When discussing weight loss there are two common issues that I can always count. Issue 1: most diets the person has followed led to weight loss but when they strayed from the diet they quickly gained all of the weight back. This makes sense – most diets are created for quick weight loss, not long-term weight maintenance. The reason they strayed from or stopped the diet is because of issue 2: it’s too hard to stick to in the long term. The first few weeks are filled with motivation, excitement and weight loss. But more often than not the diet becomes too much work, too restrictive, they don’t feel well or there was a holiday and they got off track. It’s painful watching people go on and off of diets that leave them frustrated and less healthy.
Fortunately I do see people successfully make changes to their diet, lose weight and keep it off. What are these people doing differently? They’re focusing on what TO eat rather than what NOT to eat and the what TO eat list is full of healthy and satisfying fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Also, they’re seeing results other than just weight loss – skin clearing, better sleep, getting off medication, better digestion, more energy.
For these reasons, I’m not surprised that Dr. Fuhrman has successfully helped thousands of people lose weight and improve their health. In his book The End of Dieting, after exploring toxic hunger and diet myths, Joel Fuhrman offers six strategies. Think of these as a checklist. Anyone who checks these six “to-dos” off every day is bound to improve their weight and their health.
Dr. Furhman’s Six Guidelines:
- Eat a large salad every day as your main dish. Fill it with lots of colorful veggies. Frozen or canned beans or raw nuts are an easy way to beef up any salad. Check that your dressing doesn’t have dairy, white sugar or oil.
Need salad ideas? Powerhouse Kale Salad, Easy Quinoa & Edamame Salad, Rainbow Fruit and Greens Salad, and Greens & Grain Salad. - Eat at least 1/2 cup, but preferably closer to 1 cup, of beans a day. This is an easy one if you add beans to your salad. Or whip up a big batch of bean or lentil filled soup at the beginning of the week and portion it into containers and you’ll be thanking yourself every morning as you grab it on the way out the door.
Hearty Pumpkin Chili, Dill-licious Split Pea Soup, Hearty Stew, Turmeric Squash Soup - Eat one large (double size) serving of lightly steamed green veggies a day. Think asparagus, broccoli, kale, spinach, green beans, zucchini, okra, brussels sprouts, bok choy, artichokes, cabbage or collard greens. Avoid overcooking!
- Eat at least 1 ounce of nut and seeds a day if you’re females and 1.5 ounces if you’re male. Throw these on oatmeal or salad or even use them to make salad dressings and veggie dips! Adding more nuts and seeds is a great way for active people to get extra calories. Keeping a baggie of Nut Mix on hand can keep you from grabbing processed bars, chips, crackers and cookies when you’re on the go.
- Eat mushrooms and onions every day. Always cook your mushrooms for a minute or two. Cooked mushrooms can be kept in the fridge for salads and other dishes. If you think you’re not a fan of mushrooms, this Mushroom & Potato Bake may prove you wrong!
- Eat 3 fresh fruits a day. Stick to fresh or frozen whole fruits rather than juice or dried fruit. Try to make at least one of your daily fruits a serving of berries or pomegranates. Fruit smoothies count too! Here’s some ideas: Refreshing Strawberry Cucumber Smoothie, Turmeric Smoothie, Meal in a Cup Smoothie, Acai Bowl
Get the book from Amazon here -> The End of Dieting: How to Live for Life
Dr. Fuhrman is also the author of Eat to Live and Super Immunity.
