people are not aware of the possible long-term health problems that can arise from eating this way. He quotes many studies and research to back up his evidence.
Included in the book are seven days of meal plans, guidelines and a section of very yummy sounding recipes. The added benefit is that you will lose some weight on his plan, and your blood work will greatly improve. I would sooner follow a diet by Dr. Fuhrman than any other diet that exists! Fortunately, I already have a good collection of the several books that he has written and have already tried some of his recipes, and will continue to do so. Keep up the great work Dr. Fuhrman!!
May 3, 2022
The End of Diabetes, by Dr Joel Fuhrman was an interesting read. I learned quite a bit, but as a lay person it's hard to know when "experts" disagree which one to believe. To some extent you can go with the ones who seem to have the best evidence, or make the most sense, but when they all do . . .
One red flag I saw was that Dr Fuhrman disparages low carb diets by misrepresenting at least a couple of them, Dr Adkins diet and Paleo diet both. This makes me distrust his findings somewhat, since dishonesty here suggests dishonesty elsewhere. But again, there was much interesting info within these pages that requires further investigation. And since it's pretty clear that the AMA (American Medical Assoc) and ADA (American Diabetes Assoc) don't seem to have a very good understanding based on their very poor records of success, I'll continue to read on.
One red flag I saw was that Dr Fuhrman disparages low carb diets by misrepresenting at least a couple of them, Dr Adkins diet and Paleo diet both. This makes me distrust his findings somewhat, since dishonesty here suggests dishonesty elsewhere. But again, there was much interesting info within these pages that requires further investigation. And since it's pretty clear that the AMA (American Medical Assoc) and ADA (American Diabetes Assoc) don't seem to have a very good understanding based on their very poor records of success, I'll continue to read on.
January 1, 2024
Lots of great info I will adapt for next pregnancy to hopefully avoid GD, but I am NOT disciplined enough to do the entire diet for life, god bless his patients who are. But many pieces I plan to integrate into my life so I’m glad I read this!
September 3, 2016
I picked this up to see how the other half lives. I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic, but I do have a family history of diabetes. My current health parameters are all within in acceptable limits on both ends, and I started a low-carb diet to lose weight and eliminate blood sugar spikes, both of which worked. I no longer suffer from what I call reactive hypoglycemia and Dr. Fuhrman calls toxic hunger.
I eat a variation of one of those meat diets (which like this one also limits dairy and alcohol, but which for some reason, Dr. Fuhrman seems to think doesn't involve vegetables, nuts, or low-GL fruit), but I've always have some concerns about the ethical/environmental impact of being so carnivorous. My understanding to this point is that the diets agree on the no-refined grains, no added sugar, death to soda of all varieties thing, but split on meat vs. complex carbs. This diet is a whole other breed. It allows minuscule amounts of meat and dairy, and fills in with beans and even more veggies. I love veggies, I do, but no cooking fats? Hold me while I weep. Dr. Fuhrman instead recommends "water-sauteing." It's honestly a new kind of extreme, and he effectively taunts anyone who isn't willing to do it because of their love of the Standard American Diet (SAD), but isn't this really just an even more militant version of a fad diet? He admits that humans have survived successfully on all manner of combinations of macronutrients, and then brushes that statement away immediately by confirming that his way is the best.
Let's be honest, no matter what you want to prove, you can find a study to say it. Point in fact, Dr. Fuhrman claims, on page 69 that carb-restrictive diets cause 'metabolic derangement' and cardiomyopathy. Did anyone else bother to flip back to his reference? It's a pediatric study of 20 patients. Really couldn't find one that applied to adults to back up your claim?
For me its a matter of how I feel. If I eat half a cup of oatmeal at 7 AM (I should add that I eat rolled oats barely cooked, microwaved 20 seconds in warm water), I'm hungry by 10AM, and it tasted like glue. If I eat meat or eggs, I can make it until noon without hunger and snacking. I don't know, maybe I'd be willing to try it if it weren't such an extreme about face. More than than, for a diet that is ostensibly about whole foods, he recommends a lot of juicing.
Shrug. Not for me. Maybe it'll convince me to double-down on the kale, which I genuinely enjoying eating, but I'm probably not going to quit meat. I think I'll look for another pro-vegetarian book that isn't trying so hard to sell me something.
P.S. I thought the Atkins Diet book was stupid too.
I eat a variation of one of those meat diets (which like this one also limits dairy and alcohol, but which for some reason, Dr. Fuhrman seems to think doesn't involve vegetables, nuts, or low-GL fruit), but I've always have some concerns about the ethical/environmental impact of being so carnivorous. My understanding to this point is that the diets agree on the no-refined grains, no added sugar, death to soda of all varieties thing, but split on meat vs. complex carbs. This diet is a whole other breed. It allows minuscule amounts of meat and dairy, and fills in with beans and even more veggies. I love veggies, I do, but no cooking fats? Hold me while I weep. Dr. Fuhrman instead recommends "water-sauteing." It's honestly a new kind of extreme, and he effectively taunts anyone who isn't willing to do it because of their love of the Standard American Diet (SAD), but isn't this really just an even more militant version of a fad diet? He admits that humans have survived successfully on all manner of combinations of macronutrients, and then brushes that statement away immediately by confirming that his way is the best.
Let's be honest, no matter what you want to prove, you can find a study to say it. Point in fact, Dr. Fuhrman claims, on page 69 that carb-restrictive diets cause 'metabolic derangement' and cardiomyopathy. Did anyone else bother to flip back to his reference? It's a pediatric study of 20 patients. Really couldn't find one that applied to adults to back up your claim?
For me its a matter of how I feel. If I eat half a cup of oatmeal at 7 AM (I should add that I eat rolled oats barely cooked, microwaved 20 seconds in warm water), I'm hungry by 10AM, and it tasted like glue. If I eat meat or eggs, I can make it until noon without hunger and snacking. I don't know, maybe I'd be willing to try it if it weren't such an extreme about face. More than than, for a diet that is ostensibly about whole foods, he recommends a lot of juicing.
Shrug. Not for me. Maybe it'll convince me to double-down on the kale, which I genuinely enjoying eating, but I'm probably not going to quit meat. I think I'll look for another pro-vegetarian book that isn't trying so hard to sell me something.
P.S. I thought the Atkins Diet book was stupid too.
March 12, 2020
I am trying to become a vegan. I’ve been a vegetarian on and off for 20 years. I find it relatively easy. However, 20% of diabetics are type 1 and that’s a whole different ball game than type 2. Personally I’m sick of reading about curing diabetes. You can’t cure type 1 and these books are only talking to type 2 Patients. So generalizing diabetes is a good way to sell books. However to Type 1 diabetics it’s just false advertising and simple solutions for a more complicated form of diabetes. That’s all.
September 22, 2021
Look, this whole book is mostly bullshit, so I won't bother with debunking all of its nonsense. Here's one thing that particularly bothered me, though:
Humans are primates, and all primates eat a diet of predominantly natural vegetation. If they eat animal products, it is a very small percentage of their total caloric intake. (pp. 133)The taxonomic order Primates consists of over 500 discrete species (depending on classification), with new species continuing to be discovered (over 25 species were described in the 2000s, 36 in the 2010s, and three in the 2020s). Primates range from Microcebus berthae (30 g) to Gorilla beringei (>200 kg). The kinds of sweeping statements and ignorant generalizations Fuhrman makes would be out of place in a kindergarten textbook, to say nothing of a book proudly posturing its proclamation that diabetes (both kinds, I assume?) can and will be ENDED with FACTS and LOGIC. "All primates eat a diet of predominantly natural vegetation" is simply incorrect, since humans are primates, and humans are omnivores.
July 16, 2018
In understandable language, but backed up with science, Fuhrman outlines why a plant-based diet works to lower A1C results, and speaks to the psychology of how difficult it can be to opt into this for a newbie. (Fuhrman's hook - his program name - is "nutritarian." Everyone's gotta have a gimmick, but his reasoning seems sound: go for the foods that provide the most nutrition per calorie. It's basic stuff.) Published in 2012, it follows his earlier (2003) work, "Eat to Live," but deals specifically with the science of diabetes, blood glucose, etc. It also covers other food issues such as organics, GMOs, gluten, "paleo" diets, etc. There are also a bunch of easy recipes to get you started. FYI, this was referred to me by a nutritionist working in a large medical group, so some areas of the AMA are starting to come around to food vs. Big Pharm., which is good to see.)
August 6, 2018
Recommends cutting out dairy and meat products
Vitamin b12 can only be found in eggs, dairy and meat products. This book should have recommended taking a vitamin b 12 supplement if cutting back on eggs, dairy and meat products. A vitamin b 12 deficiency is often found in people who are vegans, because only foods that are animal products have vitamin b 12. Also, this author should read The Obesity Code and The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung. Gives more data about the Atkins diet and ketogenic diet.
Vitamin b12 can only be found in eggs, dairy and meat products. This book should have recommended taking a vitamin b 12 supplement if cutting back on eggs, dairy and meat products. A vitamin b 12 deficiency is often found in people who are vegans, because only foods that are animal products have vitamin b 12. Also, this author should read The Obesity Code and The Diabetes Code by Jason Fung. Gives more data about the Atkins diet and ketogenic diet.
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