Eat Like the Animals

What Nature Teaches Us About the Science of Healthy Eating

By: David Raubenheimer, Stephen Simpson

Narrated by: Paul Panting

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2020 David Raubenheimer and Stephen Simpson (P)2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Extraordinary book on healthy eating

The content of this book should be taught in schools. The authors prove that human beings, like all of the other species they studied, eat to fulfill protein requirements and we will gorge ourselves with high carb / high fat foods until that magic number of protein is met. It makes so much sense. I actually started this book after losing over 80 pounds and reaching my target weight, but as I look back, I was accidentally following it all along with my diet. The book is highly informative and, at the same time, very entertaining. The narrator was great. I love this book.

Revolutionary book on how to eat to be human!

If you only read one book on what to eat to be optimal human, this is the book. I've read over 50 books and hundreds of YouTube videos over the past 12 months and the information in this book is absolutely the best. Heading into my 50s, I now feel the best I have ever felt mentally and physically!

Dangerously Incorrect

First: consider the source. The authors are zoologists and know about animals not humans. They are unknown and have only worked at unknown universities. They are not scientists and they are not nutritionists and they are not medical professionals or even investigative journalists. They don’t have the credentials or expertise to know what they’re talking about so of course they don’t.

Second: they erroneously assume that humans are like locusts and baboons when even most humans, obviously of the same species as one another, are not alike and have different needs. Maybe they’re like locusts or baboons but count me out. Are you a locust or baboon?

Third: their studies are not valid or conclusive and their study results aren’t reliable because they rely on a very small sample to the point that their sample is just one participant. And their research methodology is highly flawed. Again it’s because they just don’t have the knowledge to create a valid scientific research tool.

Fourth: they make a huge mistake in lumping together fat and carbohydrates. These are not the same except that both are high calorie foods which brings me to the fifth problem this book has…

Fifth: all calories are not the same. Calories from sugar and carbohydrates have a totally different effect on the human body than calories from fat. Real scientific research has proven that consuming fat does not result in being fat but consuming sugar and carbohydrates definitely causes weight gain. Processing foods removes nutrients and flavor so the food companies add sugar to processed foods because it’s cheap.

Sixth: the book completely ignores the fact that American food companies are the source of the American obesity epidemic because they don’t care about making food products that are healthy for people. They only care about making money. And part of their priority of maximizing profits is to lobby the government to make it easier for them to make money. The American food consumer doesn’t stand a chance against that unholy alliance.

Bottom line this book is dangerous because it supports so many unhealthy untruths that most readers will just swallow hook, line and sinker. Please don’t read this book and if you do, don’t believe it and definitely don’t tell anyone else about how brilliant it is. Because then you become part of the problem.