Clinical Practice and Diet

¶ … Dieting: How to Live for Life, in light of research on the nutritarian diet suggested by the author, Joel Fuhrman. Given the wide range of health problems associated with bad eating habits, books like these can be important for patients to read and understand. In this paper, I will assess the credibility of Fuhrman's argument by focusing on two specific points in the book.

I will review the literature on these two topics of interest, and then reach an assessment about whether The End of Dieting is a good book to recommend to patients. The Book I selected this book because it is written for a general audience and therefore its language is accessible and I would be able to suggest it to patients or clients. Patients may be spoiled for choice when it comes to popular culture books about diet, health, and nutrition.

Most of those books offer tips on how to lose weight or fad diets. This book might be different than some of the others, partly because the author is a scientist whose work is published in peer-reviewed journals, and partly because the advice Fuhrman offers changes the paradigm about food. Instead of focusing on how to lose weight quickly, or develop a regimented eating plan like low-carb, Fuhrman goes back to the basics. Eat food that is primarily plant-based, which tends to be the most nutrient-rich foods.

Part II: Topics of Interest The first point is that the nutritarian diet "prevents and reverses disease," (Fuhrman, 2014, p. x). It seems outlandish to claim that eating fruits and vegetables promotes good health, but indeed, Fuhrman claims that eating nutrient dense plant-based foods can prevent or reverse disease. I never thought of this before, and am certain few of my patients have, so it is a strong statement that had an impact on me. Instead of eating junk food, patients might actually be able to eat real food.

The second issue is that energy density is a new paradigm of eating, in which instead of focusing on calories, the focus is shifted to a ratio of nutrients per calorie, a ratio that can even be connected with price, too. I appreciate that this concept can have an impact on changing people's attitudes toward food. In reality, Fuhrman's (2015) book has the potential not only to change the way people eat but to change the way food is being labeled.

Part III: Corroboration / Contradiction Fuhrman's first point, that the diet rich in nutrients can prevent or reverse disease, is corroborated in the literature. In one experimental study, Fuhrman & Singer (2015) found that the nutritarian diet was shown to "improve weight, blood pressure, lipids, and even reverse severe cardiovascular disease," (p. 1). Therefore, research, especially research conducted in part by the author of the book, substantiates the book's claims. Second, the book shows how energy density ratings are more meaningful than calories. This point is also corroborated by research.

Drewnowski (2010), for example, found that the Nutrient Rich Foods (NRF) Index can point to the lowest cost foods that are also energy-dense, and which can promote health. Rolls, Drewnowski, & Ledikwe (2005) also show that the energy-dense ratio helps people to lose weight.