calorically dense foods and are a good source of protein. Sunflower seeds and Mediterranean pine
nuts are particularly high in protein and should be included in your diet.
Always eat nuts and seeds raw or toasted lightly, because the roasting process alters their
beneficial fats. Nuts and seeds are ideal in salad dressings because when eaten with greens, they
greatly enhance the absorption of micronutrients such as carotenoids from the green vegetables.
You should also add an additional tablespoon per day of flax seed, chia seed, or hemp seed for
additional plant sources of omega-3 fats, which also come from leafy greens, walnuts and other
sources.
Avocados, like nuts, contain healthy fats and should be eaten regularly, but in limited
quantity. These are incredibly nutrient-rich foods, with plant lignans and phytosterols that
naturally lower cholesterol levels. The research that shows they prevent sudden cardiac death^172
and they are high in phytochemicals (although not nearly as high as greens, fruits, and beans). They
are also very high in calories.
Starchy vegetables (butternut or acorn squash, corn, potatoes, wild and black rice) and
whole grains can be a valuable addition to a nutrient-rich healthy eating style, but they are not as
nutrient-dense overall as the green vegetables and nutrient rich non-green vegetables, and they
have far more concentrated calories than fruit. Include them in your diet, but mainly when you need
increased amounts of calories, particularly as your calorie requirements increase due to activity.
One of our Lifestyle, Health, and Science advisors, John McDougall, M.D., author of The Starch
Solution and a pioneer who has influenced millions regarding the health benefits and
environmental impact of eating a plant-based diet, makes good arguments for eating starches as the
basis your diet, while increasing vegetables and fruits for added phytochemicals and for when you
want to lose weight. Dr. McDougall points out that large Asian, African, and other cultures
throughout history have lived on starches with fruits and vegetables and enjoyed excellent health
as populations.
That’s true, and as an eating strategy will likely ensure you live a long and healthy life. But there is
considerable debate around that eating strategy in the plant-based community, particularly as the
nutrient-rich style of eating has emerged. For example, although Dr. McDougall doesn’t necessarily
espouse this specifically, living on refined white rice and white potatoes would not deliver
significant amounts of phytochemicals, on which we put a great deal of emphasis in a nutrient-rich
healthy eating style.
Vegetables and fruits are always the best base in an eating style for fastest and sustained weight
loss, if you are overweight. And the same foods that enable you lose weight are those that enable
you to live at or near your ideal weight all the time, because they are nutrient-rich and calorie-
appropriate.
(^172) ...