by Matt Weik
Are you looking for an easier way to improve your health, boost energy, and prevent chronic diseases? Then, switch to an NDPR (nutrient-dense plant-rich) diet or nutritarian diet. This single lifestyle change can offer you benefits far beyond what you could’ve ever imagined.
You’ll be surprised at how effortless eating nutritious food can be! Find out more about this revolutionary diet and why you should join the revolution. Let’s dive into the details of what a nutritarian diet is all about.
What is a Nutritarian Diet?
The word “nutritarian” is derived from the word “nutrient-dense” and is based on the fact that nutrient-dense food is necessary for maintaining optimal health. I don’t think I need to convince you of that, right?
The nutritarian diet, also known as the nutrient-dense plant-rich diet (NDPR diet), was created in 2003 by Dr. Joel Fuhrman in his book Eat to Live.
The nutritarian diet is a plant-based, gluten-free, low in salt and fat diet, which avoids or limits processed food and focuses on nutrient-rich foods that are high in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. This diet is not just about eating vegetables — it’s also about including nutrient-dense foods like beans, fiber-rich leafy greens, nuts, and seeds in your food choices.
The idea behind this lifestyle is to eat until you’re satisfied and to adopt it as a permanent way of living. As per Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a nutritarian diet not just prevents but also reverses chronic diseases, and slows aging, ultimately helping to extend your lifespan. The diet is based on four principles:
- Nutrient Density: This principle measures and ranks the food based on how nutrient-packed they are as compared to the overall calories. Green veggies top the nutrient density scores, whereas sugary drinks like soda are at the bottom.
- Nutrient Adequacy: This aspect prioritizes consuming enough vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
- Hormonal Favorability: This principle involves choosing carbohydrates that have a low impact on your diet and also reducing the consumption of meat in order to help improve cardiovascular health.
- Toxin Avoidance: This involves reducing or eliminating processed food items.
The Benefits of the Nutritarian Diet
Below you will find some of the many benefits associated with the use of a nutritarian diet.
1. Promotes Weight Loss
A nutritarian diet helps with weight loss by restricting calorie intake and discouraging snacking. Next, it promotes the consumption of plant-based food items like veggies, nuts, seeds, and more. Food items rich in fiber usually makes you feel full and reduce hunger cravings.
As per a study, overweight people who switched to the nutritarian diet lost an average of 4.9 kgs and lost 4.8 cms of waist circumference. Moreover, studies show that a plant-based diet aids the weight loss journey.
2. Improves Heart Health
A nutritarian diet reduces the risk of heart diseases by lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels. A study shows that people following a nutritarian diet show an 11% reduction in total and 13% LDL cholesterol levels. This, in turn, helps in preventing heart-related diseases.
3. Stabilizes Blood Sugar Levels
A nutritarian diet consists of high-fiber, and low added sugar food items. Plus, it promotes the consumption of low glycemic food, which helps to keep the blood sugar level in control. As per studies, this nutrient-dense diet, consisting of whole and minimally processed food, can protect against Type-2 diabetes.
4. Improves Overall Health
A nutritarian diet is known to increase lifespan and improve overall health. As per studies, vegetarian and vegan diets have an 8% and 15% lower risk of cancer.
Apart from that, the plant-based diet prevents various other diseases and helps you to live longer.
What Should You Eat?
The nutritarian diet encourages the consumption of green veggies, berries, seeds, mushrooms, and more due to their health-promoting properties.
The diet also allows sustainably raised animal products like meat, eggs, fish, and more as long as it does not exceed 10% of the daily calories.
The nutritarian diet restricts or discourages the consumption of processed food, sweets, caffeine, and more. It restricts the nuts and seeds for people looking for weight loss and limits processed food to less than 10% of daily calorie intake.
Thinking About Implementing the Nutritarian Diet?
The nutritarian diet focuses on consuming more healthy food and less on restricting anything. Though switching to a nutritarian diet may seem to be a daunting task, it is definitely worth the benefits it offers. Start with baby steps, and you will slowly adapt to it.
It is best to consult with a medical professional before making a lifestyle change in your nutrition plan or implementing the nutritarian diet into your daily regimen.
