Dr Fuhrman on the Dr Oz Show and Medicine

Thanks for the positive feedback on the new blog design!  I like the white and brightness of it; I feel it gives me a better sense of clarity (hopefully my readers feel the same way).  I would also like to say welcome to any new readers!  Whether you are coming from Google or from the link I left in my comment on the Dr. Oz show Tuesday featuring Dr. Fuhrman and his life changing nutrition ideology, I hope any information or recipes you find on my blog is helpful to encourage you to make any changes that will help you to greater health!

Today I would like to discuss the topics presented on the Dr. Oz show today.  In my opinion, the topics that were presented this time that Dr. Fuhrman was on were much more to the point of the Nutritarian lifestyle: that your food determines your health by preventing western disease, while also allowing you to lose weight.  (On Dr. Fs last appearance on the show, I felt that he was overly rushed and that the people selected from the audience were not good examples of people willing to make changes for their long-term health.)  Here are some good quotes from this episode that made some great points:

"Use food as your medicine"- Dr. Oz

"Lets say you brought your car to the mechanic because the dashboard was flashing: OIL OIL OIL!  When you took it in there, the mechanic cut the wire to the dashboard so you couldnt see the oil light flashing.  So, you continue to drive the car with no oil.  Well, medications give people a false sense that they are taking care of themselves.  [Over time]... they need more medications and more medications.  What Im saying here is that medications function like permission slips to enable people to continue their diet styles which are causing the disease to inevitably advance."-Dr. Fuhrman

"Now we know that you dont have to have heart disease,  you dont have high blood pressure, you dont have to have diabetes, and we can win the war on cancer.  Food is the secret here."-Dr. Fuhrman

I know that I think often about the topics presented, but to those hearing it for the first time, I hope that it gives you hope and motivation.  Other topics discussed included the concept of Dr. Fs flipped food pyramid, pictured below.  I think the pyramid makes a whole lot of sense.  I mean, why wouldnt you want to put the most amounts of the most nutritious foods on the bottom?

Another great visual for new-comers to have, in my opinion, is the picture representing nutrient density.  AKA, the amount of nutrients (micronutrients and phytonutrients) per calorie of food.  Also think of the volumes of food per calorie entering into your digestive system.

Did you see the Dr. Oz episode?  

What were your thoughts?

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Dr Fuhrmans Warm Lentil Salad

Hello dear blogging community!  I am sorry about my absence this last month.  After moving and getting settled into my new job, I started to feel soooo worn down and tired.  I continued to have jaw pains and headaches from my TMJ, but on top of that I was out of breath often and felt tired way too often.  After doing some research I have found that I was a bit anemic and have started taking supplements.  I have also found that much of my general tiredness is a side effect of my birth control pill.  I have decided to use a different method and I hope that I am back to feeling normal again soon.

Now on to the food talk.  Over the last couple of months, mostly since I have been married, I have been merely a part-time Nutritarian..... Generally for lunch and breakfast I ate full Nutritarian meals, then in the evening I messed up by eating some sort of processed food because it was easier, or I was point-blank craving it. :(. This is sad to admit, because I always hope to be an inspiration for my readers, but I started this blog as a way to be accountable to not only myself, but my audience.

I have been noticing more and more over the last few months that I have found more and more foods acceptable to eat or drink.  I even had Kraft Mac n Cheese or Top Ramen some nights for dinner.  I convinced myself that those processed foods were "still vegetarian, and not that bad for me."  I started craving these horrible foods and would shun my bowl of fresh fruits.  I have decided that to get rid of these cravings, I need a redo of Dr. Fuhrmans Eat to Live Six Week Plan, and today is day one. Please follow me through the weeks as I try to daily post what I eat (yes, I am being that accountable), when I exercise, and how I feel.

Food log:

• Breakfast: banana, green pear, red pear
• Lunch: quinoa and kale salad with ginger dressing, 3 mandarin oranges
• Dinner: Dr. Fuhrmans Warm Lentil Salad (see recipe below), 2 small and thin whole wheat rolls
• Dessert: apple and pineapple slices

Exercise: Little.  Being active at work.

How I feel: Im feeling very very optimistic today.  In Eastern Washington we have been experiencing an early Spring heat wave (literally look at the country temperature map, we are red!).  This warm, sunny weather had me waking up a bit earlier than usual, and I was able to take my time getting ready for work.  While I was getting ready for work and during my commute, I drank about a liter of water.  Another one of my goals during the Six-Week Plan is to add more water throughout my day.  Now, at the end of the day, I feel happy with everything I ate and drank and look forward to one more day of progress.  One. Day. At. A. Time!

I dug this warm lentil salad recipe out from my email archives of Dr. Fuhrmans recipes that I have from his website membership. I figured I cant go wrong or fall off the wagon the first day with a Dr. F recipe for dinner!  I have included Dr. Fuhrmans recipe as it is written as well as my slight differences in red.  This is definitely the recipe to try as we move from cold winter weather to warm "eat-yo-salad" summer weather. Hope you enjoy!

Dr. Fuhrmans Warm Lentil Salad

Ingredients:

For the Lentils: 

• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1/4 cup wild rice
• 1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
• 4 tsp Dr. Fuhrmans VegiZest (I used 4 tsp of Mrs. Dash no-salt seasoning in Tomato, Basil, And Garlic)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 4 cups water

For the Salad:

• 10 oz mixed salad (I used arugula)
• 3 green onions, chopped 
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced (I used shaved carrot slices and omitted the other veggies that I didnt have on hand)
• 1 medium cucumber, sliced

For the Dressing:

• 2 large tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp Dr. Fuhrmans Blood Orange Vinegar (I used pomegranate red wine vinegar)
• 6 oz soft tofu

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine all lentil ingredients and stir well.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low until the rice and lentils are tender, approximately 50 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, prep the salad ingredients in a large bowl. 
3. In a high-speed blender, blend the tomatoes, vinegar, and tofu until smooth. 
4. Toss the salad with the dressing. 
5. To serve, place a generous portion of salad on each plate and scoop the warm lentils on top. 
6. Top with nutritional yeast if desired. 

Amys notes:

I found this to be the perfect dinner-time salad. It had loads of greens, but still had the aspect of a hot meal. I would definitely make this again, but probably with half of the lentil recipe (it made a lot!).  Ill be using some of the lentil rice leftovers tomorrow to make mini lentil burgers for the whole wheat buns I made tonight. Tomorrow, Im making dinner for my dad since my mom is on a girls trip up the California coast with my sister-in-law. Thankfully, my dad is Nutritarian as well, and is happy to have someone cook while my mom is gone. (Miss you mom, if you read this!)

What do you do when you fall off the Nutri-wagon? What keeps you encouraged to keep going?

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