My 1st Nutritarianniversary

When I turned on the Blendtec this morning, I happened to notice that it’s counter coincided with today being the start of my 2nd year as a Nutritarian!

No, I’ve not used my high-speed blender every single day this past year, but sometimes I’ve used it multiple times per day, so I guess it all balanced out in the end.

Over the winter, I was usually eating bowls of fruit with either some oats or muslix.  Now that warmer weather has returned, I’m back to drinking my breakfasts.  This week, I’ve been on a berry smoothie kick:

Berry Yummy Smoothie:

1 cup non-dairy milk (I like non-sweetened almond milk)

1 banana (fresh or frozen)

A handful of fresh kale and a handful of fresh spinach (stems removed)

A few handfuls of strawberries (fresh or frozen)

A few handfuls of wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Optional: a tablespoon of chia seeds or flax meal (for additional fiber); a squirt or two of agave nectar (if additional sweetness is desired); a couple ice cubes (if all fruit above is fresh rather than frozen).

Blend in a high-speed blender for about 1 minute until smooth (I used the Blendtec’s “Smoothie” setting).

I’ve been amazed this past year at how much I’ve enjoyed eating a “nutritarian” diet (as Dr. Joel Fuhrman calls it in his book “Eat to Live”).  I easily shed 30 pounds in the first 6 months without ever feeling starved or craving anything.  I also didn’t have to count calories or exercise to lose the weight.  The last 6 months have been more challenging. I stopped losing weight, and in fact, gained a few pounds back mainly from eating too many carbs and sweets, and not exercising enough.

So, this past weekend, I thought I’d start a juice fast for a few days to boost my nutrients and cleanse out the carbs.  Easier said than done!

My mornings started out o.k. with my green/fruit smoothies, but when I tried the more veggie-focused juice recipes for lunch or dinner, it was hard to get them down with all the fiber still being in the drink (I only have the Blendtec and not a dedicated juicer).  I also underestimated the strong desire to CHEW!  Even though my body was getting plenty of nutrients and was not hungry, I still could not mentally get used to blending all that delicious fresh food rather than chewing and eating some of it instead.

So, I’ve now ordered a few food strainer bags, and will try “round 2” of juicing with the Blendtec next week (to see if straining the fiber out will make the juice easier to drink).  A juicer machine would no doubt be easier, but I’m really trying to avoid so many “single-purpose” appliances to make my transition to an RV kitchen easier.

Perhaps my body was still revolting against the juice experiment, but for some unknown reason, I found myself celebrating my 1 year anniversary at Portillo’s eating a big, juicy Italian Beef sandwich!  I grew up on these things, and if you’ve ever been to Chicago to eat one, you’ll know just how addictive they can be.  I have to admit, it was damn delicious! 

I still don’t have any desire to eat meat daily (or weekly), but for special occasions, I’m gonna have that annual Italian Beef sandwich!  Life needs to be lived!  It reminded me of why Dr. Fuhrman calls his approach “nutritarian” rather than “vegan” — he believes the exact same thing!  As long as meats, dairy, sweets, and oils are considered “special occasion” and  don’t exceed 10% of your diet, he sees no harm. 

So, on to Year 2!