The Nutritarian Diet To Reverse Disease and Live Longer

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On this episode, Faraz Khan sits down with Dr. Joel Fuhrman to discuss how to use the Nutritarian Diet to reverse diseases and live a long and healthy life.

Joel Fuhrman, M.D. is a board-certified family physician, seven-time New York Times bestselling author, and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods.

Through his medical practice, Eat to Live Retreat, books and television specials, Dr. Fuhrman shares his life-saving nutritional protocols with people around the world. His work and discoveries are published in medical journals, and he is involved with multiple nutritional studies with major research institutions across America.

He serves as the President of the Nutritional Research Foundation. His five PBS shows have raised over $70 million for PBS. His most recent book is Eat for Life (HarperOne).

Also check out my interview with Dr. William Li on how to Eat To Beat Disease.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Background

Was a #3 figure skater in the world
His dad was ill, so Dr. Fuhrman decided to go to medical school so he could heal people with nutrition
He has been helping people reverse health conditions for the past 30 years
Is seeing markers of biological aging reverse before his eyes
Believes this can be called anti-aging or reversing biological aging

What’s Causing So Much Disease In Modern World?

Three biggest cause of diseases are heart disease, stroke and cancer
He believes most of these diseases are caused by bad lifestyle and nutrition
Nutrition overwhelms genetics in most cases

What is the Nutritarian Diet?

1 – Moderate Caloric Restriction having nutritional excellence (high concentration of antioxidants and phytochemicals)
2 – The diet has to be hormonally favorable: Must not increase insulin or IGF-1
3 – Stop exposure to chemicals, pollution, smoke, pathogenic worms or disease agents
4 – Comprehensive nutritional adequacy: don’t miss any particular nutrients. Get exposure to thousands of nutrients.
Nutrient rich and diverse
When you eat junk and processed foods, you are shortening your lifespan by decades
High glucose can cause diabetes, dementia, heart disease and stroke
Animal products do not contain micronutrients to slow aging
Reduce fat, its inflammatory, makes you insulin resistant, sucks nutrients away

Top Nutrients For Reversing Disease and Longer Life (GBOMBS)?

Part of the Nutritarian Diet
G – Green vegetables, preferably cruciferous.Arugula, Kale, Bok Choy
B – Beans, Legumes, Chickpeas
O – Onions and Scallions
M – Mushrooms. Eat more than one mushrooms. Shiitake, lion’s mane, pearl, oysters and more
B – Berries, inclusing kumquats, passion fruit, blueberries, blackberries
S – flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.

How To Get Complete Nutrition, including Supplementation

Increase plant protein and reduce plant protein
Zinc, B12, K2, Iron and DHA are lacking in plant foods
Just low DHA can cause brain shrinkage, dementia, cognitive impairment and increased risk of parkinsons
Supplementation with Zinc, B12 and DHA is important
Animal Protein: unsure if pasture raised or grass fed meat has not shown reduced levels of death
Animal protein is growth promoting and increases IGF-1
However, with advancing age some folks might need more animal protein in their diet – if IGF-1 is too low
Dr. Fuhrman believes less than 7% animal product consumption is ideal
Dr. Fuhrman sells vegan EPA and DHA

The Lowdown on Beans in the Nutritarian Diet: Good or Bad?

Beans are very safe when cooked adequately
Undercooked beans can have harmful effects
Soak beans overnight and cook for over an hour
Make sure beans are soft

Eating Oils vs. Whole Fat Foods

Body fat matters and oil contributes to fat for most people
Walnuts, olives, avocadoes, flaxseeds are much healthier than their oils
Nuts and seeds have sterols, stannols, anti-cancer substances, fibers
Eating oils does not lower caloric intake, but eating whole foods does
According Dr. Fuhrman, all oils are fattening and must be avoided

Why Is High Insulin Dangerous For You?

Overwieght people need to create more insulin to work normally
Insulin increases fat stores in your body
It raises IGF-1 and is a growth promoting hormone
It promotes cellular replication which means cancerous cells can multiply faster
It also promotes angiogenesis which can cause cancerous cells to grow faster