they need from every leaf, stem and root they eat, while most humans get their protein from the
chicken or cow. This means that a steak or a chicken breast is nothing more than a second-hand
source of plant-based protein that is also loaded with animal substances that we do not need, like
animal fat and the animals’ cholesterol.
So why don't we just cut out the middleman and get our protein straight from the source—
plants? The easy answer is because many people believe that animal foods contain protein
that is superior in quality to the protein found in plants,^168 but that's simply not true.
If you want to be able to eat a lot of food, but not over-consume calories, it is important to dine on
the full array of fiber, thousands of phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, water, protein,
carbohydrates and good fat (not the animal fat and cholesterol that your body doesn’t need) found
in plant foods. This is why if you want all of the benefits of a healthy eating style—ideal weight,
performance, youthful aging, and longevity—a head of lettuce is the new chicken breast.
Two nice-sized, borderline huge salads a day (something very natural to all primates) is a great
place to start! And, even though you may still decide to put a small amount of chicken on your salad
(ideally equating to 10% or less of the total calories consumed), you don’t need to add chicken to
your salad to get enough protein. You are already getting all of the nutrients you need from the
lettuce plus the green and colored vegetables, and the beans you may add to it.
In fact, not only is Romaine lettuce the 11 th most nutrient-dense super food in the world, 169 but
eating raw salads every day could reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 26%. 170 (Of
course, you will also want to add a whole-food nut-and-fruit-based dressing for improved nutrient
absorption, calories and amazing taste.)
Nutrient-rich healthy eating
Obviously we aren't saying that all you should eat is lettuce in order to stay healthy. That would be
monotonous at best and you wouldn’t get enough calories. But, what we are saying is if you truly
want to lose weight and feel great, you need to start transitioning away from eating animal protein
and moving toward making leafy greens, and green and colored non-starchy vegetables a major
part of—if not the basis of—your meal.
As an added bonus—lettuce (leafy greens, green vegetables and colored vegetables) are super
convenient and cost effective. They also taste great, especially when you understand how to buy
and/or make great whole food dressings. When you switch from eating chicken as your main source
of protein, your food bills will go way down too. Greens are not only good for your health – they are
(^168) McDougall JA, McDougall MA. The McDougall Plan. Ingram Book Company; 1983:98-100.
(^169) Wilson B. Aggregate Nutrient Density Index “ANDI” by Whole Foods. http://discovertheregion.org/blog/?p=2266.
February 7, 2012.
(^170) Key TJA, Thorogood M, Appleby PN, et al. Dietary habits and mortality in 11,000 Vegetarians and health conscious
people: results of 17-year follow up. Br Med J. 1996;313:775-779.