For ease of explanation, we’ve been telling people that we’re eating a Vegan diet. Well, it is true! But there is more to it than that.

Vegan seems to be a loaded term, which is fine if you feel it accurately describes you—not only what you eat, but the reasons why, which (for veganism) seem to have a lot to do with animal rights, spirituality, and environmental concerns. Although I think those things are important, they are not the drive behind me eating this way.

We are eating this way because it is healthy, and that is basically it. And, it’s not just veganisim, it is a nutrient dense diet, no added sugars (including fruit juice or honey or syrups), no added salts (including canned goods, though we will use low-sodium canned beans), and no added fats (including all oils for cooking, except the occasional small serving of avocado).

Sure, you can be a vegan but still eat candy, cakes, brownies, cookies, etc. It is not hard to eat vegan junk food. Not hard at all!

So what actually describes us better than Veganism, is Nutritarianism. Would you think it odd if, when asked, “what is this healthy eating plan you’re doing?” I responded with, “Well, I am a nutritarian, which means I try to eat a nutrient rich plant based diet.”

I’m still warming up to the word Nutritarian. The problem with it, is that most people don’t understand what that means, but when you say vegan they get the main idea immediately.

For an excellent article just published today in the Huffington Post, check out this link:

Health = Nutrients / Calories (H = N / C)
Your future health can be predicted by the nutrient density of your diet.
As quoted by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.