How to eat like the animals for good health
Olive baboons in Uganda eat the bark of particular trees that is rich in sodium. This is driven by an appetite specific to that nutrient. Photo credit: D. Raubenheimer.
Having studied appetite in animals over two decades, and transforming the science of nutrition with their findings, Professors David Raubenheimer and Stephen Simpson from the University of Sydney鈥檚 Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences are leaders in the field of nutritional ecology and obesity.
Their new book Eat Like The Animals reveals the reasons a baboon, a cat and a locust instinctively know exactly what to eat for balanced nutrition, and yet we humans can鈥檛 seem to figure it out.
The surprising role of appetite
Professor David Raubenheimer, University of Sydney听Leonard P Ullmann Chair in Nutritional Ecology
鈥淚t all comes down to the essential role of appetite to communicate the body鈥檚 needs to the brain,鈥� says听, the University鈥檚听Leonard P Ullmann Chair in Nutritional Ecology.
鈥淎nimals possess five appetites 鈥� for protein, carbohydrate, fat, salt and calcium.
鈥淚n natural food environments these appetites cooperate to help animals choose a balanced diet. Humans have this ability too, but the modern food environment is so altered that our appetites can no longer work together. Rather, they compete, each vying for its own nutrient. It is this competition that causes us to over-eat fats and carbs, leading to obesity and the serious diseases that come with it.
鈥淪urprisingly, we overeat fats and carbs not because the appetites for these nutrients are stronger, but because the appetite for听辫谤辞迟别颈苍听is strongest of all! If protein is diluted in the food supply, we overeat until we satisfy our protein appetite. On high-protein diets, the protein appetite will be satisfied sooner鈥攚hen fewer total calories have been eaten. This is what we call the Protein Leverage effect.
鈥淏ut more protein is not necessarily better. Eating too much protein switches on biological processes that hasten aging and shorten lives.鈥�
When food comes from factories rather than fields
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Professor Stephen Simpson, Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre
, the Academic Director of the听Charles Perkins Centre, describes how our capacity to balance our nutrition has become seriously impaired due to the industrialisation of the food system.
鈥淲e have made low-protein processed foods taste unnaturally good,鈥� he says.
鈥淲e鈥檝e diluted protein in the food supply with ultra-processed fats and carbs. We鈥檝e also disconnected the brake on our appetite systems by decreasing dietary fibre. Perfect for getting us to eat and buy more but devastating for our health. Food cultures globally have been changed by aggressive marketing of these products.
鈥淎 pretty depressing story 鈥� but it鈥檚 not all doom and gloom 鈥� you can reinstate your innate nutritional wisdom by taking charge of your food environment.鈥�
What the animals have taught us about healthy eating
The authors have some tips for taking charge of your food environment and helping your appetite to work for you, based on their take on the scientific evidence as informed by their own research.
1. Surround yourself with whole foods
滨苍听Eat Like The Animals,听Professor David Raubenheimer and Professor Stephen Simpson explore what nature can teach us about the science of healthy eating.
鈥淪urround yourself with whole foods such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, healthy oils, unrefined grains, pulses and moderate amounts of quality meats if you wish. Avoid meals and snacks that are factory-produced, or buy them sparingly,鈥� says Professor Raubenheimer.
鈥淭hat way, we can expose the amazing appetite systems we share with other species to a food environment in which they are able to work their magic and lead us to a balanced diet.
鈥淟et your brain ensure that your pantry and fridge are stocked with good, wholesome foods; then let your appetites do the rest,鈥� he adds.
2. Aim for balance
听鈥淯ltimately, there are endless ways to achieve a nutritionally balanced diet,鈥� says Professor Simpson.
鈥淰arious nutritional philosophies slugging it out today can provide healthy eating or can be misused to do the opposite.
鈥淲hat they all have in common, is reducing or cutting out highly processed foods, rich in sugar, fat and salt and poor in fibre and nutrients
鈥淯nless there are specific medical reasons, you don鈥檛 need to cut out any food group or eat things that you don鈥檛 like, or that are not appropriate to your food culture. It鈥檚 just an issue of proportions.鈥�
3. Make it a habit
Professor Raubenheimer adds that before long, eating an enjoyable healthy diet will become automatic.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like learning a sport, to play a musical instrument, or to drive an automobile: at first it takes concentration, consciously applying rules, rehearsing them, and unlearning bad habits. And then it becomes second nature,鈥� he says.
鈥淥r, in the case of healthy diets, perhaps we should consider this听蹿颈谤蝉迟听nature: creatures from slime moulds to baboons have been doing it for millions of years before numbers, formulas, sports, music, and automobiles were even invented.鈥�
听is published by HarperCollins Publishers.