Please consider with me for a moment the whole world concept of food. No matter which perspective you have towards the origins of mankind, it is generally accepted that we were "Hunter-Gatherers". We availed ourselves of the food that was naturally available in our environment. After all, man did not invent the potato. We may have refined certain food items through selective pollination, but all food items were a part of our native environment. Going back to the early history of the earth, all continents were combined into one supercontinent called Pangea. This means that all food items were available on one continent. A gatherer would have access to an amazing variety of foodstuffs.

As hunters, in our natural state we are woefully inequipped. We lack claws and fangs. We have neither the speed nor endurance of many carnivorous hunters. This is not to say that we cannot use our wits to acquire meat. But it is simpler and easier to browse. Fruit hangs from trees just waiting to be eaten. Roots such as carrots and turnips and tubers like potatoes are easy to dig up. Vegetables grow on vines and bushes within easy reach. Grains wave in the breeze at waist or shoulder height. Animals - by contrast - hide from us, run from us, elude us, fly away, and sometimes fight back. The statement made by nature and the ecological cycle, not to mention our native physiology (even the structure of our teeth), is that the majority of our diet was intended to be plant materials.

With this in mind, let us consider some of the mathematical implications of our native environment. The majority of meat consumed by most people are beef, pork, goat, chicken (and eggs), turkey, and various kinds of fish. There are other meats consumed but they are in very small quantities. This may represent as much as one third of the daily diet of many people. Yet how many of you with your bare hands are capable of securing that much meat from nature? We are not naturally such efficient hunters. Yet I can take my checkbook to the grocery story and hunt up more meat than I could possibly eat in a month. And the only exercise I get from this "hunt" is in my right foot (gas pedal). As natural hunters, we might acquire meat once every week or two. But for the rest of the time, we would prey on plants.

Many plants actually like to be preyed upon. This is one of the most important means they have of expanding their territory. If I were to "browse" on a cow, it could never replace the leg I take. (Now do not misunderstand me, I love beef). But when you browse an apple off an apple tree, it just grows back next year. In fact, if you do not pick the apple, the tree will just deposit it on the ground for you to take later. You eat the apple and toss the core somewhere else to start another apple tree. Grains tend to grow lots of seeds with the understanding that as you harvest, some of the seeds are going to get scattered on the ground in other places. Many plants respond very well to pruning because nature intended them to be grazed.

Now consider the amazing array of plants foods we have to choose from. There are literally hundreds of edible plants to choose from. Roots, tubers, fruits, nuts, spices, grains, legumes, even fungi (mushrooms), the variety is simply incredible. And yet what do we do? We eat the vast majority of our grain from from just wheat and corn. Our vegetables consists of the lettuce and pickles in our hamburger. And of course we have an order of fries with that. We have just had of meal of beef, wheat, potatoes, and a little bit of lettuce and cucumber. And we repeat that meal day after day. And yet those five food items make up maybe .001% of all the food items to be found in nature. Food items that were intended to be consumed in some ratio of variety. You say you do not like spinach? Fine, eat some of each of the other hundreds of vegetables and fruit available out there. We are like a visitor to a library that has one million books to choose from, and we check out the same three books every time.

Branch out! Explore other foods. You might be amazed at what you discover out there, and how much better you feel.

There is one other factor we should take into consideration. When we find something we like, we tend to get a lot of it. (Preaching to the choir here, I am guilty as charged). But we do need to think about what we are doing and at least make an informed decision. Just about everyone loves sweets. How many beverages at a restaurant do not have sugar in them? How many shelves at the grocery store are devoted to candy? Have you looked at many of the prepared breakfast cereals? Many are between 30% and 40% sugar by weight. Ketchup (catsup) is 40% sugar. Sugar is a prime ingredient in cakes and pies. Sugar is put into jelly and jams which are made with fruit that already contain a natural sugar. In 1999, the average American consumed about 510 calories per day in added sugar in an average diet of 2599 calories. That comes to 20% of all the food calories consumed in a day! And this does NOT include the sugars that are naturally contained in fruits and vegetables.

Let us think about this. Sucrose (which constitutes the majority of all sugar added) is just one compound extracted from just one plant. So out of the hundreds of plants available to eat, we are devoting one fifth of our diet to one chemical extracted from one plant! Now sugar is not inherently "EVIL". But too much of anything can induce an allergic and toxic reaction. These reactions can be identified as diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis (among others).

It is not simply the extreme levels of sucrose consumed, but the corresponding decrease in other micronutients due to the neglect of others plant materials in our diet. After all, there is only so much room in the bucket (we can only consume so many calories in one day).


The moral of the story here is not to cut out sugar completely, but to eat as much of a variety of plant foods as possible. Even if it does mean breaking that chocolate bar in half and sharing it with a friend. Treats always taste better when they are shared anyway.