In my last post where I talked about my crazy 2-week binge eating episode, I resolved to go on a 42 Day Nutritarian Challenge. That’s 6 weeks for all you mathematicians out there.
So the basis of Nutritarianism is pretty simple. You crowd out all the foods that are low in nutrients for foods that are high in nutrients instead. And you also don’t use any added salt, sugar or oil. The lifestyle itself is 90% nutritarian, 10% whatever you want, but I’m committing to 6 weeks 100% in the beginning as a reset.
The lifestyle comes from my favorite book in the whole world, hands-down, which is called Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I’ve been following it loosely at times, strictly at other times for almost 2 years now. June 28 is my life-changing anniversary.
And since I got off track…like way off track for 2 weeks…I want to do a major reset and see if I can get my tastebuds and hunger pangs in check. (More about that in my last post.)
What I Will Be l Doing
So here’s what I’m going to be doing for the next 6 weeks…42 days, without any wavering:
- 100% vegan (no dairy, meat, cheese, eggs, etc)
- No added salt (will only get no salt varieties of canned beans or anything else pre-prepared)
- No added sugar (no honey, sugar, or anything else). I will only sweeten things with whole dates or any other fruit
- No oil (period.) If I want to cook something, I will only use the steaming or water sautéing method
- Grains in very small amounts, 1 serving per day or less
- My main food staples will be “G-BOMBS”, coined by Fuhrman: greens, beans and legumes, onions, mushrooms, berries and fruits, and seeds and nuts…with grains being a very small portion
- Eat a large salad every single day, with lots of greens and a homemade nutritarian dressing
- I will also probably cut back on exercise a bit (I exercise a LOT), since Fuhrman says to do it in moderation during 6 week resets
My Highest Goal
My highest goal here is to cut out salt completely. The rest of the things aren’t that difficult for me, considering I’ve been living this lifestyle for the most part on and off for 2 years, and dieting/working on my health for much longer than that.
What is a challenge for me, is the idea of eating all plant foods without adding extra flavor, like salt, garlic salt, salty veggie broth, miso, Bragg’s, soy sauce, etc.
I want to give my tastebuds the right chance to really readjust to how they are naturally supposed to function. Fuhrman talks about kale being a salty vegetable, and I want to be able to taste that in comparison with other veggies. I want to be a super taster!
I will make my own salad dressings, without salt or oil or Bragg’s. The good part is that I don’t have to count calories or portion sizes since these types of foods (with the exception of high fat foods, like nuts, seeds, avocado) can be eaten in unlimited quantities. The food addict in me loves that idea. :)
How I Will Avoid Kidney Stones
And a twist based on my body chemistry, is that I produce kidney stones. So I will have to cut out the following foods:
- spinach
- parsley
- chard
- beet tops
- rhubarb
Those are the foods that contain the highest amount of oxalate, which is the culprit for my stone formations.
Also, I have made a massive adjustment to my water intake since March. I now drink 150-165 ounces of water every single day without fail. So I will be doing that as well. Though I might cut back 30 ounces-ish since I will be getting much more water from fruits and veggies now. But I want to keep that intake up so I am sure to stay away from stones. I will do another post soon on how to drink lots of water…’cause I’m an expert now. :P
And as I go along, I will be sharing what I am eating every day as well, so keep an eye out.
Sundays Live Cooking Show on Periscope
On most Sundays, I will be streaming live on Periscope, which is just a live video streaming app, what I will be making for the week. I’ve been doing it for a couple weeks now and I really like it. I don’t get much viewership (yet at least) because it’s actual real-time cooking and it takes a while :), but if you have any questions, it’s a great time to catch me, so I can answer live!
I’ll be discussing what I’m eating on a weekly basis, and how I can be successful with a full-time job and responsibilities!
Alright, so that’s it for now. Today is Day #1, so this morning I’m having an apple cinnamon smoothie, will have a massive, delicious salad for lunch, and I have soup for later. I don’t even know what kind of soup it is though, it was in the freezer. Lol. It’s nutritarian though, I know that for sure.
So that’s it for now! I’ll be back in touch soon on social media and here to share more. Make sure to follow me on Periscope.tv (@thewateringmouth) so you can check it out live on Sunday (time, unknown, sorry).
Some salt is very necessary for health. It’s a must. I suffered from “NO SALT” and was recovered with a pickle. Please do not advise no salt. Very dangerous ! ! !
Irma, thanks for your comment! I’ve read that we get enough salt from our food if we eat enough plant foods, of which I eat many all day long. I only don’t eat *added* salt because of my kidney stones. Please tell us more about your condition to help us understand more — what was your diet like? What were your symptoms like? It’s difficult to make recommendations based on one anecdote. Every person’s physiology is different; to me, there is no one size fits all.
Here is where I get my information from: https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/salt_more_than_high_blood_pressure.aspx along with my urologist’s recommendations as well.
Oh Cheri – I’m glad I’m not Andre! Ha! You have got some major willpower to do this! I know you will though! Hang in there!!!
Girrrrl! He’s so happy he works out of town every week! :D haha. Actually he’s really into it and totally supportive so I feel super lucky about that! He’s so crazy he even eats salad without dressing and doesn’t mind my no-salt recipes! Diamond in the rough! :D :D good luck with whatever you end up doing too sweets!
I need some support and I can’t afford it.
Hi Wendy!! I’m so happy for you that you’re interested in the Nutritarian lifestyle! There are tons of great, free resources online. First off, start with my site: I have lots of recipes and blog posts with information. There are also a lot of great support groups on Facebook that are free, and you can talk do lots of other Nutritarians and get free advice there as well! Just go to Facebook and search “nutritarian” or “eat to live” or “dr fuhrman” and you’ll find us! :D