Doctor says diets rich in nutrients are best defense against sickness

Raising healthy children means lifestyle changes for the whole family.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a New Jersey physician whose message is that food, rather than medication, is the best weapon against disease, told about 50 people at Market Street Elementary they were proof that few people are ready for change.
Dr. Fuhrman said the crowd was small Tuesday evening despite the fact that he made several appearances at area radio and television stations Tuesday morning.
"People understand that if they have this information, they're going to have to change, and most don't want to change," he said. "I see miracles happen every day. It's an awakening to the self-healing capacities of our bodies."
His books "Eat to Live" and "Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right," tout a nutrient-rich diet in which fresh and frozen vegetables, fresh fruits and nuts are the base of the food pyramid, and processed foods, including sugars and white flour, animal proteins and fats are seldom consumed.
Changing eating habits
He said people who want to rear healthy children must understand that means lifestyle changes for the whole family.
"Americans think they are eating healthy because they eat what is in their environment," he said. "We eat what we were taught was good for us."
Dr. Fuhrman said he worked for the last 15 years of his private practice to help families turn around their health and eating habits. Now he spends only two or three days a week seeing patients and the rest in speaking engagements. He said he'll speak wherever he's asked.
He shared some success stories. A teenager who had migraines so severe she missed much of the sixth through ninth grades is now in school every day, earning good grades and running for student council. He said he helped so many patients with lupus that one of those patients interviewed many of the others and wrote a lupus survival guide.
"You are in control," he said. "You can take charge of your life right now. If you didn't get off to a good start though, that doesn't mean your goose is cooked. It's never too late to change."
Dangerous environment
Dr. Fuhrman said the fast-food restaurants are weapons of mass destruction all around us. He said fruits and vegetables make up only about 4 percent of the diet of an American child, and half of America's children have french fries as their only vegetable.
"Disease-Proof Your Child" shows how early eating habits are linked to diseases later in life. Following his recommendations helps reduce asthma, ear infections and allergies during childhood and protect against diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer later, he said.
His book "Eat to Live" shows how it's never too late to change and that weight loss is a natural byproduct of healthful eating.
"Every 30 seconds, someone has a heart attack," he said. "You aren't going to be saved by a magic pill."
Dr. Fuhrman said he is doing everything possible to spread what he has learned after 20 years of studying the results of scientific research. He said although he has appeared on CNN, Discovery Channel and other programs, other opportunities have been blocked because his message counters that of the programs' major advertisers.
"People throw themselves on the altar of saturated fat," he said. "We dig our graves with our knives and forks."
Recommendations
Eating foods that have high nutrient-density is more important than counting calories or basing diets on proteins or carbohydrates, he said.
Green vegetables such as kale, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, red cabbage, and beans such as red kidney beans, navy beans and split peas are ideal.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are best, but frozen vegetables are acceptable too, because they are cooked only for a few minutes and frozen the same day they are picked, he said. Eating organic fruits and vegetables reduces the chance of any possible harmful effects from chemicals or processing, but Dr. Fuhrman said he knows that few people can financially afford a totally organic diet.
His books contain cooking tips and recipes. He said soups are good because although vegetables are boiled, the broth is consumed. He recommends steaming vegetables or cooking in the microwave rather than boiling them, because boiling cooks out the nutrients, which are thrown away with the water. He recommends making a big pot of vegetables and bean soup each week.
People who follow his recommendations see major change within six months, he said, and begin to break old food habits after about three months.
tullis@vindy.com