John's Story

Back in 2009, I was attending a local gym, and started talking about nutrition with one of the trainers.  The trainer began suggesting the Nutritarian diet principals, and recommended that I read Eat to Live.  The research, logic, consistency, and clarity with which Dr. Fuhrman made the case for eating a diet high in micro-nutrient density was my "aha!" moment.  I was all in, for myself and my family, and we haven't looked back.  Since then I've been thrilled to increase my knowledge through Fuhrman's subsequent works (Eat for Health, Disease-Proof Your Child, Super Immunity, etc.).  After almost 10 years of maintaining ideal weight and lab work, I have no regrets.  I have been healthier from 27-37, than I was from 17-27.  I recommend Dr. Fuhrman's Nutritarian diet whenever I get the chance, and "Disease-Proof Your Child" is one of our go to gifts for friends and family when we learn they are with child.

Years ago, my wife had submitted a success story for our daughter Maria, that is still featured on your website: https://www.drfuhrman.com/get-started/success-stories/723/rebeccas-story

Maria recently had her 9th birthday, and has continued to eat a Nutritarian style diet her whole life.  As she has gotten older, we have started teaching her the benefits of, and reasons why, we eat this way.  Maria is the oldest of our five children, and our family has been eating a Nutritarian style diet for their entire lives.  Because of this, our children think it perfectly normal to eat a plant-based diet, and thrilled to have homemade date balls as desserts at family gatherings.  We have never had any issues with them attending birthday parties or social gatherings with other children (such as Vacation Bible School in the summer). Maria and her siblings are perfectly happy with their packed snacks, nuts, fresh fruit, raisins.  They never complain or express a desire to eat the unhealthy foods that are often served at these events, as they have been taught the benefits of eating healthy plant foods, and have never been fed traditional snacks/desserts.  If our children are at an event where everyone is making or receiving some sort of unhealthy food “treat”, our children willingly give their cookies/cupcakes/candy to a friend or family member.  They never ask for unhealthy food, and will decline if it is offered to them. 

My wife homeschools are children, which allows us to adjust the lesson plans on health and nutrition. We replace the standard curriculum with Dr. Fuhrman’s Nutritarian food pyramid, and supplement with Mitch Spinach books during story time.  In her younger years, Maria’s knowledge of healthy eating has occasionally resulted in her pointing out other peoples’ unhealthy food/beverage choices at family gatherings, but she has learned to be gracious about her nutritional choices, and she now knows how to set a good example without making other people feel badly in a public situation.

Our children love to eat chickpeas, salad, cucumbers, smoothies, nuts, seeds, peas, quinoa, steel cut oatmeal, potatoes, frozen mixed berries, and any kind of fresh fruit.  Maria is even drinking green smoothies again! (My wife mentioned in the previous success story that Maria went through a phase around age 2-3 where she stopped drinking green smoothies.

Their only beverage is water, which we distill in our home.  They also receive Dr. Fuhrman’s Pixie Vites. They hardly ever get sick, and when they do it is minor colds that resolve with rest and without prescription medication.  Not a single one of our five children have ever had an ear infection (thank you "Disease-Proof Your Child").

Our family is very grateful to Dr. Fuhrman for sharing the research and information that has allowed our family, and specifically our children, to live healthy lives!