What if I told you there were foods that would actually help kill your fat cells?
What if I told you that these same foods were low in calories, keep you full and protect you against cancer and heart disease?
What if I told you that you could find these “superfoods” in your local grocery store–no long exotic treks to the Amazonian jungles to harvest mystical, magic berries?
And what if I told you these superfoods are cheap and readily available?
What would you do? Would you want to know about them?
Um, you had me at “kill fat cells!”
Welcome to Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian world, where the foods you chose to eat can make you slim, healthy, happy and eating to live!
These are the top 6 nutritarian superfoods (abbreviated by Dr. Fuhrman as G-BOMBS or, more recently, GOMBS) that we should strive to eat daily!
And, hello! These are delicious everyday foods that I used to just take for granted–totally oblivious of their magical powers!
Now, when I look at a mushroom or a berry, I imagine a tiny red superhero cape flowing in the back, and guess what? Knowing exactly how powerful these superfoods are makes me want to eat them even more! Winning!
G-BOMBS ARE THE BOMB
Drumroll please…. the top 6 nutritarian foods, that you should eat everyday for superior health, are:
- G – GREENS
- B – BEANS
- O – ONIONS
- B – BERRIES
- M – MUSHROOMS
- S – SEEDS
Welcome to the foundation of Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live lifestyle!
Each and every one of these six foods have their own special mix of phytonutrients, so they are pretty “super” on their own. But, when you mix them together in the same diet style, the fat-fighting, and cancer and disease protection is incredible!
So, lets tackle these 6 superfoods, one by one, so you can learn just how powerful they are!
I promise you, once you know what G-BOMBS can do it will change your dietary decisions (or at least make you feel pretty darn guilty before you stuff that burger in your mouth).
We’ve talked about the power of raw greens a lot on MMTM.
We know that leafy greens are the most nutrient-dense foods in existence. We know that when you eat more salad and have a green smoothie for breakfast you are flooding your body with the micronutrients it craves.
But what do the micronutrients in greens actually do for our bodies? Glad you asked…
GREENS SCRUB OUT THE INSIDES OF YOUR BLOOD VESSELS
Of all the health benefits of green vegetables, this is by far the most amazing!
In Dr. Fuhrman’s 3 Steps to Incredible Health PBS Special, he describes this blood-vessel-scrubbing phenomena:
“Green vegetables have all types of different systems and different nutrients that put a silicon-like slippery coating on the inside of your blood vessels. They activate something inside the blood vessel called the NRF2 mechanism that prevents plaque from binding [and] that accelerate the rate at which fat melts away from the inside of your blood vessels.”
Say what?!
Now, why don’t we hear about this in the news? Forget prescription drugs for heart disease, eat more greens! Isn’t that pretty much what President Clinton did after his quadruple-bypass surgery in 2010. There’s a reason–it works better than what the medical field has to offer.
Why have a surgeon go scraping out the gunk out of your arteries when you can have kale and Swiss chard do the dirty work for you? And, I promise you, they charge waaay less!
What Else Will Green Veggies do for You?
- rich source of folate, calcium & omega-3s
- rich in antioxidant phytochemicals (beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C, caffeic acid, quercetin, and anthocyanins)
- promote healthy vision
- reduce the risk of developing diabetes
- reduce risk of breast, oral, stomach & esophageal cancers
- reduce risk of heart attack & stroke
- helps control your weight
Beans can sometimes get a bad rap. Okay, okay, I know, they make you fart–everything has its price! Some very popular diet plans, like the Paleo diet, ban eating any beans at all. Sorry folks, but the scientific evidence suggests otherwise…
MAKE BEANS YOUR CARB OF CHOICE
According to Dr. Fuhrman’s The End of Dieting, resistant starch is what makes beans so special:
“They have very high levels of fiber and resistant starch–that is, carbohydrates that aren’t broken down by digestive enzymes. The fiber and resistant starch in beans reduce the total number of calories absorbed from beans (about a third of the carbohydrate calories contained in beans may not get absorbed).”
Still think brown rice and whole wheat bread and pasta are the way to go? Undoubtedly, whole grains are superior to their highly-refined white counterparts. So, yes whole grains are better for you, but what is the best?
In The End of Dieting, Dr. Fuhrman goes on to describe Dr. David Jenkin’s study that confirmed the advantages of beans over whole grains. (By the way, Dr. David Jenkins is the guy who invented the glycemic index–yup, we’ve all heard of that!)
Jenkins found that when diabetics rely on beans as their primary carbohydrate source instead of whole grains, they see the most benefits in lower blood glucose levels. They also saw more of a reduction in cholesterol levels than those who ate more whole grains.
What Else Will Beans do for You?
- lower blood pressure
- lower cholesterol (we’re talking a 30 point reduction here!)
- protect against colon, esophageal, stomach, kidney and breast cancers
- stabilize blood sugar
- increase your levels of fiber and minerals
ONIONS MAKE YOU CRY CAUSE THEY ARE SO FREAKIN GOOD FOR YOU
Now we’re getting to the sexy stuff! Never thought of onions, garlic, leeks, chives, shallots and scallions as sexy before? You will now…
First, what makes you cry when you chop an onion?
It’s called organosulfur. It’s a gas that’s caused by a chemical reaction that’s occurring while you’re chopping that onion (breaking down the cell walls). Those organosulfur compounds prevent the development of cancers by detoxifying carcinogens and halting cancer growth.
But there’s something else those organosulfur compounds do: angiogenesis inhibition, which is a super-science-y way of saying:
ONIONS ATTACK YOUR FAT CELLS!
In The End of Dieting, Dr. Fuhrman describes it like this:
“Certian foods downregulate fat-storage hormones because they’re packed with angiogenesis inhibitors and hormone-inhibiting phytochemicals. Angiogenesis inhibition prevents the growth of new blood vessels, which is needed to expand your fat deposits. By inhibiting the growth of blood vessels, you prevent your body from getting fat. This also helps you lose fat over time.”
Onions can help you get rid of fat! Who’s excited about that news? Remember to eat them raw and chewed well or chop finely before cooking–this initiates the chemical reaction that forms those fat-killing sulfur compounds!
What Else Will Onions do for You?
- beneficial effects on the cardiovascular & immune systems
- reduce risk of digestive track, breast, ovarian and prostate cancers
- high concentration of anti-inflammatory flavanoid antioxidants
- detoxifyes carcinogens & halts cancer and fat cell growth through angiogenesis
- shallots are high in polyphenol
- red onions high in anthocyanins (also abundant in berries) that prevent damaged cells from advancing to cancer
MUSHROOMS ARE MAGIC
Mushrooms are the assassins, the cold-stone killers of the superfoods world! Not only do they have the same fat-attacking angiogenesis inhibitors as onions, they can actually help clean out damaged cells in your body.
In The End of Dieting, Dr. Fuhrman describes it like this:
“Mushrooms’ specialized lectins (called antigen-binding lectins) can recognize and bind to abnormal cells and cancer cells, labeling the cell for destruction by the immune system, while its compounds also prevent abnormal cells from dividing and replicating. Mushroom phytochemicals also enhance the activity of natural killer cells–specialized immune cells that attack and destroy virus-infected and cancerous cells.”
Yup, that sounds pretty darn magical to me, and I definitely want mushrooms in my body working for me! Hello, they are also delicious! Can you say win-win?
Wait, wait, there’s even more magic:
MUSHROOMS LOWER INSULIN LEVELS
We all know that we need to keep blood sugar low to protect against diabetes and to keep our bodies running as efficiently as possible. Well, mushrooms can do a lot of that heavy lifting for us!
In The End of Dieting, Dr. Fuhrman explains:
“Mushrooms are the true weight-loss miracle food. They block enzymes that break down carbohydrates into simple sugars, which allows the body to maintain lower sugar surges in the blood when it’s breaking down foods that contain carbohydrates.”
It’s important to remember to cook most mushrooms before you eat them. The most common varieties like simple white, cremini and protobello contain a potentially carcinogenic substance called argartine. Cooking them first significantly reduces the argartine content.
What Else Will Mushrooms do for You?
- contain armoatase inhibitors that can block the production of estrogen
- contain powerful angiogenesis inhibitors, that kill cancer & fat cells
- lower hormones that promote breast and prostate cancers
CAN EATING MORE FRUIT HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
Eating more berries will!
Berries and pomegrantes have the highest nutrient-to-calorie ratio of all fruits–so you can eat a lot of them and it ends up being far fewer calories than say an apple or banana.
A lot like mushrooms, berries have the ability to oppose the hormones that make us store fat (and we need all the help we can get)!
Dr. Fuhrman describes the weight loss benefits of berries in The End of Dieting:
“Polyphenols, a complex mixture of many plant pigments, oppose and reduce hormones that facilitate fat storage while restoring the body’s normal fat-burning metabolism by altering the balance and presence of bacteria in the gut. They decrease the bacteria that promote fat storage and increase the bacteria that encourage a slim body. A high consumption of polyphenols leads to an increase in beneficial bacteria that interfere with the breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simple sugars, which also facilitates weight reduction.”
More recent studies are also finding that the anthocyanins and polyphenols in berries prevent our livers from making new fatty acids and can promote the breakdown of fat stores.
(Hmm, I can be a little impatient in the getting-rid-of-fat-stores department, I wonder if crushing up some strawberries and rubbing them on my muffin top might work faster?)
What Else Will Berries do for You?
- the only food documented in studies to prevent dimentia later in life
- rich in flavanoids that reduce coronary heart disease
- antioxidants protect the brain against oxidative damage
- ellagic acid blocks the formation of tumors
- prevent carcinogens from binding DNA & promote DNA repair
- slow cancer cell growth and cause cancerous cell deaths
- antiangiogenic properties that attack tumors and fat cells
- pomegranates contain aromatase inhibitors that block the production of estrogen
- prevent plaque build up in blood vessels
- flavanoids increase the body’s blood antioxidant capacity and improves lipid levels, blood pressure and blood glucose levels
MAKE RAW SEEDS YOUR GO-TO FAT SOURCE
So, what if we just ate tons of kale and onions and mushrooms, cause we know that they are seriously amazing superfoods. They are perfect by themselves, right?
Well, everybody, even a superfood, has got to have friends! Or, in this case, fat. Enter raw seeds and walnuts.
Not only do these superfoods bring their own awesome phytonutrients to the table, they also increase the absorption of the protective nutrients in vegetables eaten at the same meal.
But the real story here is that these healthy fats actually help get rid of the excess fat in our bodies! Here’s how:
“Seeds and nuts act like a fat sponge in the digestive tract, preventing all their fat calories from being absorbed. These fat magnets pull out the unhealthy fats from the bloodstream, increasing the cholesterol content of the stool, carrying the bad fats out of the body, and allowing the healthy fats to stay in.”
Does this mean if I dowse my cheeseburger in raw sunflower seeds the fat will just end up in the toilet and not on my hips?! Probably not.
But, you can feel good about eating raw seeds since not all of their fat will be absorbed. Dr. Fuhrman advises limiting your seed intake while you are losing weight but once you are at your ideal weight it’s game on in the seed department!
What Else Will Seeds do for You?
- contain minerals, antioxidants, and micronutrients that help reduce cholesterol
- flaxseeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds and walnuts contain omega-3s which are beneficial for heart and brain health
- contain lingans that protect against cancer
Make sure to get your daily dose of G-BOMBS!
These are the 6 nutritarian superfoods that your body needs now!
Not only are these foods going to help you get to your ideal weight quickly, they are going to be protecting you from debilitating diseases and extending your life!
Now that you have the knowledge it’s time to take some action!
Start Dr. Fuhrman’s 6 week Eat to Live plan today!
See how I lost over 21 pounds on the program!
Sign up for MMTM weekly email updates here!
Join the MMTM Facebook page and join a community of people who want to regain their health with nutritional excellence!
I love your new website! and I love your salad cleanse!
And I miss you!
I am sharing your website with everyone!
Oh my gosh, thank you so much Carla!! That means so much coming from you, I appreciate it so much!! I miss you too!!!
Thank you Kristen,today is my Day 2, I feel so happy to have you to help me guide the days,
Kristen,
I am preparing my kitchen to start my journey next week. My concern is with onions being one of the Super Foods. I love cooked onions and can eat them all day. Problem is I cannot eat raw onion at all, they make me puke. Am I cooking away all the nutrients and health benefits away?
Believe me there is no way around this….I’ve tried.
P.s. loved your blogs, all the information was on point and motivating. Thank you for taking the time to share your journey with us and doing such a great job.
Hi Jacquelyn!
You are absolutely fine with cooking your onions! Dr. Fuhrman specifically say raw or cooked–so you are covered!
Thank you so very much for your kind words about the blog!
Wishing you the very best on your 6 week journey to come!
xo, Kristen
Hi there, I just discovered this program, and your blog, and I have a question. Why is it important for the seeds to be raw? Thank you!
So wonderful to meet you Jenel!
So, when seeds are roasted or cooked their fats actually change. The roasting process also makes nuts and seeds lose their nutritional value and form acrylamides (carcinogens).
Since nutritarians are all about eating the highest-nutrient foods you want to eat your nuts and seeds raw or in some specific recipes lightly-toasted!
You can read this article for more about their benefits!
xo, Kristen
Hi,
New to this site and just signed up. In reading the recipes from Dr Fuhrman, it seems there is a lot of bananas in smoothies and treats such as the brownies and other baked goods. I cannot ever do bananas! Is there a substitute fruit that can be used? I appreciate any advice. Thank you.
Hi Marcia,
I think it might depend on each recipe you’re looking at. For something like banana nicecream there’s really no substitute that will give you the same creamy consistency. But in other recipes where the banana is just a component you usually can substitute unsweetened applesauce–especially when the banana is serving as a binder for other ingredients!
So excited that you’re starting your nutritarian journey!
xo, Kristen
Interesting and useful but you’ve listed them as GBOBMS instead of bombs
Hi Sam,
Thanks for letting me know! Always appreciate edits!
Kristen
Thank you for this website. I am starting a Nutritarian lifestyle and am excited and nervous. Do you have a grocery list posted somewhere on your site? That would be super helpful!
So wonderful to meet you, Kim!
Congratulations on starting your nutritarian journey! Yes I have two grocery lists on the site! The Eat to Live Fridge guide and The Eat to Live Pantry guide both have printable lists!
Wishing you all the best!
xo, Kristen
xo, Kristen
This plan looks great except for one thing — I’ve never liked mushrooms. Would it seriously derail my success if I left out the mushrooms? Are there alternatives?
Hi Allison,
Yes, I’ve had quite a few readers who’ve joined the program who decided to forgo mushrooms. They aren’t a huge aspect of the plan and you might consider a mushroom powder supplement so you’re getting those beneficial phytochemical that are unique to mushrooms instead!
xo, Kristen
Great article! Thanks for explaining and including quotes from Dr Fuhrman.
I think you misspelled aromatase inhibitor in the mushroom section https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromatase_inhibitor
So happy you enjoyed the article and thanks so much for letting me know about the error! Next time I do revisions I’ll set that to rights!