This website was created and will continually grow as an approachable and comprehensive resource to make the transition from a standard American diet (SAD) to a Nutritarian lifestyle, or Eat to Live (ETL) lifestyle, simple, fun, and stress-free. The Nutritarian way of eating is based on the principles shared by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, MD in his many books, including the best-selling 'Eat to Live.' The concept is simple: Consume fresh, all-natural, non-processed foods that have a high nutrient content in relation to calorie content and you will achieve weight loss and maintain and/or improve your health. In other words, consuming mostly plant-based, whole, nutrient-dense foods (fresh, organic vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, and herbs) while avoiding fats, processed foods, and animal products will result in less cravings for sweets and high-calorie, fatty foods and will cause the body to function optimally, resulting in overall better health.
The concept is simple but putting the concept onto action can be challenging, hence, this website. The transition to becoming a Nutritarian should not leave you frustrated, overwhelmed, bored with your food, or longing for flavor and satiety. The transition should be satisfying, fun, and, most importantly, packed full of flavor to promote enthusiasm and consistency. This website will continually expand with updated material so please bookmark this page and visit often.
All posted recipes, developed by me or otherwise, will be given a rating of one to five stars based on the overall flavor and satisfaction of the dish. In an effort to post only the best dishes to reach the goal of keeping it satisfying and flavor-packed, it's likely you'll see only posts for recipes that have earned three stars and above.
A note about myself: I have a degree in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health and a B.S. in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland. My passion for good health for myself, my family, and the environment is strong and goes back decades. The story behind the name of this website, 'The Aspiring Nutritarian,' comes from my desire to live a lifestyle that is 100% Nutritarian and also the reality that doing so, with everything I have on my plate (pun intended), is not feasible for me at this time in my life. So, in an effort to find a happy medium that I can live with and embrace as I strive to become 100% Nutritarian, I have allowed myself to compromise and I currently live a lifestyle that is about 75% Nutritarian. The other 25% of my food consumption is carefully chosen to be as healthful as possible but, nonetheless, is not considered Nutritarian. Through this website, I hope to be helpful and an inspiration to others who strive to make the right food choices in a consumer's world that can be complicated and overwhelming. Please partner with me and together we can move forward and overcome the challenges in the quest to become 100% Nutritarian–Let's be 'Aspiring Nutritarians' together.