Bizarre but true: this diet will make you truly happy
Anyone who knows us even a little knows that we’re no fans of diets. While all the magazines are writing about how to get a six-pack ASAP, we’re trying to prevent a six-pack and, when we think of a six-pack, we mostly just think of six conveniently packaged beers. But Stella’s diet, which is praised by many nutrition scientists, is something I’m definitely interested in.
My colleague May from Amayzine tipped me off, and this is how it goes: Anthropologist Caley Johnson observed Stella’s eating habits for thirty days. Stella lived in Cape Town, at the foot of Table Mountain. Every day, Stella ate completely different things. During the thirty days she was observed, she ate no fewer than ninety different things in all kinds of combinations. Caley Johnson had exactly the same quantities of what Stella had eaten that day examined in a laboratory. The amount of protein and fat varied enormously from day to day. But what did they find? When everything was added up (nutritional value, fat, protein and so on), Stella had an extremely balanced menu. So balanced that it would be almost impossible for a dietitian to put one together using a balanced computer program.
Balanced and healthy diet
So how was Stella able to do it? Was she a dietitian? No, Stella was a baboon. And what became clear from the many studies that followed is that lots of animals, such as baboons (but also, for example, fungi), are perfectly capable of putting together a balanced and healthy diet. Apparently, our ancestors could do this too, but somewhere along the way, we lost the ability. According to the authors of the book ‘Eating like animals’, we need to hack and reset our eating habits. Eat like animals and you’ll know exactly which foods your body actually needs. If you ask me, that’s a beastly good idea to start with as soon as possible. Because if we start eating like animals again, we’ll live healthier, fitter and happier lives.
