You don’t have to be Michael Pollan to recognize we have some problems with how we eat these days. As Director of the Cincinnati Zoo, I see hundreds of people every day through my office window, and I can assure you that the reports are true: we’ve gotten bigger.
Well, the answer to our food crisis is in keeping it simple – and eating like an animal.
Wild animals do not suffer from the same levels of our diseases like obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and even cancer – principally because they eat what they are built to eat. And no junk food allowed.
Sure, some animals are fat, such as walruses and whales, but that’s for survival in the water. And as a result of being adapted for such a lifestyle, they thrive while eating a crazy high fat diet.
People on the other hand, are not built that way. We need variety and lots and lots of vegetables and fruits. Sure, we need a little protein, as well as to get some exercise. But don’t overthink it. Discussions of Omega 3s and selenium in the soil are for true believers.
Just try this: the next time you are buying something to eat, ask yourself if you would feed it to an animal. Now you’re on ‘The Zoo Diet!’
Listen to the 90-Second Naturalist “Eat Like an Animal” podcast (mp3)
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