A Gift of Truth (the nutritarian foods list from )

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t understand a lot of things. For example, I’m not sure what I’ve put here is completely square.

It is mostly copied from Eat To Live, 2011 edition, pages 118 – 120. I’m counting on someone to tell me, please, if I should take it down because I've violated some legal or moral protocol.

But it’s such a fabulous summary I truly think it’s worth a shot. It’s what impressed me as being the heart of the book, the essentials of what to eat in what quantities.

It’s got numbers.

It’s a summary.

It gives detail without overwhelming.

It's a real key to my understanding, and understanding is what makes it work.

But to truly understand and appreciate this, you gotta read the book and review the list in context. So with those qualifiers, here goes (:

The Nutrient-Density Line
Nutrient density = Phytochemicals, antioxidant activity, vitamins & minerals, per calorie.
Highest nutrient density=100		Lowest nutrient density=0
100	Dark green leafy vegetables - kale, spinach, swiss chard, etc.
95	Other green vegetables - Romaine, cabbage, green beans, green peas, etc.
50	Non-green nutrient-rich vegetables - Mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc.
45	Berries & fresh fruits
40	Dry beans - Lentils, pinto, garbanzos, etc.
30	Raw nuts and seeds [Please note: This is my personal dividing line. I do well when I stick mostly with foods above here, and not so well with all foods below here. I don't eliminate everything below, I just minimize them. ]
25	Colorful starchy vegetables - Winter squash, sweet potatoes, corn
20	Whole grains/white potatoes
18	Fish
15	Fat-free dairy, eggs, wild meat and fowl
8	Full-fat dairy
6	Red meat, refined grain products
3	Cheese
0	Sweets, sugars, cookies, candy, soda, oils and fat

I like it better than anything else I’ve seen in this regard. Better than more exact listings of foods, better than the new food pyramid in the book and on Dr. Fuhrman’s website. Better than any information I’ve seen about the book or the nutritarian diet. Can’t find it anywhere on the web or in any other source.

Now with this said, I fully understand why Dr. Fuhrman has moved beyond this list, and publishes some fine summaries that are more specific and powerful in many ways.

But this list has own kind of power and awesome simplicity. It helps me understand in my own mind, the incredible variety and wonderful tastes associated with this way of eating, even limiting it mostly to the top half.

And if I want some specific food, I can almost always find a way to include it in my diet. I have to be creative though, in substituting, minimizing and maximizing ingredients according to their nutritarian value. To do this I've had to learn and understand foods from this perspective.

Powerful stuff, truth is.