Joel Fuhrman's "Eat For Health"

Introducing A New Points System To Lose Weight And Feel Great

By Habib Wicks, PEERtrainer Co-founder


At PEERtrainer, our mission from an editorial and leadership perspective is to help people make the permanent changes in their life that will lead them to feeling better and stronger over time. But we approach this aim in a very practical manner, because change can be hard for a bunch of reasons.

In our Tip Of The Day program and on the site, we talk a lot about what we call "Diet Fusion" in which we encourage people to combine the ideas and tools that work for them personally. But a core part of "Diet Fusion" is that no matter what, you will need to incorporate high levels of nutrient dense foods each day. This is what will ultimately put you over the edge in terms of being able to keep the weight off without being hungry.

The MANDI points system is a meal and food scoring system that helps you learn to identify these foods and to learn how much per day you need to be eating to keep the weight off and not be hungry. It is a great tool. Let me give you an example of how I use it-- You will see on the next page that a cup and a half of cooked spinach is 23 points. And the objective is to hit 100 points per day. I often cook a 16 ounce bag of spinach (2 dollars, quick and easy to make) and eat the whole thing. Not sure what the exact number is, but I am getting a pretty good amount of what I need right there.

Conversely, I would need to eat 30 cups of cooked oats to hit 100 points. So even though Spinach and Oats are both great for you, this system shows you how to adjust your eating. You will learn to go for the greens whenever you get the chance. The basic message from the book is to 1) eat a pound of fruit and a pound of vegetables each day and 2) focus on the greens especially to hit the 100 point mark.

If You Are On Medication or Have A Disease:

The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables are part of any standard set of advice given to people to help them lose weight. We hear this all the time. What makes Dr. Fuhrman's approach unique is the radically higher amount of nutrient dense foods recommended, the focus on nutrient density itself, as well as the important (and controversial) idea that this approach to nutrition can play a role in disease reversal.

In fact, the first chapter  (click to download PDF) contains stories of people who have recovered from cardiovascular disease, Lupus, Asthma, Migraines, High Blood Pressure, Sarcoidosis, Psoriasis, Eczema, Polymymyalgia, Diabetes, Fatigue, Depression and Ulcers. You can click on the link to download a pdf where you can read these. The chapter also contains a section for doctors where he reviews some of the scientific evidence behind his work, as well as puts it into medical context.

I personally have suffered from Eczema, and discovered that the root of it for me was sensitivities to certain foods- dairy, wheat, corn primarily. After a year of counting points each day I have gotten to the point where I can again enjoy a few cans of beer or dig into my son's mac and cheese without getting too messed up. This is a big deal for me. A simple thing like being able to enjoy a couple cans of cold Pabst Blue Ribbon on a hot day. Of course not everyone will experience a quick turnaround, but if you are suffering from something, read this book, let in sink in and then give it some time.

continue reading and view the points list sample....


It is important to note that this not an all or nothing approach to dieting and health. It is a gradual, staged process as well as a robust information set. You can approach the information at your own pace, with your own specific needs in mind. It also does not require one to become a vegan or a vegetarian. Like the Weight Watchers Point system, it is a valuable and proven tool that will probably be of some benefit.

The MANDI Points System

The basic idea is that you want to shoot for 100 points each day. Here are some sample foods scores, but the book goes into much greater detail about how one can put this into practice. Like any really new idea, it takes a bit of time to absorb the approach. The book contains some really practical information and is also geared towards people who will never be vegans or total vegetarians. It is written in a way to help people absorb the information in a way they can understand. A big practical benefit of the approach is that one can eat in a way where they are not hungry all the time.

Here are very high point foods (and remember you want 100 a day):

Vegetables

• Cooked Kale, 1.5 cups 25 Points
• Cooked Collard Greens, 1.5 cups 33 Points
• Cooked Spinach, 1.5 cups, 23 Points
• Cooked Swiss Chard, 1.5 cups, 16 Points
• Romaine Lettuce, 5 cups raw, 9 Points
• Vegetable Juice, 8 oz, 9 Points
• Cooked Broccoli, 2 cups, 13.5 Points
• Carrot Juice, 1 cup, 14 Points
• Corn, 1.5 Cups, 1.5 Points
• Cucumber, 1 whole, 1.2 Points
• Tomato Sauce 1/2 cup, 5.6 points

Just like vegetables, some fruit is much higher in points than others. The link at the bottom has a complete list.

• Strawberries, 1.5 cups, 7 Points
• Rasberries, 1.5 cups, 6.0 Points
• Blueberries, 1.5 cups, 6.3 Points
• Grapefruit, 1.5 cups, 5.3 Points
• Orange, 1 fruit, 3.6 Points
• Watermelon, 2.5 cups, 3.7 Points
• Apple, 1, 2.5 Points
• Avocado, 1/2, 2.6 Points
• Banana, 1, 1.2 Points


Discuss This Article In The PEERtrainer Community

This is a review from PEERtrainer Member sarah_l:

"Seriously the best nutrition book I've ever read --- Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. And what makes it work for us all here is that he promotes a vegan diet and provides the science behind it. Eat for Health is the new 2 book approach that he's written, but in my opinion, it is more for people for are currently meat eaters and are trying to make a change to a plant based diet. What's different in Eat for Health is that he includes something called MANDI scores which help you reach a 100 point goal in the day of nutrient dense foods. Both are great reading. ETL is more of an open mouth, insert firehose approach; EFH is a gradual approach.

In the ETL book there is a 6 week challenge that should have you drop up to 20 pounds with dietary changes alone. I'm telling you, I thought I was eating a good veg diet --- but the quantity of leafy greens that I eat now is well more than double what I had before and the weight is literally dropping off without added exercise (and I have never been able to lose weight like this because I am on full thyroid replacement and have a bear of a time losing more than an ounce!) Ok --- there's my testimonial! Now, get to the library and grab a copy of ETL and or EFH or grab one off Amazon. Best $50 I've spent. Heck, I'd send you mine, but I love it too much to let it out of my sight!" 

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