Weight Loss Blog

Gorillas Eat Vegetables Shouldn't You?

Gorilla's eat mostly vegetables and fruit and are one of the most powerful animals on the planet. The fact that they're vegetarian and of such immense size and strenght blows me away. There is still a lot of debate about whether humans should model Gorilla's and eat a plant based diet. The fact is that gorillas have a completely different digestive system than we do and that they can tolerate much more fruit because of their superior intestinal flora.

However, what we can learn from them is that they are a massive animal and they eat pretty much ONLY vegetables and fruit. There's power in that. I've said for a long time on this blog and in my writing the importance of having vegetables with each meal. Most recently a post about eating a salad with breakfast. Vegetables provide nutrients (albeit very few these days due to poor farming practices), much needed fiber and bulk and help us to eat smaller meals with less calories but yet feel full. This leads to a healthier colon and a safe weight loss. It's my belief that colon health is critical to a healthy body so increasing vegetables in your diet is a good idea.

I once wanted to be reincarnated as a Gorilla. They're just such a powerful and peaceful animal and subsist on mainly vegetables and fruit. I say mainly because the jury is still out on that, but I'm happy with a number something like 99% vegetarian and 1% other.

This post was inspired by James, the Painted Man. I heard that he had taken his children to the zoo the other day and noticed that the large animal subsisted on vegetables and fruit alone. He's been making modifications to his diet recently, dropping more weight and feeling better. From what I understand, he's now realized that vegetables can be quite beneficial.

Um, yep. Quite beneficial indeed. Based on what our ancestors used to eat, our diets are highly deficient in fiber. You may or may not agree with comparing your diet to that of the vegetarian Gorilla, but you can't argue that vegetables alone provide enough nutrition for a powerful being. Thanks James, for the inspiration yet again.

Mountain Gorilla

Swahili Name: Gorila or N'gagi
Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla beringei
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Weight: 300 to 425 pounds
Lifespan: 53 years in captivity
Habitat: Dense forest, rain forest
Diet: Vegetarian
Gestation: Vegetarian
Predators: Leopards, crocodiles, humans

DIET
Animals of this size need a lot of food, and the vegetarian gorilla is no exception. Although they eat a variety of plants, favorites include wild celery, bamboo, thistles, stinging nettles, bedstraw and certain fruit. These plants seem to provide sufficient moisture so that gorillas do not need water.


Guest writer Scott Bird from straight to the bar will be contributing articles for the weight loss blog about how to eat a healthy selection of foods while on a budget. I want to bust the belief that eating healthy is expensive. Stay tuned to former fat guy blog for lots of great content from Scott.

As for reincarnation, I'm more drawn to the Polar Bear now for other reasons I'll explain at another time.

Photo credit: New York Congo Gorilla Forest

resources:
Weston Price: Gorilla Diet vs Human Diet


beyond vegetarianism: correcting the vegetarian myths about ape diets

Labels: vegetarian

Gorillas Eat Vegetables Shouldn't You?
was posted by Rob @ 8/07/2007 03:30:00 AM | Discuss this post or any other in my Weight Loss Forum

Receive my Blog updates via email as soon as I post!