What are the Four Pillars of a Human Diet?
They represent the strategies common to all traditional cuisines around the world.
Why are the Four Pillars of a Human Diet so important?
We need to know these strategies to be optimally healthy. Our genes have come to ‘expect’ these nutrients, and if we fail to supply our genes with them, we develop deficiency diseases. Basically, our DNA can’t work right and we can get sick.
How Did You Determine the Four PIllars?
That’s a good question! Find out by watching the video. Here:
"Let me tell you this has been life-changing. I have all of her books, in audible and ebooks! I have gotten rid of all the hateful 8 oils. I have trained my body to eat its own previously toxic body fat. Download that pod it's a game changer!"
Deep Nutrition changed my life.
I would like to thank you for literally saving my life. Back in February, I had to be hospitalized while on vacation in Phoenix with an A1C of 11% and had to start taking 2 types of insulin and 2 other meds. I read the Fatburn Fix in April, and followed the program to a tee, and I’m down by 15 pounds, 6.8 A1C, and only one once weekly diabetes medicine. Prior to reading the book, it was almost impossible for me to lose weight as a diabetic.
For the last month, I have really been reading all labels on everything. I have completely remove those 8 oils you talk about. I must tell you, I feel great! I have more energy and I am now 197 lbs (have always been around 205 to 210lbs). I eat potatoes with real butter, grass fed steak, pasta with the right toppings. I eat everything! I seem to crave less sugar. I love it!
I had terrible aches and pains everywhere in my body, my hands, shoulders and knees. I feel so much better and the way I feel is motivating me every day! Thank you
I am an anesthesiologist in Orlando and a huge fan of both of your books! I have been incorporating your principles for the last 10 months and feel that my health is better than ever.
The biggest difference for me (and a surprising one) is that my allergies have almost completely disappeared! This is a big deal for me, because I’ve had allergies most of my life and they have often affected what I do which is a teaching music in [a public school district]. In general, I feel much better and have more consistent energy throughout the day.
I’ve lost 20+ pounds (also fasting 16-24 hours daily) and haven’t had palpitations except for one occasion — I had a mini bag of Fritos for the first time in July. And, I feel better now on a daily basis than I ever did all through college.
I’ve lost over 50 pounds. I’m 56 years old. Cutting processed food and unhealthy fats from my diet was one of the first things I did on my health recovery journey...I went cold turkey off the bad oils. Emptied my pantry into the trash and just started eating real food
Your Fatburn Fix book is amazing, my friend. Thank you! I’m an Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and I know my stuff. This is the extra layer of knowledge I didn’t know I needed. Well done!
I have lost a solid 20 lbs and my bloodwork (after 3 months of eating your way) was even better! I was metabolically healthy (per your book) before I read your book, but barely. Lowering my weight, sealed the deal! I have been talking about you and your book to anyone who will listen...Thank you for all you’ve done and what you continue to do! You are changing lives for the better!
I love your Fatburn Fix! Has helped me so so much! I have had the dreaded weight all my life - 20 or so pounds I could never shed. I have lost that now. I only eat 2 meals a day lunch and dinner with a glass of milk or cappuccino around 4 to hold me over. No snacking and not bad oils. It has been the key to unlocking my fatburn. I work out in the am and believe I am burning fat for energy not from food!
My waist is four inches smaller. I feel great and many of the minor aches and pains that I had (knees and lower back) are gone. Also, my muscle tone is amazing, even though I have not increased my workout routine.
Whenever I advise my clients about eating to perform I go straight to what I have learned from Dr. Cate. Her book Deep Nutrition has become the go-to for strength and conditioning coaches across the country.
Dr. Cate dismantles the lie that seed oils are healthy, which may the biggest lie about nutrition and health because it’s so insidious.
Dr. Cate alerts us to the harms of seed oils and she’s convincing because she knows the chemistry better than anyone.
Dr. Cate has had the single greatest impact on how we talk to people about fueling for both performance or durability. While we all are a little unique, the foundational principles of human nutrition are immutable. If you are looking to create a more durable, resilient body, no one is better at communicating nutritional truth than Dr. Cate.
Dr. Shanahan has had a significant impact on my practice of medicine. I am known as a Low Carb Doctor, but I never really appreciated the negative effects of processed seed oils on the health of my patients. I highly recommend The Fatburn Fix to my patients and have a loaner copy in my waiting room. It is amazing how quickly blood sugars and overall health improves with cutting seed oils. It is not just about the carbs!
Dr. Cate reordered my diet when I was with the L.A. Lakers, and the benefits, for me personally, were felt immediately and have served me to this day. I’ve come to take real food so seriously I started a small family farm. I know of no M.D./nutritionist more respected in the sports world than Dr. Cate Shanahan.
Cate brought the seed oil issue front and center. Healthy fats matter. So much so that I created an entire product line to swap out bad fats with good.
If you want to understand how optimal health starts with food, start with Dr. Cate. Her book Deep Nutrition leaves you with an appreciation of the profound relationship between our genes and the planet, inspiring us to be good shepherds of both.
Deep Nutrition really helped me with endurance. I started to feel better as a player. I was able to run more, I was able to be more active …and I just decided to keep going with it to this day.
Dr Cate’s teachings helped me lose 60 pounds like it was nothing. It was like a silver bullet for me.
Dr. Shanahan has provided a solid reference that deserves a place in the library of anyone who is seriously interested in nutrition. Her perspective on the vital role that healthy fat has in our diet is novel and, if implemented, can radically improve your health.
I have based my work on the idea that getting the right kinds of healthy fats into your body and avoiding the worst fats is essential to optimal health. I've interviewed dozens of the world's top experts about this, and I know of no one who speaks more eloquently on this topic than Dr Cate. If she’s talking fats, pull up a chair. Take notes.
I love your Fatburn Fix! Has helped me so so much! I have had the dreaded weight all my life - 20 or so pounds I could never shed. I have lost that now. I only eat 2 meals a day lunch and dinner with a glass of milk or cappuccino around 4 to hold me over. No snacking and not bad oils. It has been the key to unlocking my fatburn.
I would like to thank you for literally saving my life. Back in February, I had to be hospitalized while on vacation in Phoenix with an A1C of 11% and had to start taking 2 types of insulin and 2 other meds. I read the Fatburn Fix in April, and followed the program to a tee, and I’m down by 15 pounds, 6.8 A1C, and only one once weekly diabetes medicine.
I'm crying tears of joy and appreciation for all you've done for me and my health! Without Deep Nutrition and Fatburn Fix, I would literally still be in the vicious cycle I'd been fighting all my life! In a nutshell - I am no longer a compulsive overeating addict suffering under the crushing 'thumb' of all food and alcohol.
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Popular Sustainability TV Show Producers Stop by To Discuss how Deep Nutrition promotes Natural Wellness for Humans and Our Planet.
I was raised in St Joseph, MO, and my doctor father owned farms that were share cropped by neighboring farmers. This allowed me to get out of the city into the country and to learn. When I was going to the local college I was conscripted by my dad to take the #2 field corn to market from the storage bin on the farm. Now you know my credentials for the following statement.
#2 Field corn and soybeans are primarily used to feed commercially or industrially raised meat animals. Those fields also massively contribute to the runoff that has created the dead one off the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Gulf. Further, environmental degradation occurs from the plowing, disking, seeding, weeding, and harvesting passes the diesel powered equipment make over the fields. And the nutrient value of the soil? You can roll on the floor laughing now.
By switching those fields to organic regenerative farming pastures where the cows, chickens, goats, and pigs (yes pigs eat some grass, root, and forage) roam free together like they used to, it then handles the land issue, the environmental issues (those pastures having good microbe populations become CO2 sinks) and just as important, nutritional issues. Further, during inclement weather these animals are fed grasses like alfalfa and sileage, not grains, and as long as no chemicals are used on the alfalfa fields and the pastures, then you have organic certificate.
I just finished the audio book. I really enjoyed it and also found it extremely disturbing, but I’ve had something nagging at me which was somewhat deflected in the FAQ section.
I recently changed my diet from whatever was nearby to mostly plant-based. I have been meaning to “eat better” and exercise for years, when I got myself some what in order financially. Well… I decided that I’m going to stop putting it off and act. I have been listening to another doctor promoting veganism for some time and began that path after the New Year.
I’m going to incorporate bone broth which I’ve done here and there more often.
My concern is this. I do not see how grass fed, pasture raised livestock is sustainable if the diet is adopted globally. The percent of land needed is quite substantial for food to feed the livestock. I believe “Cowspiracy” used a hypothetical example where all US citizens went pastured raised, which essentially covered North America. Although this is theoretical I would think the ultimate goal would be to encourage all people to pursue the intake of optimum nutrition for optimal health. Eventually that would be the end result. There are other factors such as portion size which can greatly affect the amount land and the head of livestock required.
I was curious about your thoughts on that. [BTW, “Unforgiven” is one of my favorites. 🙂 ]
I ultimately decided a plant-based path (now slightly modified 🙂 ) for health and environment reasons. Again thank you for the book.
I don’t want to mix the two ideas: sustainability and health. If it turned out that we all need to eat olive oil to be optimally healthy, then we’d be out of luck! We’ve gone past the point of being able to produce enough olive oil to feed everyone. Still, if it were the case that we all needed to eat olive oil to be optimally healthy, I’d have to say so or I’d be misleading people. We first need to figure out what is healthy. I’m a doctor, that’s my job.
The job of figuring out how to feed everyone, who gets fed well and who will be malnourished, is best left for policy makers.
You might enjoy The Vegetarian Myth, which specifically refutes the idea the vegetarianism is more eco friendly.