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Overfed, Yet Malnourished
THE EFFECTS OF THE AMERICAN DIET, PART II
III OW you know the formula for longevity (H = N/C) and that the
ll key to this formula is the nutrient density of your diet. In otherwords, you must eat a diet rich in nutrients and fiber, with a very low
percentage of foods that are not nutrient- and fiber-dense. It is the
same formula that will enable your body to achieve slimness.
To help you learn how to apply this formula to your life, you first
need to understand why you must follow it, exploring the relation-
ships between diet, health, and disease. To do so, you need to take a
look at how most people eat in reality and what they gain or lose
from such eating practices.
The Pros and Cons of Our "Natural Sweet Tooth"
Even though we have many unique human traits, we are genetically
closely related to the great apes and other primates. Primates are the
only animals on the face of the earth that can taste sweet and see
color. We were designed by nature to see, grasp, eat, and enjoy the
flavor of colorful, sweet fruits.
Fruit is an essential part of our diets. It is an indispensable re-
quirement for us to maintain a high level of health. Fruit consump-
tion has been shown in numerous studies to offer our strongest
protection against certain cancers, especially oral and esophageal,
lung, prostate, and pancreatic cancer.^1 Thankfully, our natural sweet