“What if humans cast aside processed foods and saturated fats in favour of the sort of diet our ape-like ancestors once ate? Nine volunteers gave it a go… and were glad they did so.”

The BBC recently showed a very interesting diet “experiment” whereby a group of volunteers adopted a strict “ape-like” diet.

The rules of the diet were simple. The diet was plant based, like the diet eaten by by apes, who genetically are our closest relatives. Their digestive systems are not very different from our own, and therefore a healthy diet for an ape is also a healthy diet for humans.

The diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey, and all items during the first week were eaten raw. The diet provided the daily nutritional requirements for both sexes taking part. Many of the volunteers struggled at first with the new diet, mostly problems being caused by a sudden increase in the amount of fibre consumed.

Also, the only liquid drunk during the first week was water. In the second week the volunteers also ate mackerel, which provide essential nutrients such as omega 3, which it is believed helped our brains to evolve at a greater rate.

“The group’s average blood pressure fell from a level of 140/83 - almost hypertensive - to 122/76. Though it was not intended to be a weight loss diet, they dropped 4.4kg (9.7lbs), on average.”

All the volunteers lost weight during the experiment, and also there was a dramatic reduction in risk of coronary heart disease and stroke due to noticeable reductions in cholesterol, fat and blood pressure in all volunteers.

“Overall, the cholesterol levels dropped 23%, an amount usually achieved only through anti-cholesterol drugs statins.”

For many people this was no real revelation. Many vegetarians and vegans eat a diet like this already. But for the average person, this experiment provided solid proof that today’s fast food, high fat, high salt diet culture is the cause of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, plus many other ailments and disorders. Eating healthily does not need to be as extreme as this experiment, but the “ape-like diet” provides a good foundation for a healthy diet.

Source: BBC NEWS | Magazine | Going ape