I Ate a Plant-Based Diet for 13 Years. Here's My Surprising Takeaway.

One day — some 13 years ago — my stomach hurt after I ate a big meal.

This wasn’t super uncommon so I didn’t think much of it. But then, it happened again the next day, and the next.

Within a week, I developed a red rash on my arms and legs, in certain spots. With some research, I found out it was eczema.

The eczema got infected, and the infection caused another type of rash to pop up all over my body.

Out of nowhere, health issues had derailed my life.

I went to a doctor who gave me an antibiotic and recommended that I use lotion. Neither helped my situation.

I went to another doctor who gave me a better antibiotic, and that cleared the infection. But the eczema wouldn’t go away.

It was so embarrassing I avoided being intimate with my girlfriend and wore long sleeves and pants (in the summer in Tennessee).

I did a bunch of research online. 13 years ago, there wasn’t the quality of information online that exists today.

It took months of pouring through YouTube videos and blog posts before I finally stumbled upon one that helped.

My gut had become so toxic that it wasn’t functioning properly. My intestines thought regular food was a “foreign invader”, and sent blood markers into my bloodstream to attack them. Those would get lodged under my skin and cause the eczema to appear.

I had a lot of inflammation and toxicity going on in my belly. Probably from all the years of drinking Jäegermeister and Natural Light in college, and eating chicken wings and ice cream.

I ordered this expensive “gut repair” kit from a holistic doctor online, which included all kinds of probiotics and powders. It kind of helped, but not really.

I took a food allergy test and found out that I was “allergic” to over 100 different foods — many of the basic stuff we all eat every day.

I started to avoid those foods which helped my eczema clear up. But, it wasn’t sustainable to avoid over 100 common foods. I knew I hadn’t arrived at the “core solution” to my issue.

If you know me, you know that I’m never content until I find the core issue. I don’t want band-aid solutions. I find that making the extra effort to fix a problem at its core ends up being less work overall. It leads to more happiness in the long run. This is a core principle of mine.

One night, a few weeks later, I was staying over at my parent's house. As I watched TV I glanced at the coffee table and saw a book about nutrition. It was Eat for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

I flipped through the pages and immediately got sucked in. I ended up staying up the entire night and finished the book.

My mind was blown. The book talked about a high-nutrient diet as the foundation of good health. It talked about how nutrients are the “building blocks” of a healthy body.

It had a chart called the “ANDI chart” which ranked hundreds of foods on a scale from 1-1000 in terms of how nutrient-dense they were.

Here’s an example of an ANDI chart:

​https://www.simplyfresh.info/andi-guide/​

I immediately saw my issue. I had been eating nutrient-poor my entire life. I had been building a house, with shitty materials. No wonder my gut health was going haywire.

I had never been a huge fan of vegetables and fruits. I hadn’t eaten any salad until college, and even then it was sparingly — and covered in cheese and ranch dressing.

Right away, I started eating a lot more salad, green juice, smoothies, and vegetable soups.

I remember the second day I was eating this new diet. I walked through the kitchen of my small home in TN and felt my body buzzing on the inside. For the first time, I was feeding it properly. It felt amazing.

It was like I stumbled upon a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I kept eating this way religiously. I didn’t avoid certain foods. I just made sure to get most of my calories from high-nutrient sources. In the book, Dr. Fuhrman coined a term for this style of eating, called “Nutritarian”.

Within 3 months, my eczema had disappeared. Within six months, I could eat whatever I wanted again. I kept getting my smoothies and salads in, but I was still down to hit the Mexican restaurant for cheese dip and margaritas.

To this day, I still eat this way. I focus on eating high-nutrient foods.

Most mornings I have a green smoothie. At some point later in the day, I’ll have a salad or a bowl with veggies in it.

For the last 3 years, I have cut out all animal products and been eating entirely plant-based. But this is by personal preference. It’s not something I preach to others. I’m not saying that you should eat a vegan diet.

I still have issues. For example, right now I’m cutting sugar out of my diet by necessity. I let myself get too addicted to it, craving dessert most nights. Eating sugar is probably one of the worst things I could be doing. I’m working out the kinks.

My biggest takeaway in all of this is the focus on nutrition. This insight has transformed my life. I now understand how to give my body the highest quality “building materials”.

Also, I learned that taste buds are programmable. This means that we like what we already eat. It takes about 3 weeks to “reprogram” taste buds, so you can’t expect to enjoy a new diet on day one. Enjoyment goes up over time.

It’s cliche, but health is the foundation of a good life. I know business owners who make a ton of money, but appear one cheeseburger away from a heart attack.

To me, this lack of balance in priorities makes no sense. What’s the point of building a great life if you aren’t here to enjoy it?

Even if you live a long time, what if you have low energy and spend time being tossed around the healthcare system?

I’m not a medical expert. This is my story. Consult your doctor before making any changes.

I wanted to share my story because what I went through has been hugely valuable. I know at least 30-50 people in my direct circle who have started to add more nutrients to their diet, and they rave about the benefits.

I like the idea of inclusion over exclusion. I include high nutrient foods in my diet always, and then if I want to eat some vegan junk food (like Impossible burgers or pizza), I will.

Here is the link to Eat for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman:

​https://amzn.to/3GZBhH1​

Here’s to your health being the best it’s ever been in the upcoming year.

— Brian