"Eat to Live" book thoughts?

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jissellc
jissellc Posts: 76 Member
edited December 2014 in Food and Nutrition
I'm reading "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman and wanted to know if anyone else read it and their thoughts on it. I got it because I thought I could learn a lot about nutrition from it. Somethings I'm not sure about so far is that he states high protein diets aren't good for you because "diets rich in animal products and low in fruit and unrefined carbohydrates are likely to significantly increase a person's risk of colon cancer". Not sure if this is true? Also I belive his meal plan consists of mainly plants and no meat or dairy for the first few weeks. Not sure if that is good.
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  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    I bought it, read it and threw it in the garbage bin. I'm not living like that!!!
  • jissellc
    jissellc Posts: 76 Member
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    mockchoc wrote: »
    I bought it, read it and threw it in the garbage bin. I'm not living like that!!!

    Hahaha I saw it had many good reviews so I figured why not give it a shot? But Somethings he said don't make much sense.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    The book recommends that 90% of one's calories come from plant sources.
    So, yeah, if you want meat and dairy, look for a different plan.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    Everyone eats to live. Some just like to live it up better with choices for celebration. And celebration is pretty much a great way to express happiness.
    I wouldn't be happy if I only just ate what is mentioned by the book.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • Docbanana2002
    Docbanana2002 Posts: 357 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Americans often eat too much protein and not enough fiber...I think that's why plant based eaters have lower rates of colon cancer. Plenty of fiber. As for whether you want to live eating mostly plant based choices, that is your decision but I will say that for me it has been wonderful. I've been a vegetarian for a year today! And transitioning to vegan for the last few months. My perception of what is "good food" has changed in what I think is a positive way. But my veg diet was an ethical choice, not just for health or weight loss. It might have been harder for me to make that switch without that motivation.

    Here is an article that discusses the issue of how much protein is too much... http://www.cscca.org/document/proteinissue

    And another on veg diets, from the American dietetics association, discussing health benefits and nutrients of interest. There is a section on digestive health that discusses the colon cancer link. http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdf
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    jissellc wrote: »
    "diets rich in animal products and low in fruit and unrefined carbohydrates are likely to significantly increase a person's risk of colon cancer". Not sure if this is true?

    Also I belive his meal plan consists of mainly plants and no meat or dairy for the first few weeks. Not sure if that is good.

    Even if it's true, there's a massive assumption that eating more animal means you eat less veg. ???

    Also, I'm reluctant to listen to anyone who says we should cut out something. Unless it's eating petrol or bricks. Or panda.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Everyone eats to live. Some just like to live it up better with choices for celebration. And celebration is pretty much a great way to express happiness.
    I wouldn't be happy if I only just ate what is mentioned by the book.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
    I don't recall the book saying don't celebrate.

  • yourpalsoap
    yourpalsoap Posts: 88
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    I haven't read the book and I don't personally follow 80:10:10 - but I am vegan and you can get rid of animal products and still get enough protein and fibre. there are tons of plant-based protein sources (all sorts of beans/legumes/pulses/soy products).

    you can healthily follow the eat to thrive/80:10:10 diet and I know many people who do it and feel great, but I like hot food and refined carbs :--)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I've read it. Eating more vegetables, and fruits and whole grains, and less meat, and refined carbs and sugar.
    It's not an all or nothing approach. I wouldn't say I "follow it", though I did incorporate some of its ideas. Basically I just try to eat more of the healthful stuff and less of the rest.
  • oedipa_maas
    oedipa_maas Posts: 577 Member
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    I read it. I can't follow eating plans that heavily load on one side of my macros and severely restrict the others. My body doesn't like to do lopsided. But I did come away with a greater vigor towards eating more plants. Guy's not wrong that they are good for you. But it wasn't worth the purchase price to find out the one thing I pretty much knew anyway.
  • RawIndian
    RawIndian Posts: 90 Member
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    It is an excellent diet if you are looking to reduce weight and at the same time reduce your blood cholesterol. I lost 20 lbs on this diet plus my blood numbers came back to normal after bordering disaster.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    I read it after we became vegan along with the China Study. I attempted 80/10/10 for a while, but found it to be unsustainable. I was always over on fats/protein. Plus I have a family to feed and I'm too lazy to feed them differently than how I eat.

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    herrspoons wrote: »
    Eat to live... like you have no life.

    No thanks.


    I think that's a little harsh.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    herrspoons wrote: »
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    herrspoons wrote: »
    Eat to live... like you have no life.

    No thanks.


    I think that's a little harsh.

    Not to me. There is no point in that level of exclusion. None whatsoever.


    O.K.I understand that. Which is why I found it unsustainable for the long term, we eat too many nuts and avocados (and olive oil) around here to make it work. I don't eat meat or eggs or dairy for ethical reasons, so in my mind my diet isn't restrictive at all, although some people may say it is. I agree that I don't think restriction (within our own eating parameters) is the key to sustainable diet.

    I pretty much eat what I want, it just happens that what I want to eat doesn't come from animals.

    I don't think that my plant based life is less of a life though. =)
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    herrspoons wrote: »
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    herrspoons wrote: »
    Eat to live... like you have no life.

    No thanks.


    I think that's a little harsh.

    Not to me. There is no point in that level of exclusion. None whatsoever.

    There is a significant chunk of the population that does much better with exclusion than with moderate restriction.
  • NikonPal
    NikonPal Posts: 1,346 Member
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    Read the review on WebMD

    "The Eat to Live diet is a vegetarian, vegan, low-salt, low-fat, and gluten-free (if you avoid grains with gluten) plan. After the first 6 weeks, when some restrictions loosen, you may add animal products in limited amounts, if you like."

    Read more at website...

    Not for me...

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  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    If you can add meat, it's not a vegetarian plan...
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    I read it and am among the more open-minded and 'willing to try new things', but it was too restrictive for me to even want to try.

    And some of the things seemed kind of 'left field', like didn't he think that mushrooms and onions(?) were somehow better for you than other plants and should be eaten as often as possible?
  • jissellc
    jissellc Posts: 76 Member
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    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    I read it and am among the more open-minded and 'willing to try new things', but it was too restrictive for me to even want to try.

    And some of the things seemed kind of 'left field', like didn't he think that mushrooms and onions(?) were somehow better for you than other plants and should be eaten as often as possible?

    I'm not sure lol. I just started reading and am still in the first chapter.

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