Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta filled to near capacity on Tuesday night as Joel Fuhrman, M.D. wound up his day of speaking in Damariscotta with a presentation on the “nutritarian” lifestyle that he espouses.
The author of the bestseller “Eat To Live,” an energetic and rapid-talking presenter, Fuhrman said he was pleased with the attendance. “It’s great to see so many people who are interested in life-long learning, and improving the quality of their lives,” he said.
Fuhrman arrived in Maine at 10:30 on Tuesday and by the close of the presentation at the Lincoln, he had spoken to more than 1000 Lincoln County residents.
He visited with the food preparers at the Lincoln Home; spoke at Lincoln Academy before students and faculty; AOS 93 faculty; the Lincoln County Health Advisory Board; and, the audience of devotees at the Lincoln Theater.
“I really enjoyed talking with everyone,” he said, “especially the students. If we are to succeed in having a healthier population, it must start in youth.”
He began his speech with a litany of statistics to illustrate the results of the unhealthy or “toxic eating” that he sees in his practice as causing preventable illness.
He indicated that heart disease, stroke and dementia are not natural parts of the aging process but rather the effect of years of poor nutrition. “You can’t undo 50 years of poor eating in a short time, but you can improve and reverse the effects over time if you stick to this plan,” he said. “You won’t cure breast cancer by walking to raise money and wearing little pink ribbons,” he said, “In 1900 there was little breast cancer. Developing new medicines isn’t going to stop the spread of diseases, proper nutrition will.”
He went on to state that a “truly healthy diet must be micronutrient rich and the micronutrient richness must be adjusted to meet individual needs. For optimal health and to combat disease, it is necessary to consume enough of these foods that deliver the highest concentration of nutrients.” This is the basis for his “nutritarian” principals.
Fuhrman’s “Eat to Live” philosophy can be stated simply in just one sentence: “The main principle is that for both optimal health and weight loss, you must consume a diet with a high nutrient-per-calorie ratio.” This is “all the information that you need to succeed,” the author claims in the early pages of his 2011 paperback.
The audience at the Lincoln Theater benefited from 90 minutes of explanation and a half hour of question and answers at the close of the presentation. Books and information as well as coupons for discounts on healthy foods were available in the lobby.
Furhman has an extensive line of pre-packaged foods and nutritional supplements available for sale on his website: www.drfuhrman.com, as well as subscriptions to his newsletters and support systems.
Joel Fuhrman M.D. is a board-certified family physician specializing in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. He has been practicing for more than 20 years and established the Center for Nutritional Medicine located in Flemington, N.J.
Dr. Fuhrman sits on the National Health Association Board of Directors Advisory Panel and The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. He is the research director of the Nutritional Research Project, part of the National Health Association.
Health Literacy brought Dr. Fuhrman to Damariscotta as its first program. Skidompha Library, Lincoln County Healthcare, Lincoln Home, Tidemark Institute and Shapers sponsor jointly the new initiative Health Literacy.
Health Literacy will offer other informational sessions and activities, all with improvement of local health and safety as its focus, throughout the year.
