The End of Heart Disease by Dr. Joel Fuhrman is a comprehensive look at the benefits of plant-based nutrition on heart disease. Dr. Fuhrman coined his own nutritional category that he calls ‘Nutritarian’ which consists of nutrient dense foods. His famous nutrient density scale takes the amount of nutrients divided by the calories in that food.
Dr. Fuhrman guides the reader down the path of health towards an understanding of how nutrition and disease are inextricably linked. One such link is the effects of animal based foods and heart disease. Dr. Fuhrman reviews the studies showing the hormone IGF-1, which is found in animal products, can wreak havoc on the internal organs leading to many forms of disease.
The End of Heart Disease is much more focused on what to eat and why instead of what to avoid. Dr. Fuhrman explains the importance of eating foods that contain phytonutrients and antioxidants everyday. Phytonutrients are only found in plants (phyto means plant) and serve as a powerful detoxifier and protector against disease.
Dr. Fuhrman is also known for promoting his GBOMBS. Greens, Beans Mushrooms, Onions, Berries, and Seeds. Each of these categories of foods contain a high level of phytonutrients, antioxidants, fibers, and other nutrients that are imperative for optimal health. He also talks about eating as many different colorful foods as possible, because each color is made by a different phytonutrient which will allow for a variety.
As in all of his books, Dr. Fuhrman finishes the book with various recipes that fall under his Nutritarian diet. He does a great job at showing people that eating healthy is not only doable, but tasty as well.
Read The End of Heart Disease if you are interested in expanding your knowledge around nutrition and you wish to learn more about how to optimize your health. Dr. Fuhrman makes it easy to read while supplying the reader with an abundance of cited studies for those who are interested to learn more.
Book Citation – Fuhrman, Joel. The end of heart disease: the Eat to Live Plan to prevent and reverse heart disease. New York, NY: HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2016.