The New Evolution Diet

I first stumbled upon Arthur Devany’s essay on Evolutionary Fitness a few years ago, relatively soon after having ran the Chicago marathon.  It changed my life.  The marathon was a great experience and more of a mental achievement than anything, but I felt that this was no way to an optimal, fit, and vigorous existence.

For me, DeVany opened the door to thinking about diet and fitness in an evolutionary context.  After all, we are all animals, no matter how far we remove ourselves from the savannah of Africa and we should remember this.

So DeVany finally released his book, The New Evolution Diet, after a few years in the making.  I will say that I am quite pleased with the result.

His book maintains the same high mindedness that is typical of DeVany’s approach; it’s not too diluted.  Yet, it remains approachable and not too steeped in science (but there are plenty of notes and further reading).  It’s a quick read that gives people a great launching point to change their lifestyle and does so in an elegant way.

The way the NED seperates itself is in its philosophical, almost zenlike approach.  DeVany speaks of the “metaphysics” behind the diet and the book features an afterword by Nassim Taleb (Fooled by Randomnes, The Black Swan) who ties together his thoughts on randomness and extreme events to diet and fitness.

The main points to take away are:

Eat meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts (take the latter two easy, eliminate grains, carbs, dairy, and sugar, limit alcohol)

Skip meals sometimes

Do vigorous exercise/strength training anywhere from zero to 3 times a week.  Make it random.  Don’t spend much time at the gym, just make it intense.  (Try his 15-8-4 hierarchical approach with little to no rest between sets and increasing weight)

Don’t overtrain

Play and take walks

Sprint every now and then – avoid jogging and treadmills

Don’t be too strict, break the rules on occasion

Great advice from a phenomenally fit 72 year old.

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