However, I’m not “selling” that here because it’s not what this book is about. This is about learning
to eat plant-based Nutrient-Rich® so you can have the health, longevity, natural weight loss,
appearance and performance you’ve dreamed of and probably been denied by nutrient-poor diets.
If you want to go all the way to 100%, you can, but you don’t have to. Eating only 10% (or less) of
your diet from animal and refined foods, you can still get all seven success results. At least 90%
plant-based Nutrient Rich® will give you what you need. And 90% plant-based will be a boon to the
planet the more people do it (especially compared to the 90% nutrient-poor most people rely on
now!)
Doing something for the planet is better than doing nothing, and in this case, 90% is a big
something—such a radical shift toward what’s best for the planet that it’s silly to split hairs. It’s not
perfect, but it’s darn near perfect, enough to make a radical difference. Critics who claim 90% is not
enough should consider that the perfect is the enemy of the good. If you can’t get to 100%, isn’t it
better on every level to just stick with 90% if a person chooses to consume a mere 10% nutrient-
poor animal and refined foods, or is it better to go back to the way most people eat today which is
nonsensical.
In his groundbreaking book Diet for a New America, John Robbins said “that no one would go
hungry in the world if people would simply cut their animal product consumption by only 10% less
than they were already eating.^147 " Only 10% less animal foods and no one would go hungry? (Keep
in mind, that’s just 10% less than the current intake. If that would help so much, imagine what
would happen if people consumed 10% or less of their total dietary intake from animal products and
refined foods? The world would be almost unrecognizable. That possibility gets me out of bed in the
morning!
The final reason I don’t insist on 100%, even though I myself do it today (I didn’t always), is that not
everyone feels optimal eating 100% plant-based, especially at first, for many reasons both physical
and psychological. We discussed this already on pages 96-98, and will cover it in more detail now.
After observing and investigating this particular “failure to thrive at 100% plant-based”
phenomenon for many years (and experiencing it myself in the early days of my own transition); in
2011, I asked Dr. Michael Klaper for his opinion about why people have difficulty going
100% plant-based on a vegan diet. Dr. Klaper is a leading medical doctor who specializes in
the vegan community.
My question and our discussion led to an exclusive report called The Failure to Thrive: Speculations
on the Nutritional Adequacy of 100% Plant-Based Diets, from which I will now quote extensively
because it addresses this issue so clearly and fully.
Here is an excerpt of what Dr. Klaper said:
(^147) Robbins J. Diet for a New America. Tiburon, CA: HJ Kramer Inc; 1987.