Beans, greens and onions—Joel Fuhrman

This morning I woke up too early to get up, so I turned on the TV and PBS was having its fund raiser.  The program was about weight maintenance, so I watched it.  Fuhrman talks about nutratarian eating which in my opinion is just vegan under another name because he didn’t mention eggs, dairy, fish or even fruit (except he likes berries and some tomatoes).  But I noticed what he recommends is essentially what I’ve been doing since Christmas, but I have fruit and some meat, eggs, milk and yogurt.  He says you should eat very large helpings of these 3 things.  He’s REALLY excited about onions. So here’s his beans, greens and onions plan with large servings.

1. A large green salad - Along with other favorite salad veggies like romaine and tomatoes, be sure to include raw cruciferous vegetables and raw onions.
   • Cruciferous veggies can include shredded red cabbage, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts. Lightly steaming some cruciferous vegetables can better bring out their health properties. Cruciferous veggies activate detoxification enzymes in the body, block abnormal cell division that can lead to cancer, and interfere with growth of fat and help remove fat from the body.
   • Raw onions are rich in phytochemicals that fight disease and helps us maintain our weight. They contain flavonoids, quercitin, chromium, organosulfides, polyphenols, phytosterols, all super good for you! A massive European study showed a 50% to 85% reduction in all major cancers in those eating about a half cup of onions a day. Also favorable bacteria grows in our digestive tract from eating onions. And this favorable bacteria helps prevent diabetes and heart disease.
   • Don’t ignore the importance of choosing a tasty but healthy Salad Dressing. It is important to eat some oil with vegetables to facilitate the absorption of ’fat soluble’ nutrients. But remember that each tablespoon of oil contains about 100 calories! So experiment with nutrient dense oils that also contain anti-cancer properties. Blend up a dressing of seeds and nuts and avocados of which their oils will contain natural anti-cancer properties. Include the juice acids of oranges, lemons, limes and naturally flavored aged vinegars with your favorite herbs and spices.
2. Bowl of vegetable bean soup – Along with your favorite beans and spices, include mushrooms. Beans and mushrooms are both best eaten cooked. Make a big pot of a bean “Super Stew/Soup” on the weekend and eat all week! ( Here is one recipe that you can even freeze in dinner size containers for quicky meals)
   • Beans are high in fiber and high in slowly digestible starches. So beans keep you satisfied for hours. They also contain resistant starches, which are starches that do not get absorbed in the body. Dr. Fuhrman says ..”these starches allow the calories of beans to pass right through you and right into the toilet!”. He says beans are the food most correlated in multiple studies for life longevity. One study documented that for each two tablespoon of beans eaten death rates decreased by 8%!
   • Mushrooms are actually a Superfood! One study showed that just 10 grams, about the size of your thumb, can lower cancer rates by over 60%. And when you combine mushrooms with greens, breast cancer reduction was close to 90%. Mushrooms also normalize hormones and resist fat storage. Remember, just a little bit goes a long way!
3. A large serving of steamed green vegetables - Some vegetables release certain properties when raw and other properties when steamed. Have a large serving of a variety and mixture of steamed veggies such as steamed greens, asparagus, string beans, artichokes, snow pea pods etc. You can fill your tummy with as much as you want! No tiny diet portions here!

Fuhrman likes to use the term G-BOMBS to help you remember.  Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds