Nutritarian

Much writing and study of diet revolves around what not to eat: too many calories, fats, carbs, protein, refined oils, or some combination of these. Some research and advice centers more on what to eat. One of the most prominent of this group is Joel Fuhrman, a New Jersey family practice physician who has devoted his career to promoting diet as the principal way of maintaining health and treating many diseases.

Fuhrman has had a family practice for decades where he has treated thousands using his dietary approach, "nutritarianism," which is to eat a large variety of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds- the more variety the better. Sharing meals with him is fun since he eats huge quantities of very low calorie foods which includes a few starches but emphasizes salads and smoothies. His salad building technique is amazing: after filling his large plate with a variety of greens he takes another plate, puts it on top of his greens, presses down crushing them into a smaller volume and then adds another layer of greens. His comment is that otherwise he can't get enough on his plate.

I've known Joel for more than ten years, visited his practice in Flemington, NJ, and attended multiple conferences where he was the only presenter. He is a remarkably energetic, enthusiastic scholar who knows as much about nutrition literature and research as anyone I've met on my odyssey searching for dietary truth. Initially, when I first met him he indicated that a small amount of animal products, especially eggs, were a reasonable part of a good diet but over the years he's evolved to a diet which does not include any animal products. Fuhrman has many books to his credit plus DVD's and very successful PBS shows. He's an engaging, enthusiastic speaker. Concepts he espoused years ago have become more mainstream and accepted over the years (eg intermittent fasting.) He maintains an active website which includes a good way of linking with others about dietary issues and questions. Unfortunately this requires dues to participate. He also sells many products, various supplements and foods, in addition to his books and DVD's. These products all seem to be highest quality but I have an issue with too much supplementation which is well shown to be wasteful and occasionally harmful.