Quotations by Joel Fuhrman

There are four principles of a Nutritarian diet: 1) The only proven strategy for slowing aging and prolonging lifespan is moderate calorie restriction in the environment of micronutrient excellence. 2) A diet has to be hormonally favorable to enable maximal lifespan. 3) Optimal exposure to all macronutrients and micronutrients humans require is needed to maximize health and lifespan--this is called Comprehensive Nutrient Adequacy (CNA). 4) Synthetic chemicals, toxins, pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and other disease-causing substances should be avoided.  [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Even though brown rice is a whole grain, I no longer recommend its consumption because of significant arsenic contamination of most of the brown rice available for purchase in the United States--even organic brown rice and wild rice. Arsenic is a causative factor in many cancers, and it also promotes heart disease. Recommended intact whole grains include wheat berries, steel cut oats, quinoa, buckwheat, barley, millet, teff, and amaranth. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Restricting animal protein during most of adult life to maintain a relatively low IGF-1 is an important objective for people who desire superior health and life extension. For most adults, keeping IGF-1 levels below 175 ng/mL is likely important, with less than 150 ng/mL being even more protective. However, serum IGF-1 levels less than 80 ng/mL are likely detrimental, especially after the age of 75. Older adults require adequate protein intake (such as a pea and hemp protein powder and/or a small amount of animal products) coupled with strengthening exercises to counteract the muscle loss and prevent functional decline and falls. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Eating a diet rich in natural plants can raise health issues if it is not supplemented property. Though a vegan diet may be the most lifespan-favorable diet, there are drawbacks and risks from lack of exposure to beneficial nutrients, such as vitamin B12, zinc, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are more readily available in animal products. Deficiencies and even chronic insufficiencies of these three micronutrients can have life-threatening consequences. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Antioxidants found in plant food, called phytates, limit the absorption of zinc from plants such that only about 20% of zinc present in beans and greens is absorbed by the body. So even if the content of a plant-based diet appears to meet our zinc requirements, the levels supplied are still suboptimal, and with absorptive capacity decreasing further with aging, this potentially places the aging vegan at increased risk. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Exposure to some fish or a small amount of fish oil seems to offer benefits. However, the minute you start taking high doses (more than 1 gram daily) of fish oil, problems seem to erupt and negate many of the benefits. I recommend supplementing EPA and DHA to prevent insufficiency only if you do not eat fish regularly. That said, you must not overdo supplementation. It is ideal to use an algae-based DHA and EPA supplement in a relatively low dose (such as 200-300 milligrams total) to prevent deficiency--and also to protect yourself from exposure to the environmental contaminants potentially found in fish and fish oil. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Acrylamide is one of hundreds of chemicals known as Maillard reaction products (MRPs) formed when foods are heated at high temperature with dry heat. Acrylamide has been classified as a Group 2A carcinogen (probably carcinogenic to humans) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). To reduce your exposure to acrylamide, cook starchy foods like turnips and sweet potatoes mostly in stews or soups because cooking in water prevents acrylamide formation. When you bake or roast vegetables, do not allow them to brown. Increasing the water content helps--soaking starchy foods in water before roasting reduces acrylamide formation. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Farmed salmon had 16 times more PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) content than wild-caught salmon and 4 times more than beef. Sport-caught fish or shellfish are often high in PCB and DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). Commercial fish that are high in these pollutants include Atlantic or farmed salmon, bluefish, wild striped bass, white and Atlantic croaker, blackback or winter flounder, summer flounder, American eel, and blue crab. Seafood that is lower in both PCBs and mercury include oysters, sardines, rainbow trout, sablefish, and arctic char. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Flavonoids are a class of phytochemicals that includes green tea catechins, berry anthocyanins, soy isoflavones, cocoa flavanols, and citrus flavanones. They also have antioxidant activity and have the critical role of protecting mitochondrial DNA. Flavonoid intake is associated with cell stability and resistance to oxidative damage. They improve immune defenses and have direct cancer protective properties. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Almost 75% of advanced cancers are recurrences, originally diagnosed at earlier stage. Chemotherapy for cancer does not typically kill all the cancer cells in the body; some residual cells survive. Years later, those few surviving cells can multiply aggressively, and the cancer can be deadlier, with the cancerous cells having developed resistance to chemotherapy. When chemotherapy is used without optimal nutritional therapy, the chances of the body recognizing, attacking, and removing these residual abnormal cells is slim. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Soy protein powder and isolated or concentrated soy protein-based processed foods don't promote health. Because the amino acid distribution of soy protein powders is very similar to that of animal protein and is highly concentrated, such powders can increase IGF-1 levels too much, which is not helpful in preventing or treating cancer. Eating edamame or tempeh and using dried soybeans in soups and stews are the most favorable and protective ways to utilize soy. Tofu and soymilk have the fiber of the bean removed, and though they may still have benefits, they don't have as much anticancer potential. Using the whole beans, along with other beans, lentils, and peas, offers more potential protection. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

You need folate, not folic acid. Key to the avoidance of cancer is to steer clear of supplements that contain folic acid and foods fortified with folic acid. It's too easy to overdose with this synthetic "nutrient" that promotes cellular replication and cancer. Folate is abundant in green vegetables, beans, and other plant foods. In fact, people following a Nutritarian diet typically have blood levels of folate that are above the normal range. The extra amount of folate in the bloodstream is not hurtful. Only people who don't eat sufficient amounts of vegetables could be low in folate. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

Food is the cause of, and should be the solution for, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Everything else is just window dressing. It's a fact that heart disease is a food-created issue and that a superior diet can restore your health relatively quickly. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

More than two servings of fish per week are associated with significantly higher incidence of type 2 diabetes. There is no significant benefit from using fish in your diet at all. The healthful omega-3 fat can be ingested via a supplement (even a vegan DHA/EPA supplement). I do not recommend fish oil capsules regularly because each capsule contains about 1,000 milligrams of oil, and this high dose of fish fat may have a negative effect on diabetes. Instead 150 to 300 milligrams a day is sufficient. Consider the algae-sourced DHA supplements available or DHA/EPA Purity. [2013] - Joel Fuhrman

Researchers found that people consuming seven eggs a week had a 58 percent higher risk of developing diabetes than those who did not eat eggs. Furthermore, egg and dairy intake are also linked to heightened risk of heart failure, up to a significant 23 percent higher risk. [2013] - Joel Fuhrman

Even a relatively low amount of animal protein in the diet could raise a hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Because IGF-1 signaling plays a key role in tumor growth, reducing IGF-1 levels by dietary methods is now considered by most scientists studying this subject to be effective cancer-prevention measure. When we strive to consume most of our protein from plants, we solve the IGF-1 issue and help prevent both cancer and diabetes. [2013] - Joel Fuhrman

Beans, green vegetables, seeds, and some fruits are high in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber supplies a gelatinous-like material in the bowel. It is not absorbed and does not give us calories. Soluble fiber is very important, as it slows the absorption of glucose and helps lower cholesterol. Beans are especially high in soluble fiber. Black beans, for instance, contain the highest amount of total dietary fiber at 43 percent, and 63 percent of their total starch content is resistant starch. The resistant starch found in beans powerfully reduces hunger and, thus, food consumption over many hours. [2013] - Joel Fuhrman

In general, I recommend diabetics avoid regular and liberal consumption of foods with a GL (Glycemic Load) above 15, at least until their diabetes is in better control and their weight has dropped significantly. [2013] - Joel Fuhrman

The best foods to eat to reverse diabetes: Raw greens, Cooked greens, Mushrooms, Eggplant, Onions, Tomatoes, Cauliflower, Beans, Nuts/Seeds, Lower-sugar fruits such as berries and kiwi [2013] - Joel Fuhrman

Breakfast should consist of a few low-sugar fruits, such as berries, papaya, kiwis, pomegranates, oranges, and green apples. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries are especially recommended. A half cup of cooked oats--or even a whole cup for men--is also acceptable to eat with breakfast. Use rolled oats or steel-cut oats (preferred) but not quick oats. Try soaking steel-cut oats and regular rolled oats overnight in the fridge and then eating them soft, but not cooked, the next morning. Try to eat one tablespoon of ground chia seeds or flaxseeds daily with breakfast. Sprinkle them over a bowl of cut fruit or mix them into the oats. [2013] - Joel Fuhrman