Dr. Ken Berry presentation: Principles of a Proper Human Diet

Summary

The speaker, a former overweight pre-diabetic physician, shares his journey and insights on the proper human diet, emphasizing the importance of ancestral eating patterns. He argues against the standard American diet and processed foods, advocating for nutrient-dense, low-carb, and anti-inflammatory foods. The talk also touches on the benefits of fasting and the need for a diet tailored to individual physiology, concluding with the speaker's personal transformation and a call for audience engagement.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker used to be a pre-diabetic, overweight family physician and attributes part of this to being mistaught about nutrition.
• 🌾 The speaker suggests that a proper human diet (PHD) should be self-evident and similar to the diets of other species, which are species-specific and not scalable or factory-made.
• 🍽️ A PHD is described as low in carbohydrates and possibly allowing for a vegetarian lifestyle with sufficient animal protein intake, although it might be challenging.
• 👕 The speaker humorously points out that clothing buttons can indicate dietary health, suggesting that a proper diet should not cause clothing to become tight.
• 🔍 The importance of reducing carbohydrate intake is likened to turning down a knob to address health and dietary goals effectively.
• 🚫 The speaker argues that a PHD should be free from inflammatory foods, which are common in the standard American diet.
• 🍇 The speaker discusses the modern manipulation of food, such as cloned bananas, as opposed to ancestral foods that would have been consumed 15,000 years ago.
• 🧠 The necessity of understanding anthropology and paleoanthropology to determine the proper diet for humans is emphasized, as traditional medical education often lacks this.
• 🏭 The speaker criticizes factory-made foods and suggests that a PHD should be nutrient-dense and not merely for pleasure.
• 🍎 A PHD is described as satiating, which contrasts with the business models of large food corporations that may not want to produce truly filling foods.
• 🏥 The speaker implies that a PHD can improve health markers and conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, moving towards normal levels.

Q & A

What was the speaker's previous condition before adopting a proper human diet?

The speaker was a fat, pre-diabetic, and miserable family physician.

Why does the speaker believe that many people have been misled about proper nutrition?

The speaker believes people have been misled due to being mistaught about food, both in medical school and by cultural influences like their grandmother's teachings.

According to the speaker, what is the basis for determining the proper diet for any species, including Homo sapiens sapiens?

The speaker suggests that the proper diet for any species can be deduced from the veterinary literature and by observing the natural dietary habits of animals.

What is the speaker's opinion on the role of carbohydrates in a proper human diet?

The speaker believes that a proper human diet should be low in carbohydrates, and that carbohydrate intake should be adjusted like a knob to meet individual health goals.

Why does the speaker argue that a proper human diet is not factory-made?

The speaker argues that a proper human diet should consist of natural foods that grow, crawl, run, jump, slither, and fly, rather than processed foods made in factories.

What is the speaker's view on the possibility of a proper human diet for vegetarians?

The speaker thinks it is possible for vegetarians to have a proper human diet if they include plenty of fish, eggs, and other ethically acceptable animal proteins.

How does the speaker describe the relationship between diet and inflammation?

The speaker describes a proper human diet as being uninflammatory, and suggests that many modern foods are filled with inflammatory substances.

What is the speaker's stance on the modern banana and its relation to ancestral foods?

The speaker points out that the modern banana is a clone, different from ancestral fruits, and that most fruits and vegetables in supermarkets today have been selectively bred to be larger and sweeter, unlike their ancestral counterparts.

What does the speaker suggest is the role of fasting in a proper human diet?

The speaker suggests that fasting has a role in a proper human diet, as it provides the body with a downtime for maintenance, similar to a factory's downtime for equipment maintenance.

How does the speaker relate the proper human diet to health markers and chronic diseases?

The speaker believes that a proper human diet can improve health markers and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

What is the speaker's advice for those new to the concept of a proper human diet?

The speaker advises new individuals to first implement the strategies of a proper human diet before starting to fast, as fasting should come naturally once other aspects of the diet are established.

Outlines

00:00

🧬 Rediscovering Human Nutritional Needs

The speaker, a former overweight pre-diabetic physician, shares his journey of nutritional enlightenment, highlighting how he and many others were misinformed about proper eating habits. He emphasizes the importance of understanding our species' dietary needs, drawing parallels with the diets of other animals and suggesting that a proper human diet should be intuitively known, unlike the confusion surrounding human diets today. He humorously engages the audience to recognize themselves as Homo sapiens sapiens and ponders the implications of our ignorance towards nutrition, which has led to modern health epidemics.

05:01

🥗 The Principles of a Proper Human Diet

Continuing the discussion, the speaker delves into the concept of a proper human diet, advocating for a low-carbohydrate, nutrient-dense, and anti-inflammatory diet that is species-appropriate. He argues that such a diet should be based on whole foods that grow, crawl, jump, and fly, rather than factory-made products. The speaker also touches on the possibility of a vegetarian version of a proper human diet, provided it includes sufficient animal proteins. He shares anecdotes from his past as a physician to illustrate the challenges of advising patients on weight loss and the importance of reducing carbohydrates for overall health.

10:02

🍌 The Evolution of Food and Its Impact on Health

The speaker explores the evolution of food, particularly how modern fruits and vegetables have been selectively bred to be larger and sweeter, diverging significantly from their ancestral counterparts. He discusses the impact of these changes on health and inflammation, noting that a proper human diet should be ancestral, nutrient-dense, and satiating. The speaker also candidly admits his own dietary indulgences that do not strictly adhere to his proposed principles, demonstrating a balanced and realistic approach to diet and health.

15:03

🌾 The Industrialization of Food and Its Consequences

In this paragraph, the speaker criticizes the industrialization of food, suggesting that factory-made foods are problematic for a proper human diet. He argues that such foods are often designed to be non-satiating to boost profits, rather than nourishing. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of nutrient density and satiety in a proper diet, and how it can lead to improved health markers. He uses the example of the movie 'The Game Changer' to illustrate misconceptions about historical diets and the importance of deeper understanding in making dietary choices.

20:04

🚫 The Elimination of Chronic Diseases Through Proper Nutrition

The speaker discusses the potential of a proper human diet to alleviate and even eliminate chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. He argues that these conditions improve significantly when inflammatory and carbohydrate-rich foods are removed from the diet. The speaker also introduces the concept of fasting as a natural part of a proper human diet, suggesting that it provides the body with downtime for repair and maintenance. He advises newcomers to focus on implementing other aspects of a proper diet before attempting fasting.

🤝 The Community and Personalized Aspect of a Proper Human Diet

In the final paragraph, the speaker emphasizes the community aspect of a proper human diet, encouraging audience members to connect with local food sources and to take an active role in understanding their food's origins. He argues that a proper diet is not scalable for mass production and profit, and instead should be personalized to an individual's physiology and biochemistry. The speaker invites audience interaction and questions, fostering a sense of community and shared learning.

Keywords

💡pre-diabetic

Pre-diabetic refers to a state where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classified as diabetes. In the video, the speaker mentions being a pre-diabetic family physician, indicating a personal health journey that is central to the theme of understanding and improving one's diet for better health.

💡misled

Misled means to be given wrong or inaccurate information, leading to confusion or incorrect beliefs. The speaker suggests that many people have been misled about proper nutrition, which is a key point in the video's message about the importance of relearning what constitutes a healthy diet.

💡Homo sapien sapien

Homo sapien sapien is a scientific term for modern humans. The speaker uses this term to emphasize the idea that our dietary needs are specific to our species and have evolved over time, which is central to the video's theme of ancestral eating patterns.

💡proper human diet

The term 'proper human diet' is a recurring concept in the video, referring to the speaker's belief in a diet that aligns with our evolutionary history and biology. It is presented as a solution to modern health issues, suggesting that by returning to this diet, we can address problems like obesity and diabetes.

💡inflammatory

In the context of the video, 'inflammatory' refers to foods that cause inflammation in the body, which is linked to various health problems. The speaker argues that a proper human diet should be anti-inflammatory, contrasting with the typical Western diet that is described as high in carbohydrates and inflammatory.

💡carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a macronutrient found in foods like grains, fruits, and vegetables. The video discusses carbohydrates as a potential source of health problems, particularly when consumed in excess or from processed sources, and suggests reducing their intake as part of a proper human diet.

💡ancestral

Ancestral, in the context of the video, refers to the dietary habits of our early human ancestors. The speaker advocates for an ancestral diet, suggesting that eating in a way that mirrors the diet of our forebears can lead to better health outcomes.

💡nutrient-dense

Nutrient-dense foods are those that provide a high amount of nutrients relative to their calorie content. The speaker emphasizes the importance of nutrient-dense foods in a proper human diet, suggesting that such foods are more beneficial for health and satiety.

💡fasting

Fasting is the practice of abstaining from food for a certain period. The video mentions fasting as a natural part of a proper human diet, suggesting that it has health benefits and is something our bodies are adapted to handle.

💡inflammation

Inflammation is the body's response to harmful stimuli and can be both beneficial and detrimental. In the video, inflammation is discussed as a negative outcome of consuming certain foods, particularly those high in carbohydrates, and is linked to various health conditions.

💡ketogenic diet

A ketogenic diet, or keto diet, is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has been mentioned in the video. The speaker suggests that such a diet can help reduce inflammation and improve health markers, fitting into the broader theme of the video about the benefits of aligning our diets with our evolutionary needs.

💡carnivore diet

The carnivore diet is an eating plan that consists solely of animal products, with no plant foods. While not the main focus of the video, the speaker briefly mentions it as a potential extreme version of a diet that could be considered part of a proper human diet, emphasizing the importance of animal proteins.

Highlights

The speaker used to be a pre-diabetic and miserable family physician, attributing his condition partly to being mistaught about proper nutrition.

There is a proper diet for various species, including Homo sapiens sapiens, which the speaker believes has been forgotten by modern humans.

The speaker argues that humans are the only species that has forgotten how to feed themselves properly, leading to various health epidemics.

A proper human diet is not factory-made and should consist of foods that grow naturally, such as fruits, vegetables, and animal proteins.

The speaker believes that a proper human diet is low in carbohydrates and can be adapted to vegetarianism with sufficient animal proteins.

The speaker humorously recounts his past struggles with weight and the common advice given to patients, highlighting the ineffectiveness of generic diet advice.

A proper human diet should be uninflammatory, contrary to the common belief that diet cannot significantly impact inflammation levels.

The speaker emphasizes that a proper human diet is ancestral, meaning it should consist of foods that were available and consumed by humans more than 15,000 years ago.

Modern fruits and vegetables have been selectively bred to be larger and sweeter, deviating from their ancestral forms.

The speaker criticizes the lack of nutrition and anthropological training among doctors and the medical industry's focus on profit over health.

A proper human diet is nutrient-dense and should not be consumed solely for pleasure, unlike many factory-made foods.

The speaker argues that satiating, nutrient-dense foods are not profitable for large food corporations, which prefer to produce less filling, more addictive products.

A proper human diet should improve health markers and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, unlike the standard American diet.

The speaker suggests that type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions can be significantly improved or eliminated by adhering to a proper human diet.

Fasting is a natural part of a proper human diet, allowing the body time to repair and maintain itself, as seen in anthropological studies.

The speaker advocates for a species-specific, person-specific diet that works with an individual's physiology and biochemistry for optimal health.

Local, non-factory produced food is preferable as it allows consumers to know and trust their food sources, enhancing accountability.

Transcripts

hey

y'all how you

doing first a little about me and then a

little about you so I used to be a fat

pre-diabetic miserable family

physician and part of that was my fault

but part of it wasn't my fault because I

had been mistaught

definitely in med school and residency

but previously by my beloved granny

Barry who taugh taught me what food was

and I think many of us share that same

story we we were mistaught we were

misled we've forgotten who and what we

are as a

species and I think once you come back

and revisit that and and make peace with

what you are and who you are the

principles of a proper human diet become

self-evident almost now about you raise

your hand if you identify

as

homo sapien sapien who identifies as HSS

okay good so we know from the veterinary

literature that there is a proper canine

diet for dogs it's it's known there's no

ifs answerer but Purina has some input

on that but basically if you want a very

healthy dog you feed them a specific

diet same for cats same for cows same

for

sheep could that that also apply to Homo

sapiens

sapiens probably

right let's talk about that so why do we

need to even talk about this because we

we seemingly the

only species on the planet who's

forgotten how to feed

ourselves we don't know what to eat

there's this huge debate you never when

when Nisha and I are hunting deer in the

woods we never see a small group of deer

having a slap fight over whether they

should eat the Clover or the Fescue or

the weeds it's like they just

know intuitively they just know

instinctually this is why we have to

talk about this because our ignorance

and forgetfulness about what a proper

human diet is has led to epidemics of

all these conditions and many

more a proper human diet is not a

fat when I'm out in the in the pasture

with the sheep they never get really

riled up about you know what we're not

we're we're going to be clover-based

we're not going to eat grass

anymore by God we're not eating any more

weeds they don't do that they just eat

the nutrition that they need and I would

opine that a proper human diet for human

beings is also not a fat I think it is

the proper way you and I should both

eat a proper human diet is not Factory

made it is not scalable it grows it

creeps it crawls it runs it jumps it

slithers it

flies that's a proper human diet if

there's any extra steps added it's

probably

not

PhD a proper human diet by definition is

low in carbohydrates and I have I have

quite a range of carbohydrates I think

that it's possible to eat a proper human

diet as a vegetarian if you're including

Plenty of Fish plenty of eggs plenty of

animal other animal proteins that that

are okay with you ethically I think it's

possible I think it's difficult but I

think it's

possible some of us like this

previously morbidly obese family

physician uh so I'll tell you a funny

story so used to this button was the

button that was in danger of

popping okay and so I would going into

an exam room with a patient who was

overweight pre-diabetic whatever and I'd

be like look

Jerry and women women know this this

break and eye contact men don't get it

as often and I would say Jerry you're

going to have to move more and eat less

okay you got to lose some weight and

Jerry's eyes he would break eye contact

and look at this button for just a tenth

of a

second

unconsciously couldn't help it he's like

what the

fu okay now if any button in danger it's

often this button on a proper human diet

and I think that's the way it should be

for all of us but some people can

tolerate more carbohydrates than others

and that's why I think about the

carbohydrate intake as a knob just like

the knob on your stereo do your your

stereo still have knobs probably not

right I need to have a slide or

something but if you're doing PhD and

you're you're not getting your goals you

need to turn down the carbon tape that's

probably the answer for the vast

majority of questions a proper human

diet is

uninflammatory and many people when you

start talking about keto carnivore how

your inflammation gets better they

literally think you're full of

a diet can't do that you have to

have pills for

that but absolutely our diet is filled

with inflammatory things now some of

these things are more inflammatory for

some people than for

others right there are some of you in

this audience who can tolerate some

oxalates and some lectins and some

Fates right and there are others of you

that if you even think about them you

become

inflamed but if you're eating the

standard American diet that's by

definition high carbon inflammatory you

feel so miserable that you can't get any

feedback from your body at all right

it's like an alcoholic who's drinking

three fifths of whiskey a day and you

give him a shot of beer and you're like

did you feel

that no didn't feel

that no but if that guy's been dry for a

year and you give him a glass of beer

he's going to feel that that's what

happens when you INF remove the

inflammatory processed high carb junk

food from your diet is you actually get

to start to hear that ancestral

ancient

voice saying yeah I feel really good

when I eat that way but if I eat this

not so

much that's important you should listen

to

that a proper human diet is ancestral

now we we sometimes when we're trying to

create things we have to pick arbitrary

boundaries and so if humans had access

to it and they ate it more than 15 ,000

years

ago that's ancestral so full disclosure

I drink coffee that's 100% not

ancestrally

appropriate okay I I love butter and

heavy cream not ancestrally appropriate

according to my own definition so

disclosure but if you're still having

problems on low carb or keto ketovore or

carnivore you need to apply this

law this principle because this is the

one that's probably going to be help you

get over I can't tell you how many times

I've had somebody on keto carnivore come

to me and like my inflammation is still

crazy I'm I'm not reaching my goals and

and I'm like do you like cheese and

they're like oh hell yeah

cheese let's talk about that and so the

the bananas the modern banana is a clone

you know you understand every single

banana in every Supermarket everywhere

in the world

today is the exact same

banana they are they are cloned there's

no there's no nothing we took charge of

the banana hundreds of years ago and we

came up with the Cavendish and said yep

that's it and so every banana plant

around the world that's used

commercially is a clone of that original

plant we've done this hundreds if not

thousands of times with all the fruit

all the

berries no answer cestal barrier of

fruit from 15,000 years ago in any way

resembles the fruit and veg in the

supermarket

today there's even uh Zoological

evidence that animals not humans animals

selectively breed fruits to be larger

and

sweeter yeah true story

so when I first started this I had very

little nutrition training in in medical

school had zero

anthropological training

paleoanthropology I didn't even know

what that was archaeology sort of maybe

Graham hanock I've heard of

him but in order to come up with these

principles I've had to dig into all of

those silos that are not my home base I

had to dig all of that out and bring all

of that together to come up with these

principles and the average doctor

doesn't think they even need any

nutrition training but if you start

asking them how many books are papers

have you read about anthropology

paleoanthropology crickets start

chirping because they they don't like

why the hell would I even why don't even

get it how can you know what the proper

diet for human beings is in modern times

if you don't know what we ate 15 30

100,000 years ago because that's

probably important right cows have been

eating grass for millions of years and

so if Purina or some Mega Corporation

comes out and says oh no we've got the

perfect cow food for cows it's only $129

for a 50lb

bag you're going to be like no it's

pretty obvious grass is the proper Bine

diet we don't need that

product a proper human diet is very

nutrient-dense okay anytime you're

eating

something just for pleasure that's

that's probably not PhD now you can

definitely eat a ribey for pleasure

definitely but it's also one of the most

nutrient-dense Foods on the

planet okay and I

apologize to our most of the vendors out

here but we don't need a factory to make

food if your food came from a factory

that's a

problem okay I had one of the vendors

introduced himself and he was bragging

about his his little product out there

had 14 scientists and two nutritionists

working on this product for 3

years and I was like yeah that's some

then yeah I'm

not definitely not going to drink that

yeah okay excellent thank you um thanks

for the heads up I don't think he meant

it as a

warning but that's how it came

off a proper human diet is very

satiating now do do you think that

Kelloggs and General Mills and craft

Hines and mandes do you think those big

guys do they want to make satiating

food think about that what would that do

to their profit model if they made food

that was very filling and satiating and

kept you full for

hours a proper human diet satiates you

moves all of your hunger and satiety

hormones to The Sweet Spot so that when

you've eaten enough you get a ancestral

signal to stop eating you're done you've

had enough and then you don't get hungry

again for a long damn

time that's important I think that

matters a proper human diet optimizes

your health so how many of you guys saw

the movie The Game

Changer remember that

movie they were bragging about the

diet that the Gladiators ate in Rome

they ate beans and rice lagum that's

what they they they were the rock stars

of Rome who knows what the Gladiators in

Rome what was their societal

status slaves and prisoners prisoners of

War

yeah that's what digging into

archaeology a little bit history a

little bit these other

um areas of study that's what how you

benefit from that cuz if you didn't know

better cuz you saw you know Russell Crow

he was hot as

hell you're like well okay Gladiators he

was a star they they are stars I should

eat beans and

rice you see how that works but if

you've got just a little deeper layer of

understanding of how the world works and

how it has worked for a long time you'd

be like yeah they were slaves I don't

really want to eat a slave diet a

prisoner

diet but invariably the slave diet was

always grains sugar too ERS legumes

beans and rice we got tired of that it

was rice and beans because it keeps it

keeps the slaves

alive keeps them healthy enough to work

a

little keeps their belly full so they're

not complaining or

rebelling but does it do anything for

their are you worried if you own slaves

about optimizing their health not really

really right so an a proper human diet

optimizes your health it's not just B

filler doesn't just taste great it also

nourishes your

health and a proper human diet improves

your health markers and I should add a

lot okay so look at this little pie

graph I recently used this in one of my

YouTube videos can you guys read those

can you see those okay so if I'm correct

that there is a proper human diet and if

I'm correct that this is the proper

human diet then when you apply this diet

when you stop the standard American

crap or the vegan diet or any other

number of diets the the high grain high

carb Mediterranean diet and you start to

eat this diet then you should notice

things like your A1C starts to go back

to normal your fasting insulin

triglycerides hdlc inflammatory

markers all that should start to return

to

normal if I'm right

right

so this py graph is the the hazard

ratios if you have this condition this

is how how big of a risk it is for you

to have a heart attack and this py graph

applies to all other chronic diseases as

well so if you have a diet that lowers

somebody's

LDL

okay is that a big deal according to

this from published research

do you see LDL on

there right right so LDL actually comes

in number 13 or 14 in this list that I

made this py graph

for wouldn't you want to fix the biggest

wedge of pie I'm just a

redneck we like to do things that matter

you want to spend the most of your

effort working on the stuff that's going

to get you the most benefit is everybody

okay with that concept it's I know it's

simple-minded so when you apply the

principles of a proper human diet type 2

diabetes goes virtually away in

literally every person it always

improves and in most cases goes

completely away now a vegan diet can

lower your A1C and they all tout that

from the heavens but it's usually two1

of a percentage point right and then

they get they they published 50 papers

based on

that but what about a diet that just got

rid of type two diabetes it's almost as

if type two diabetes is carbohydrate

toxicity syndrome and when you cut out

the inflammatory slow poison

carbohydrates type 2

diabetes goes away that almost makes it

sound like a a poisoning event not a

disease that we don't understand it's

probably genetic same for metabolic

syndrome hypertension obesity all those

things when you eat a proper human diet

they improve markedly if not go back

completely to

normal so all these things get better if

I'm right about what a proper human diet

is a proper human diet includes some

degree of fasting okay it's clear in the

anthropological

literature studying religions and

studying uh groups all over the world

there was always some

fasting in their daily life it was is

often known as starving because the

hunters didn't do great that day but

your body actually through the the eons

learn to use that as a downtime almost

like when a factory you don't work on

those huge presses when they're running

you you wait for downtime you shut them

down and then you can replace parts and

do maintenance our body kind of figured

that out millions of years ago and some

so I highly advise anybody if you're

just new to all this don't start fasting

first I think that's a good way to fail

and give up implement the other

strategies of a proper human diet

first fasting will just come because

it's natural we're all built to do it a

proper human diet is a species specific

person specific diet that works with

your body's physiology and biochemistry

to provide the best possible physical

and meal mental health that's my

hypothesis and we'll see in the coming

years if that hypothesis proves true or

not

it does not scale up again I'm sorry for

most of the vendors out here but you

cannot make a billion dollars a

year as a as a proper human diet food

manufacturer one of the things I love

about a proper human diet when people

are eating real meat and real eggs and

real veg if that's part of your PhD is

that you start to seek out local

ranchers you want to know the guy that

raised your cow or your sheep you start

to seek out local produce you want to

know who raised that and and and maybe

even look deeper in how they raised it

so see there's this unwritten law in the

South that The Closer you are to being

able to put your hands on somebody the

better they're likely to

behave do that makes

sense and so if you're buying food and

and the headquarters is in New York and

the distribution centers in San Diego

and the corporate offices wherever you

can't really get your hands on

anybody what are you going to do if they

slow poison you for 20 years and you

wind up with fatty liver not

much but if you're getting your food

from local sources you know the guy you

can go and have a chat with him as we

say in the

South if he's putting something in your

food that he shouldn't be putting in

your

food it's not patentable nobody's going

to make a a million billion

dollars on a proper human

diet how many members of our tribe do we

have here stand up if you're part of the

tribe stand up let me see

you

hey thank you guys so much for

supporting what Nish and I do thank you

guys so

much we're all we're going to meet up

with all the tribe members on on the

bridge at

1 if you didn't get the message so

that's just a short little taste of what

I think a proper human diet is I've got

a a few videos on my small YouTube

channel that you can check out and I'm

happy to take any questions you might

have from me uh this is

directly aimed at the the shy person

here who's like I want to say hi but I'm

afraid stop

that

I'm here for a reason okay I could have

flown in gave this talk and flow out

I've been here all week all all weekend

and I'm going to be here till this

evening so stop it grow up and stand up

and come say

hi thank

you