In Search of the Optimal Human Diet is a deeply researched guide built around the conviction that a plant-based diet is the clearest answer to meeting our nutritional needs. What did you hope to contribute to the conversation about nutrition that other books have not?

While there is no shortage of books on nutrition, I have noticed in my personal life as well as in popular media that most laypeople don’t know the basic chemical composition of the essential nutrients—proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, and minerals—leaving them without the requisite knowledge to comprehend the complex metabolic pathways by which our bodies assimilate food. In Search of the Optimal Human Diet bridges that gap by exploring the history of nutritional science from the discovery of nutrients to breaking the biochemical codes of metabolic process. In so doing, readers learn how metabolites from digesting plant foods lead to vibrant health, while metabolites from digesting animal foods lead to degenerative diseases. I have read dozens of books on diet and nutrition, but I have yet to find one that presents the evidence in this easily digestible format that breaks down this complex subject matter into small, bite-sized pieces.

Were there moments in the history of nutrition that changed your own thinking about science?

Yes. In the first two decades after World War II, evidence was mounting from observational studies that people living in the US and Western Europe, where animal-centric diets were the norm, had much higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancers than people living in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, where plant-based diets were the norm. It was during this crucial period, under extreme pressure from the powerful animal products industries, that the mainstream medical establishment made the conscious decision to treat degenerative diseases with drugs and surgeries rather than prevention through diet and nutrition. This sad episode in the history of nutrition taught me that science is often manipulated by special interests for their own purposes, so it became incumbent upon me to verify the independence of my sources.

How do you respond to readers who agree with your goals but question whether one dietary pattern fits everyone?

We humans, are great apes, and our physiology is very similar to our close great ape relatives: chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. These species are all herbivores; no one would suggest they have subgroups that need meat or dairy to be healthy. So why is it then that of all the great apes, only humans don’t fit one dietary pattern? The overwhelming evidence from literally thousands of observational, interventional, and pathological studies has shown that Homo sapiens as a species thrive on a diet of whole plant foods and succumb to degenerative diseases on an animal-centric diet. Of course, this isn’t to say that there is one plant-based diet that fits all. There are many people who have allergies to various plant foods, and they should definitely avoid those foods. Fortunately, there is so much variety in the plant kingdom that everyone can build their own plant-based diet that is both nutritious and delicious.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from In Search of the Optimal Human Diet?

This is an easy one: Think of a plant-based diet not as an exercise in self-deprivation, but rather as an opportunity for self-empowerment. You can be the master of your own health.

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