Jean's Story

I read Dr. Fuhrman's books, Eat to Live and Super Immunity, and was very impressed with his knowledge and research.  I started the Nutritarian diet at the end of September 2012.  My goal on the Nutritarian diet was not to lose weight, but to resolve two health problems.  The first is migraines and the second is a touchy stomach which results in episodes of diarrhea.   

I suffer from hormonal migraines which last for three continuous days at the onset of my period.  I also get stress related migraines, or if I miss a meal, I would sometimes get a migraine. I recently started going through menopause so my hormones are all over the place and so are the migraines.  I am aware of migraine food triggers and have eliminated a few items that I know are problematic, and I avoid perfumes/colognes.   I take Imitrex for relief and it dulls the pain, but does not get rid of the headache completely.  The side effects are awful.  I get nausea, palpitations, hot flashes, a funny feeling in my head and generalized weakness in my arms.  My goal with the Nutritarian diet was to beat those nasty migraines.

My second problem is a touchy stomach with frequent bouts of diarrhea, which usually occurs in the morning or within an hour or so after I have gone out to eat.  I had colonoscopies, endoscopies, upper/lower GI series, and found nothing.  I was told I probably just have a touchy stomach and to be careful what I eat. As a result, I ate a very bland diet.  I avoid carpooling with people in the morning as I am always concerned about having to make an emergency stop at a bathroom.  I usually insist that my husband drive when we are going out to dinner.  He understands that when I say I need a bathroom it means I need one ASAP. And yes, I know every bathroom within a 25 mile radius of my home and work. 

Eat To Live addressed both migraines and stomach problems. My number one focus was on the migraines, so I started my mornings off with Dr. Fuhrman's recommendation of oatmeal and an apple or a piece of melon.  I made a large salad with romaine lettuce, my two ounces of seeds/nuts, two different beans and cherry tomatoes for lunch. I decreased the amount of meat I ate for dinner, roasted my veggies, ate another small salad and for dessert I made myself a fruit smoothie!  I was skeptical at first, - this was just too simple.

So how did I make out following the Nutritarian diet for my touchy stomach? The book said that things will get worse before they get better.  Well, it is 100 percent correct.  With the increase in the salad, fruits, beans, veggies and those wonderful fruit smoothies, my diarrhea was definitely worse and more often.  I re-read portions of the book and was convinced that things were on the right track. Those frequent stops to the bathroom on my way to work completely stopped. I am very pleased.  I also noticed that I no longer needed my mid-morning and midafternoon snacks that I have eaten for years.  Those episodes of low blood sugar were gone as well.  What a nice extra bonus.

So what happened to those migraines?  I truly believe that my Nutritarian diet (yes, it is mine now) has worked wonders as I rarely get a migraine now.   In summary, I would say that I follow my Nutritarian diet about 85 percent of the time. I now find myself asking the question, do I really want to eat something that has all of those empty calories in it?   More often than not, I say “oh, that looks wonderful, but I really need to pass, but thanks for offering.”  In closing, I would like to say thank you.   Dr. Fuhrman's Nutritarian diet is now my Nutritarian diet and I feel great.

Results may vary.