Here’s the million-dollar question: What the heck are we supposed to be eating? Some folks are waving the plant-based flag, claiming we should all be munching on kale and drinking green juices. Darn, I used to be one of them for years! I owned a juice bar 10-15 years ago, can you imagine? Others are ready to throw down the gauntlet for a meat feast, and don’t even get me started on the extreme Breatharians who think air is a food group! The dietary debate is about as clear as mud. But let’s untangle this mess by diving into our evolutionary history and seeing how our bodies tick.

Let’s get real: wild animals don’t need a dietary manual. Cows munch grass, lions feast on the buffet of life (aka other animals), and they all thrive like it’s nobody’s business. Rabbits aren’t on a calorie-counting diet, and tigers aren’t skipping the steak for fruit salad. Humans? We’re part of this animal kingdom, so we should have a diet that reflects millions of years of evolution, right?

Sure, it looks like gorillas are all about the greens, munching on leaves like they’re in a vegan café. But wait! About 90% of their diet is water. The other 10%? That’s just a little dry matter with a fraction of fat. Sounds low-fat, right? But hold onto your bananas! Gorillas are what we call hind-gut digesters. After they munch, their fiber hangs out in the large intestine, getting fermented by bacteria, which produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that fuel their energy. So, while they seem to be living on lettuce, most of their energy is coming from fat—yep, you heard that right! Gorillas are fat burning machines!

Cows and sheep? Same deal. They’re chomping down grass all day, but it’s not the grass that fuels them. Thanks to their multi-chambered stomachs, they turn all that green stuff into fatty acids. In fact, 70% of their energy comes from fats made through fermentation in their guts. So even these plant eaters are living the high-fat dream! We could learn a thing or two from them about letting fat do the heavy lifting.

And now, let’s not forget the Maasai warriors, one of the most remarkable groups when it comes to traditional diets. These East African nomads have been living a lifestyle rich in animal products for generations. Their diet primarily consists of three things: meat, milk, and blood from their cattle. Forget your Acai bowls and veggie wraps, these warriors are built on protein, fat, and blood. And guess what? Historically, they’ve had one of the lowest incidences of heart disease despite their high intake of animal fat. While many in the Western world were cutting fat out, the Maasai were thriving on it, and their lean, muscular physiques were the proof in the pudding (if they ate pudding, that is).