What a Baboon can Teach us about Weight Loss

When Caley Johnson, an anthropology student from New York, travelled to the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, as part of her research into the nutrition of different populations, she decided to track the diet of one female resident in particular, Stella. Stella’s day-on-a-plate was diverse – she clocked up nearly 90 different foods over a month. There didn’t seem to be a pattern behind her choices, until Johnson discovered something intriguing. Over the 30 days, the ratio of protein to fats and carbs in Stella’s diet remained absolutely consistent, despite the wide variety of foods and combinations. In fact, her approach was spot-on for a healthy female of her size. We know what you’re thinking. Stella was a dietitian, or at least devoted to a macro-managing app, right? No. Because here’s the thing: Stella was a baboon.

This short anecdote is the opener to a fascinating new book set to change how we see nutrition for good. After all, posit the authors of (Harper Collins, $35), if a baboon instinctively knows how