4.21

3

Aug 26, 2013

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

The Eat To Live Cookbook is based upon other books by Dr. Furhrman and focuses on his work with individuals who want to be healthier (weight loss or disease control). It is a companion to his other book Eat To Live.

In the preface, he lays out the foundation for the recipes: foods to eat every day, foods to avoid, quantities to take and how to prepare or cook those foods. A lot of the emphasis is on green leafy

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

The Eat To Live Cookbook is based upon other books by Dr. Furhrman and focuses on his work with individuals who want to be healthier (weight loss or disease control). It is a companion to his other book Eat To Live.

In the preface, he lays out the foundation for the recipes: foods to eat every day, foods to avoid, quantities to take and how to prepare or cook those foods. A lot of the emphasis is on green leafy vegetables and beans - and so the recipes do contain a lot of those ingredients. His suggestion is to avoid foods like breads, animal-derived products such as meats and dairy, and of course sugary foods and soda. Most of the recipes have a base of what he calls G-Bombs - Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds. He also rates foods based upon their nutritional value per calorie. Finally, he gives recommendations on food shopping, preparation, herbs, organic product, etc.

The recipes are of a great variety and interest. Worrisome for me is that I don't live in a major metropolitan center were a lot of exotic or less common fruits/vegetables/greens are available. I've been unable to find chia seed, hemp or almond milk, kale leaves, and other ingredients. Some ingredients are only available here in season. There fortunately not a lot of exotic ingredients - the recipes stick to the staples outlined in Furhman's good food index.

One big issue for me, and definitely a minus star and nearly minus 2 stars is that several of the recipes call for premade items sold on Furhman's website. His book states that the recipes are available online but I haven't found them. And those products are extremely expensive - which makes this whole book feel like a ponzi scheme to get you to his website and buy his products. I would have trusted the book a lot more if the recipe for those 'zests' were in the book as well (and why not, if the purpose of the book is to help us be healthier and not to make him wealthier?).

In any event, it all read well but I think I'll be avoiding his website, which feels just a little too slick with all its upsell pushing.

...more

3

Nov 11, 2019

Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss was one of the first books I read after switching to a vegan diet in 2006.

Reading E2L moved me from "vegan" to "plant-based" but this particular diet approach left me feeling hungry and "wanting." A little while later I found his "competitor" Dr. McDougal, and did/felt better with his approach to the plant-based diet (a la The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight for Good!) I Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss was one of the first books I read after switching to a vegan diet in 2006.

Reading E2L moved me from "vegan" to "plant-based" but this particular diet approach left me feeling hungry and "wanting." A little while later I found his "competitor" Dr. McDougal, and did/felt better with his approach to the plant-based diet (a la The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight for Good!) I would describe my now diet as a hybrid of the two (no nuts/fats but also not a lot of grain carbohydrates either) ANYWAY

cleaning out my bookshelf for donations I revisited this cookbook--and the best part of it (imho) is how well Joel summarizes his E2L diet in the initial pages. It's a terrific "cliff notes" for his entire diet plan/book if you don't actually want to read the diet book.

Looking back over the recipes, and retrying a few of them, I find they still leave me "wanting" and can sometimes be bland--even after YEARS of being off sugar/salt/processed food. The recipes either rely on small amounts of fat (seed/nut/avocado) for flavor (I don't find fats to be very flavorful or satiating) OR 1-4 tablespoons of Mrs. Dash or Joel's brand of seasoning--it's simple, you don't need to buy spices but I like using spices and not the same spice blend. He also uses a lot of juices--apple juice and carrot juice--which makes my blood sugar go nuts.

Reviewing my notes in the margins of recipes, most say "Add 1/4 cup quinoa" or "added sweet potato--much better" and "use broth instead of juice, add more vegetables" "NEEDS SPICES"

My husband (who likes/eats nuts/seeds/avocado/fats) does really enjoy the dressings, but also won't bother to make them himself. Even though it's just putting the things in a blender. He'd rather just put hummus on his salad and swirl it around. SO I guess he likes them but not enough to put in that modicum of effort...

Here's a dressing example: 1/4 cup nuts, 1/3 cup plant milk, 1 apple, 2 tbsp cranberries blend.

Here's an example of a soup: 1/2 c split peas, onion, 1 c mushroom, 2 c carrot juice (2lbs carrots), 15-oz tomato sauce, 1.5 lbs kale, 1/2 c cashew butter, 2 T nutritional yeast. (PC 6-8 min, stir in cashew butter and sprinkle with nooche) <-- what gets me about this is he talks about how 'bad' overcooking greens is, so why wouldn't you add kale at the end? Shrug.

People following paleo would enjoy this cookbook (you can always add meat and coconut) and/or anyone following a grain-free/legume-free plant-centered diet such as that promoted by Mark Hyman ...more

4

September 27, 2015

I love the fact that this is an extensive guide for nutritarian meals, however, I wish the dishes didn't have so many ingredients and I wish there were pictures.

4

Apr 06, 2014

This cookbook is a good overview of Dr. Joel Fuhrman's EAT TO LIVE book/plan--plus it includes recipes. Have tried some that are yummy, some not-so-much, but I LOVE that they are for eating whole-foods, non-sugar, non-fat way. I've tried many new-to-me foods which is fun and enjoyable--never too old to learn. Use this book along with Forks Over Knives recipes I can find online.

2

Oct 27, 2013

So after trying out a couple of the recipes in the Eat to Live cookbook, I've got a few things to say.

The recipes need a little bit of touching up- but that's definitely personal preference. I tried the Mushroom Chili- which I think needs a jalapeno or two, and a couple of dashes of hot sauce. However, I usually make 5 alarm style chili, which is saying something there. My boyfriend LOVED it, as well as a coworker of mine who was almost unwilling to TRY the chili after the last pot I made had So after trying out a couple of the recipes in the Eat to Live cookbook, I've got a few things to say.

The recipes need a little bit of touching up- but that's definitely personal preference. I tried the Mushroom Chili- which I think needs a jalapeno or two, and a couple of dashes of hot sauce. However, I usually make 5 alarm style chili, which is saying something there. My boyfriend LOVED it, as well as a coworker of mine who was almost unwilling to TRY the chili after the last pot I made had him crying. The only thing they added was some salt and pepper.

The next thing I tried was the Mushroom Stroganoff [We REALLY love mushrooms in my house, what can I say?]. This one here again, I was the only one who didn't like it. Pretty sure it was the tarragon that did it for me, so I'll likely tone that recipe down on that spice if I try it again.

Next thing on my list is the Poached Pears, but the ingredients are a little harder to come by. :/

Cookbook review:
The recipes are incredibly simple, and really easy to execute. The ingredients lists on the other hand are not the easiest things to come by- I only found two recipes in the book in which the ingredients were standard grocery store fair. That being said, it could be just a geographical thing- these ingredients could be a great deal easier to find in other areas, just not readily available to me. Most of the people eating the recipes I tried out loved them, and from what I've seen looking through the book, the recipes all leave plenty of room for adjustments and customization while staying within the parameters of the diet.

:) ...more

5

August 14, 2015

A truly informative book that proves lifestyle change & stick-to-it-iveness is of significant importance to good health. He is right on the money & I wholeheartedly agree with his method.

5

Apr 08, 2014

Ok this is by far the best vegan/plant based cookbook ever. The food is so yummy and healthy, and the ingredients are REAL!!! If you are interested in whole food eating or a Vegan lifestyle this book must be in your library.

5

Mar 09, 2015

Not everyone will embrace this way of eating, but the recipes are really good if you are interested in whole, plant-based food.

5

Aug 29, 2018

Well written, Basic commons sense abt eating clean,real food,more of the good stuff and much less meats,etc. I think it is safe to say that you can take what you need from his program and still get good results.

0

Oct 17, 2017

The word “nutritarian” will stick with me after reading this book. It was informative and practical with simple recipes and charts that rate foods by nutrient density. I liked how after reading it I didn’t feel pressured to start eliminating foods and going cold turkey on anything, instead just inspired to add more nutrient dense foods to my plate.

5

Jun 10, 2017

Love the recipes and it helped me to get healthier and be more conscious about food.

5

Mar 07, 2016

i love Joel Fuhrman and his approach to nutrition.. plant based is the future.. has some good recipes in here..

4

Nov 30, 2014

Trying to expand my healthy vegitarian repertoire -- the Thai Vegetable Curry is a bew favorite ( no oil, the veggies are simmered in carrot juice -- delish!)

5

Feb 01, 2014

I'm getting into cooking, and this books makes it easier for me, since I don't really like heavy foods, these recipes are easy to follow (if you can get your hands on most ingredients) and really yummy.

5

Oct 27, 2015

This is a very enlightening book about eating a plant based diet. It talks about the politics between the food industry and other groups as well as the the heath aspects of eating a diet comprised of plants.

5

Sep 30, 2014

I only read the introduction, but the book has had considerable effort put in, and if you want to learn how to live a healthier life, or even just want to lose some weight then this is an amazing read. There are hundreds of recipes, and also tips on how what foods to eat, and many educational facts. I read this on request of my mom, but even though the introduction isn't the most fun thing to read it is essential if you want to know some facts to help your body!

5

Sep 04, 2017

Very helpful

The nutritarian lifestyle is the perfect way to eat and this book makes it sooo much easier to follow! I recommend everyone start living a nutritarian lifestyle and get your health on track!

2

Sep 12, 2017

I have a mushroom allergy. Mushrooms are an essential part of Mr. Fuhrman's lifestyle plan. I'd say about 75% of the non-dessert recipes (and even some of those) contain mushrooms or other fungus. And, there's no good replacement for them, so I basically can't use most of the recipes in this book.


So glad I interlibrary loaned this, and didn't waste money on it.

3

May 30, 2019

This was a good book but I can’t see myself eating these foods. I have cut back to about 4-6 oz of meat per day and added lots more veggies and different berries for dessert. I wanted to get more ideas but this was too much.

3

Feb 23, 2019

I just skimmed this book and decided there was nothing new in it for me. Goodreads needs a category that says, " didn't finish book".

3

May 23, 2018

I haven’t tried them all, but this is one to own. Dr. Fuhrman’s vegan lasagna is amazing.

5

Dec 20, 2018

Love the recipes in this book - requires shopping for fresh veggies every other day. I hoping to make these meals a habit.

4

Aug 25, 2019

Eating from this book gives me more energy and clear headedness. I just wish I had a personal chef to prepare all the food because it is labor intensive. No real fast food here!

4

Nov 17, 2017

This book has many interesting recipes that range from quick/simple to more complicated. There is something for everyone.

1

Dec 29, 2017

Did not like it. After reviewing this cookbook I decided this is not the plan for me.