Joel Fuhrman's "Eat For Health"

Introducing A New Points System To Lose Weight And Feel Great

By Habib Wicks, PEERtrainer Co-founder


At PEERtrainer, our mission from an editorial and leadership perspective is to help people make the permanent changes in their life that will lead them to feeling better and stronger over time. But we approach this aim in a very practical manner, because change can be hard for a bunch of reasons.

In our Tip Of The Day program and on the site, we talk a lot about what we call "Diet Fusion" in which we encourage people to combine the ideas and tools that work for them personally. But a core part of "Diet Fusion" is that no matter what, you will need to incorporate high levels of nutrient dense foods each day. This is what will ultimately put you over the edge in terms of being able to keep the weight off without being hungry.

The MANDI points system is a meal and food scoring system that helps you learn to identify these foods and to learn how much per day you need to be eating to keep the weight off and not be hungry. It is a great tool. Let me give you an example of how I use it-- You will see on the next page that a cup and a half of cooked spinach is 23 points. And the objective is to hit 100 points per day. I often cook a 16 ounce bag of spinach (2 dollars, quick and easy to make) and eat the whole thing. Not sure what the exact number is, but I am getting a pretty good amount of what I need right there.

Conversely, I would need to eat 30 cups of cooked oats to hit 100 points. So even though Spinach and Oats are both great for you, this system shows you how to adjust your eating. You will learn to go for the greens whenever you get the chance. The basic message from the book is to 1) eat a pound of fruit and a pound of vegetables each day and 2) focus on the greens especially to hit the 100 point mark.

If You Are On Medication or Have A Disease:

The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables are part of any standard set of advice given to people to help them lose weight. We hear this all the time. What makes Dr. Fuhrman's approach unique is the radically higher amount of nutrient dense foods recommended, the focus on nutrient density itself, as well as the important (and controversial) idea that this approach to nutrition can play a role in disease reversal.

In fact, the first chapter  (click to download PDF) contains stories of people who have recovered from cardiovascular disease, Lupus, Asthma, Migraines, High Blood Pressure, Sarcoidosis, Psoriasis, Eczema, Polymymyalgia, Diabetes, Fatigue, Depression and Ulcers. You can click on the link to download a pdf where you can read these. The chapter also contains a section for doctors where he reviews some of the scientific evidence behind his work, as well as puts it into medical context.

I personally have suffered from Eczema, and discovered that the root of it for me was sensitivities to certain foods- dairy, wheat, corn primarily. After a year of counting points each day I have gotten to the point where I can again enjoy a few cans of beer or dig into my son's mac and cheese without getting too messed up. This is a big deal for me. A simple thing like being able to enjoy a couple cans of cold Pabst Blue Ribbon on a hot day. Of course not everyone will experience a quick turnaround, but if you are suffering from something, read this book, let in sink in and then give it some time.

continue reading and view the points list sample....