The Perfect Human Diet

ON MEMORIAL DAY 1978, I

DROPPED DEAD.

10 DAYS LATER, I WOULD LEAVE

UCLA MEDICAL CENTER WITH THIS

PRESCRIPTION... DON'T WALK UP

STAIRS, DON'T GO ANYWHERE

WITHOUT SOMEONE WHO KNOWS CPR.

GIVE UP YOUR MOTOCROSS CAREER.

TAKE HEART MEDICATION FOR THE

REST OF YOUR LIFE.

YOU HAVE OVER A 50% CHANCE OF

DYING IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, AND

IF YOU'RE LUCKY, YOU'LL SURVIVE

SEX.

THAT TURNING POINT LAUNCHED MY

PERSONAL QUEST FOR OPTIMAL

HEALTH.

WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO PERFORM

EVEN MODERATELY STRENUOUS

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES, MY DIET

BECAME CRUCIAL TO MY PERSONAL

WELL-BEING AND MY SURVIVAL.

FIRST, I WENT WITH THE U.S.

GOVERNMENT'S CONVENTIONAL

ADVICE, FOLLOWING THE USDA'S

LOW-FAT, HIGH-CARB FOOD PYRAMID

RECOMMENDATIONS.

I SOON LEARNED THAT FOLLOWING

THE FOOD PYRAMID LEFT ME

CONSTANTLY HUNGRY, HYPOGLYCEMIC,

AND OVER-OBSESSING ABOUT

EVERYTHING I ATE.

I CONTINUED SEARCHING, READING

EVERYTHING I COULD GET MY HANDS

ON ABOUT NATURAL HEALTH.

I EXPERIMENTED WITH A WIDE

VARIETY OF EATING METHODS,

CLEANSING FASTS, AND DIETARY

PHILOSOPHIES TO SEE IF THEY

COULD HELP ME BE MY HEALTHIEST,

INCLUDING MACROBIOTICS, JUICING,

WATER FASTS, THE MASTER CLEANSE,

NATURAL HYGIENE'S FOOD

COMBINING, AND VEGETARIANISM.

I ALSO EXPLORED SPIRITUAL

DISCIPLINES AND THEIR DIETARY

IDEAS AND ULTIMATELY BECAME A

RAW-FOOD VEGAN IN AN EFFORT TO

FIND BOTH HEALTH AND THE SAME

INNER PEACE I'D FELT DURING MY

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE ON THE

RUNNING TRACK.

FOR OVER FIVE YEARS, I ATE ONLY

UNCOOKED FRUITS, VEGETABLES,

NUTS, SEEDS, AND SPROUTS, AN

EXPERIENCE THAT INSPIRED MY

FIRST BOOK, "THE CHRIST DIET... "

CONNECT YOUR CELLS TO YOUR

SOUL."

BUT AS TIME PASSED AND LIFE

STRESSES TESTED MY RESILIENCE, I

DIDN'T FEEL AS GOOD PHYSICALLY

OR EMOTIONALLY AS WHEN I FIRST

BEGAN A VEGAN DIET.

THE DEFINING MOMENT FOR ME WAS

MY MOTHER'S DEATH AT THE HANDS

OF A DRUNK DRIVER.

MY DIETARY DISCIPLINE, NO MATTER

HOW WELL-INTENTIONED, WASN'T

PROVIDING MY BODY, MIND, OR

SPIRIT WITH THE MATERIALS I

NEEDED TO RECOVER FROM THE

PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF

MY LOSS.

IN FACT, IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE

MY INNER VOICE BEGAN CRYING OUT

FOR REAL PROTEIN.

DURING THESE SAME YEARS AS I

BECAME A WRITER AND BROADCAST

JOURNALIST, WE'VE SEEN A NEW

NATIONAL CRISIS EMERGE... AN

EPIDEMIC OF OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY,

AND DIET-RELATED CHRONIC DISEASE

THAT IS NOW THE NUMBER-ONE

KILLER IN THE U.S., SPREADING

UNCHECKED TO DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

AROUND THE GLOBE.

THE CONFUSION FOR MOST AMERICANS

IS THAT WE SEE AND HEAR SO MUCH

CONTRADICTORY ADVICE THAT WE

DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT TO

EAT FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH.

HOW CAN WE DEAL WITH A NATIONAL

OBESITY EPIDEMIC WHEN MOST OF US

AREN'T EVEN SURE HOW TO LOSE OUR

OWN EXCESS BODY FAT?

IN FACT, 10 YEARS AGO, A

NATIONAL HARRIS POLL SAID 80% OF

AMERICANS OVER 25 WERE

OVERWEIGHT.

AND ABC NEWS DECLARED THAT

AMERICANS ARE FAT AND JUST TOO

CONFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT

IT.

THE PUBLIC IS CONFUSED NOT

BECAUSE WHAT ARE KNOWN AS FACTS

CONTINUE TO CHANGE.

THE PUBLIC IS CONFUSED BECAUSE

WHAT THE MEDIA AND

SPECIAL-INTEREST GROUPS AND

LARGE CORPORATIONS SELLING

FOODS, ET CETERA, WOULD LIKE YOU

TO CURRENTLY BELIEVE IS A FACT

KEEPS ON BEING CHANGED.

90% OF THE PEOPLE THAT I SEE

HAVE NO CLUE, AND THEY'RE JUST

JUMPING FROM ONE THING TO THE

NEXT THING ON A DAILY BASIS.

I THINK WE JUST NEED TO DITCH

THE WHOLE THING AND

RECONCEPTUALIZE AND RETEACH

NUTRITION FROM A VERY BASIC

POINT OF VIEW.

I THINK WE COMPLICATE IT TOO

MUCH.

I HAVE SPENT A FAIR AMOUNT OF

TIME IN HOSPITAL SCENARIOS AND

IT'S TRAGIC WHEN YOU SEE SOME OF

THE COMPOUNDING FACTORS OF

OBESITY AND HOW IT SHORTENS

LIVES, HOW IT DECREASES QUALITY

OF LIFE.

SO IT'S A TRAGEDY IN THAT

REGARD, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE'RE

SEEING MORE AND MORE CHILDREN

AFFECTED BY IT.

PEOPLE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO

AFFORD THE COST OF CHRONIC

OBESITY AND DIABETES AND ALL OF

THE COMPLICATIONS THAT COME

WITH THAT.

WE'RE SPENDING $147 BILLION A

YEAR BECAUSE OF OBESITY-RELATED

CONDITIONS.

AND WE'VE SEEN THE RATE INCREASE

AMONG KIDS IN ALL COMMUNITIES.

IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND

HISPANIC COMMUNITIES, THE

NUMBERS ARE EVEN WORSE.

ADD TO THE MIX OUR NEW

PERSONAL MEDIA DEVICES AND

ESCAPING OUR UNCERTAINTY IS MADE

INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT BECAUSE

WE ARE SURROUNDED BY A

NEVER-ENDING CYCLE OF

EVER-CHANGING DIET

RECOMMENDATIONS AND EMOTIONALLY

CHARGED NUTRITIONAL BELIEFS

EVERYWHERE WE GO, EVERY DAY OF

OUR LIVES.

THERE ARE THREE THINGS IN

LIFE WHICH ARE VERY VISCERAL...

RELIGION, POLITICS, AND

NUTRITION.

THEY'RE ALL BASED ON BELIEF

SYSTEMS, AND NONE OF THEM

RESPOND WELL TO CHALLENGE.

ESSENTIALLY, YOU SAY, "DON'T "

CONFUSE ME WITH THE FACTS

BECAUSE, IN MY HEART, I KNOW I'M

RIGHT."

A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH ON

HEALTHY EATING REVEALS LITERALLY

THOUSAND OF CONTRADICTORY

MESSAGES, MEDICAL ENTERTAINMENT

SHOWS, SUPERFICIAL NEWS

COVERAGE, INACCURATE REPORTING,

AND PERSONAL OPINIONS DELIVERED

AS FACT, FUELING EVEN MORE

CONFUSION.

NOBODY'S REALLY INTERESTED IN

DELINEATING THE DISTINCTIONS,

HERE, IN EDUCATING PEOPLE AND

ALLOWING THEM TO MAKE AN

INFORMED CHOICE.

WE LOOK FOR SENSATIONALISM, AND

SO THEY CREATE A VERY FALSE

DICHOTOMY RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE

THAT... USUALLY, THE PERSON

PRESENTING INFORMATION LIKE

THIS... GARY TAUBES AND SOME

OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KIND OF

WAYLAID BY THESE SETUPS,

ESSENTIALLY.

HEALTH IS NOT SIMPLY THE

ABSENCE OF DISEASE.

HEALTH IS BEING HEALTHY.

AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE NO

DISEASE, BUT THEY NEVER GET

ENOUGH SLEEP, THEY CAN'T GET OUT