Our evolutionary ancestors once possessed the ability to intuit what food their bodies needed, in what proportions, and ate the right things in the proper amounts--effortlessly balanced. When and why did we lose this ability, and how can we get it back? David Raubenheimer and Stephen Simpson answer these questions in a compelling narrative, based upon five "eureka" moments they experienced in the course of their groundbreaking research. The book shares their colorful scientific journey--from the foothills of Cape Town, to the deserts of Australia--culminating in a unifying theory of nutrition that has profound implications for our current epidemic of metabolic diseases and obesity. The authors ultimately offer useful prescriptions to understand the unwanted side effects of fad diets, gain control over one's food environment, and see that delicious and healthy are integral parts of proper eating.

A New Scientist Best Book of 2020 Our evolutionary ancestors once possessed the ability to intuit what food their bodies needed, in what proportions, and ate the right things in the proper amounts—perfect nutritional harmony. From wild baboons to gooey slime molds, most every living organism instinctually knows how to balance their diets, except modern-day humans. When and why did we lose this ability, and how can we get it back? David Raubenheimer and Stephen Simpson reveal the answers to these questions in a gripping tale of evolutionary biology and nutritional science, based upon years of groundbreaking research. Their colorful scientific journey takes readers across the globe, from the foothills of Cape Town, to the deserts of Arizona, to a state-of-the-art research center in Sydney. Readers will encounter locusts, mice and even gorillas along the way as the scientists test their hypotheses on various members of the animal kingdom. This epic scientific adventure culminates in a unifying theory of nutrition that has profound implications for our current epidemic of metabolic diseases and obesity. Raubenheimer and Simpson ultimately offer useful advice to understand the unwanted side effects of fad diets, gain control over one’s food environment, and see that delicious and healthy are integral parts of proper eating.

Tapping into nature and the power of protein to tell us what to eat, when to eat, how to control weight and how to live longer. How is it that a baboon, a cat and a locust instinctively know what to eat for balanced nutrition, and we humans can't seem to figure it out? Mixing a nutritionally balanced diet, with a precise ratio of protein to carbohydrate, seems daunting, but animals, from apes to cockroaches, all manage it instinctively. It comes down to the essential role of appetite to communicate the body's needs to the brain. Humans have this ability too, but our appetites have been hijacked in the modern food environment, causing obesity and the serious diseases that come with it. David Raubenheimer and Stephen J. Simpson have been studying appetite in animals, transforming the science of nutrition with their findings. In Eat Like the Animals they take us on a journey from jungle to laboratory and back to our own kitchens to understand how and why we eat, how appetites are fed and regulated, and how, in the end, it all comes down to protein. Armed with this knowledge, they explain simple steps you can take towards eating a more natural diet for optimal health and a longer life. PRAISE 'Eat Like the Animals is a wonderfully clever and unusual introduction to the science of healthy eating. I loved the way it was written, and I found it full of drama, insight and surprise. Raubenheimer and Simpson make a very compelling case for the importance of protein in regulating our hunger and very powerfully demonstrate the horrific role that the junk food industry has played in our lives. Essential reading' - Dr Michael Mosley, science presenter and author of The Fast 800 'At last a book on diet and nutrition that makes sense. In a world awash with misinformation about what and when to eat, Eat Like the Animals is a breath of fresh air. I couldn't put it down. Based on more than 30 years of cutting-edge research, it explains how the modern food environment hacks our hunger control system then explains what we all should be eating to live healthily and age well' - David Sinclair, Professor of Genetics and co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging, Harvard Medical School, and author of Lifespan: Why We Age-and Why We Don't Have To 'Eat Like the Animals is a must-read. This beautifully written book proposes a highly original and compelling explanation for why so many of us gain weight in today's over-processed food environment. Raubenheimer and Simpson are biologists who use their deep knowledge of animal and insect physiology, evolution, and feeding behavior to construct a compelling hypothesis: we share with animals an innate appetite for protein that regulates what we eat' - Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, New York University, and author of Unsavory Truth 'Eat Like the Animals is quite simply a masterpiece. I am completely blown away by the science and enthralled by the clarity and elegance of the writing. Raubenheimer and Simpson have revealed the deep evolutionary secrets of the most important physiological need any animal faces by asking the right questions, and have eviscerated all the charlatans, quacks and pseudoscientists who seek fame and fortune by peddling rubbish. The story the authors have told is very important - more so than many people will realise' - Dr George McGavin, zoologist and broadcaster

A New Scientist Best Book of 2020 How is it that a baboon and a blob of slime mould instinctively know what to eat for optimal health, balancing their protein, fat and carb intake in perfect proportions?

An archaeologist and chef explains how to follow our ancestors' lead when it comes to dietary choices and cooking techniques for optimum health and vitality. "Read this book!" (Mark Hyman, MD, author of Food) Our relationship with food is filled with confusion and insecurity. Vegan or carnivore? Vegetarian or gluten-free? Keto or Mediterranean? Fasting or Paleo? Every day we hear about a new ingredient that is good or bad, a new diet that promises everything. But the secret to becoming healthier, losing weight, living an energetic life, and healing the planet has nothing to do with counting calories or feeling deprived—the key is re‑learning how to eat like a human. This means finding food that is as nutrient-dense as possible, and preparing that food using methods that release those nutrients and make them bioavailable to our bodies, which is exactly what allowed our ancestors to not only live but thrive. In Eat Like a Human, archaeologist and chef Dr. Bill Schindler draws on cutting-edge science and a lifetime of research to explain how nutrient density and bioavailability are the cornerstones of a healthy diet. He shows readers how to live like modern “hunter-gatherers” by using the same strategies our ancestors used—as well as techniques still practiced by many cultures around the world—to make food as safe, nutritious, bioavailable, and delicious as possible. With each chapter dedicated to a specific food group, in‑depth explanations of different foods and cooking techniques, and concrete takeaways, as well as 75+ recipes, Eat Like a Human will permanently change the way you think about food, and help you live a happier, healthier, and more connected life.

There is no magic pill. There is no perfect diet. Could it be that our underlying assumption—that what we’re eating is making us fat and sick—is just plain wrong? To address the rapid rise of “lifestyle diseases” like diabetes and heart disease, scientists have conducted a whopping 500,000 studies of diet and another 300,000 of obesity. Journalists have written close to 250 million news articles combined about these topics. Yet nothing seems to halt the epidemic. Anastacia Marx de Salcedo’s Eat Like a Pig, Run Like a Horse looks not just to data-driven science, but to animals and the natural world around us for a new approach. What she finds will transform the national debate about the root causes of our most pervasive diseases and offer hope of dramatically reducing the number who suffer—no matter what they eat. It all began with her own medical miracle—she has multiple sclerosis but has discovered that daily exercise was key to keeping it from progressing. And now, new research backs up her own experience. This revelation prompted Marx de Salcedo to ask what would happen if people with lifestyle illnesses put physical activity front and center in their daily lives? Eat Like a Pig, Run Like a Horse takes us on a fascinating journey that weaves together true confessions, mad(ish) scientists, and beguiling animal stories. Marx de Salcedo shows that we need to move beyond our current diet-focused model to a new, dynamic concept of metabolism as regulated by exercise. Suddenly the answer to good health is almost embarrassingly simple. Don’t worry about what you eat. Worry about how much you move. In a few years’ time, adhering to a finicky Keto, Paleo, low-carb, or any other special diet to stay healthy will be as antiquated as using Daffy’s Elixir or Dr. Bonker’s Celebrated Egyptian Oil—popular “medicines” from the 1800s—to cure disease. And just as the 19th-century health revolution was based on a new understanding that the true cause of malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera was microorganisms, so the coming 21st-century one will be based on our new understanding that exercise is the only way to metabolic health. Fascinating and brilliant, Eat Like a Pig, Run Like a Horse is primed to usher in that new era.

"An important and groundbreaking contribution to the struggle for the welfare of animals." --Yuval Harari, New York Times best-selling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind The book offers an absorbing look at why and how humans can so wholeheartedly devote ourselves to certain animals and then allow others to suffer needlessly, especially those slaughtered for our consumption. Social psychologist Melanie Joy explores the many ways we numb ourselves and disconnect from our natural empathy for farmed animals. She coins the term "carnism" to describe the belief system that has conditioned us to eat certain animals and not others. In Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows, Joy investigates factory farming, exposing how cruelly the animals are treated, the hazards that meatpacking workers face, and the environmental impact of raising 10 billion animals for food each year. Controversial and challenging, this book will change the way you think about food forever. "An absorbing examination of why humans feel affection and compassion for certain animals but are callous to the suffering of others." --Publishers Weekly "I think Gandhi would have loved Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows. For this is a book that can change the way you think and change the way you live. It will lead you from denial to awareness, from passivity to action, and from resignation to hope." --John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America and The Food Revolution