The Basic Nutritarian Guidelines

MAJOR UPDATE: January 4, 2026

If you’re here right now, I think it’s fair to say that you’re serious about starting Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian lifestyle–and that means you’re definitely in the right place!

I wrote this article to share the Basic Nutritarian Guidelines outlined by Dr. Joel Fuhrman in his book The End of Dieting.

This plan is more adaptable and forgiving than the stricter Aggressive Weight Loss Plan from his earlier book, Eat to Live.

Taking the time to learn about the two plans will help you decide which route to health excellence is best for you!

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is a nutritarian?
• What are the 6 Basic Nutritarian Guidelines? (get your free printables in this section!)
• How to develop your daily nutritarian habits
• Is the basic plan right for you?

What is a nutritarian?

A nutritarian is a person who habitually eats a high-nutrient, whole food, plant-based diet, avoids processed foods and learns to cook delicious food without oil and excess salt.

The most important food criteria for a nutritarian is: How many micronutrients does it have?

Micronutrients are “vitamins, minerals, fibers, and phytochemicals, literally chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants.” The End of Dieting, p.2.

These powerful plant chemicals aid in weight loss, supercharge our immune system, defend against chronic diseases and cancers and allow us to live our most vibrant and fulfilled lives!

What are the 6 Basic Nutritarian Guidelines?

1. eat more salad (at least 1 salad as your main course daily)
2. eat beans daily (at least 1/2 cup, preferably closer to 1 cup)
3. eat one large serving of steamed green veggies daily
4. eat at least 1 ounce (female) or 1.5 ounces (male) of nuts & seeds daily
5. eat cooked mushrooms and raw and cooked onions everyday
6. eat three fresh fruits daily (berries and pomegranates preferred)

This is Dr. Fuhrman’s basic nutritarian prescription that he released in his best-selling book, The End of Dieting (2015). You can find these guidelines explained in detail on pp. 153-157.

Instead of concentrating on what you can’t have, these guidelines are about fitting in as many of the foods that will promote your health, longevity and weight-loss into your day as possible–crowding out the less health-promoting choices.

According to Dr. Fuhrman, in order to call yourself a nutritarian, you want to at least meet these six guidelines daily.   

These guidelines are the jumping-off point for changing your life when the Aggressive Weight Loss Plan seems too restrictive for you to start with.

These are the minimum standards, my friends.  In Dr. Fuhrman’s lecture after releasing the book, he clarifies: “This is not what I want you to eat, this is the minimum that I want [you] to do.”

1. Basic Nutritarian Guidelines Printable by Hello Nutritarian
2. Weekly Accountability Checklist for Basic Guidelines by Hello Nutritarian

Developing Your Daily Nutritarian Habits

Use these printables as your jumping off point to keep things simple, clear and top-of-mind.  I’ve always appreciated a good visual aid (that you can print out and hang on your fridge)!

You don’t have to fall into the trap of overthinking or going gangbusters 100% right off the bat.

I’ve set up this checklist to help you develop those 6 basic nutritarian habits while you work towards stretch-goals from the Aggressive Weight Loss Plan (like cooking without oil and added salt, cutting out animal products and processed foods, and not snacking between meals).

How to Use the Checklist

You’re just going to check off each guideline you meet during the day.

Focus on earning your next check mark and getting as many checks as possible each day.

At the end of the week, there’s a “results” space to do a little accountability report for yourself.  Take the number of times you accomplished a guideline and divide it by the total possible 7 days it could have been met.

How many days out of 7 were you able to have a large salad as your main course for at least one meal?  If you’re getting up to 5 or 6 out of 7 you are making serious progress!

Aim for 5, 6, and 7s for the six basic guidelines and work to get better the following week.

Is the Basic Plan right for you?

If you answer “yes” to any of the following, then stick to the basic guidelines:

• Have you tried the aggressive weight loss plan in the past and stopped after less than 14 days?
• Are you a progress over perfection person?
• Are you more interested in sustainable change rather than weight loss?
• Is snacking important for you?
• Do restrictions turn you off or make you have compulsions to “cheat”? 
• Would eating food with little or no added salt make it harder for you to eat whole plant foods?

The truth is some of the finer points of being a nutritarian are harder for people to follow.  The most notable pain points are cooking without oil and salt, not snacking between meals, and limiting whole grains, avocado, nuts and seeds.

The Basic Plan is more forgiving, focusing on what you can have and not on limitations.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is make incremental and consistent changes over time.  That builds belief in yourself and evidence that you can develop new habits.  That evidence can then catapult you to want to take on the more challenging Aggressive Weight Loss Plan when you’re ready for that challenge!

If you want to work towards the Aggressive Weight Loss Plan:  

• Concentrate on developing these 6 basic nutritarian habits daily by focusing on earning your next check mark.
• After you have 3 or 4 weeks under your belt consistently meeting those 6 basic guidelines, try to develop one stretch-goal each week.  

I hope you’ve found this to be a helpful tool for your nutritarian journey.  Please let me know what you think of the printable guidelines and weekly accountability Checklist.

Your comments fuel me to keep creating resources for you and help greatly with the all-important search reach for the site!