Staying Healthy in the Fast Lane

the foundation for a staying healthy diet

Animal vs. Plant Foods in the Human Diet

Dr. Marion Nestle, a well-respected nutrition expert and author
of three books (Food Politics, 2002; Safe Food, 2003; and What To
Eat, 2006) writes on the issue of the Paleolithic diet of meat (ani-
mal products), vegetables, fruit and nuts (but generally grain free)
and compares it to the modern need for a more plant-based diet.
According to her research:

“...As economies changed from scarcity to abundance, prin-

cipal diet-related diseases have shifted from nutrient deficien-

cies to chronic diseases related to dietary excesses. This shift

has led to increasing scientific consensus that eating more

plant foods but fewer animal foods would best promote health.

This consensus is based on research relating dietary factors

to chronic disease risks and to observations of exceptionally

low chronic disease rates among people consuming vegetarian,

Mediterranean, and Asian diets. One challenge to this consen-

sus is the idea that Paleolithic man consumed more meat than

currently recommended, and that this pattern is genetically

determined. If such exists, a genetic basis for ideal proportions

of plant or animal foods is difficult to determine; hominoid pri-

mates are largely vegetarian, current hunter-gatherer groups

rely on foods that can be obtained most conveniently, and

the archeological record is insufficient to determine whether

plants or animals predominated. Most evidence suggests that a

shift to largely plant-based diets would reduce chronic disease

risks among industrialized and rapidly industrializing popula-

tions. To accomplish this shift, it will be necessary to overcome

marketplace barriers and to develop new policies that will en-

courage greater consumption of fruit, vegetables, and grains as

a means to promote public health.”^6

According to Dr. Loren Cordain (and Dr. James H O’Keefe), one of
the premier researchers and proponents of the Paleolithic diet and au-
thor of The Paleo Diet (2002) and The Paleo Diet For Athletes (2005):