Having established in earlier articles that, 1) there are very substantial health dividends to be gained by consuming a predominantly whole-foods, plant-based diet (see Disease Prevention & Reversal), and that, 2) we can begin to reap these dividends by learning to distinguish between "whole foods" and "edible food-like substances" -- by minimizing our consumption of the latter  (as a percentage of our calorie intake) and maximizing our consumption of the former (see Whole Foods & Nutrient Density) --we are now in position to reduce our calorie intake and increase the nutrient density of our diet, without concerning ourselves much at all about "portion control." I say, "much at all", because there are a few exceptions to this, two of which pertain to:

* the consumption of nuts and seeds
* the consumption of leafy greens

With regard to nuts and seeds, Dr. Furhman recommends 1 - 2 ounces of raw nuts and seeds each day. If you are thin and active, he permits more. If you are trying to lose weight, you should limit your intake to just one ounce per day. Personally, I eat about an ounce of walnuts and a tablespoon of ground flax seed in my oatmeal every morning. And I often have about an ounce of sunflower seeds or sesame seeds with my salad in the evening. Nut butters are great, too! But remember, Dr. Fuhrman recommends raw nuts and seeds--not roasted and not salted! While nuts & seeds are high in fat, Dr. Fuhrman stresses that they are rich in minerals and fiber and have a low glycemic index." When consumed in limited quantities they are "heart-healthy", actually promote weight loss, are associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, and help prevent gallstones (see Eat For Health, Vol. 1, page 132ff).

Mustard Greens

With regard to leafy greens, we want to take "portion control" to the opposite extreme! It's always good to remember, a la Dr. Fuhrman, that the salad is the main dish and that in the race for nutrient density, leafy greens win hands down! As such, we want to eat large portions of these foods! They are really the key to disease prevention and reversal! To understand why, visit Dr. Fuhrman's website and check out some sample nutrient density scores in this article:

Nutrient Density


If you are intrigued by the concept of nutrient density, check out the Eat Right America – Food Scoring Guide. This is a quick reference to Dr. Fuhrman's ANDI food scoring system (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) which he designed to determine the overall nutrient quality of food.

You can also learn more about nutrient density and the importance of leafy greens by looking at the following articles and, especially, at the video embedded in the first article:

Dr. Fuhrman's Health Equation: H = N/C

Salads Should Be Your Best Friend!

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