Authors:
Kerry G. Brock, Ph.D. & George M. Diggs, Jr., Ph.D.

SBM 39
ISSN: 0883-1475
ISBN-13: 978-1-889-878-40-9

Publication Date: 01 February 2013
Copyright © 2013 Botanical Research Institute of Texas
Specifications: 6.5"×9.5" (pbk)

About the Book

What is the healthiest diet to eat? Why do diets almost always fail? Why do we have a crisis of obesity, diabetes, and other health problems in the U.S. today? Why are even children becoming obese and unhealthy? The answers can be found when one understands what recent scientific research says, when one realizes that conventional dietary advice and the Standard American Diet are completely mismatched with our genetics. For the past two million years our ancestors existed as hunter-gatherers, living entirely on wild plants and animals. Only during the last one percent of that time have they eaten foods resulting from the agricultural and industrial revolutions. The modern diet is now based largely on processed foods made from flour, refined sugars, and processed vegetable oils—products unknown to our ancestors. Exposing our hunter-gatherer genetic makeups to inappropriate modern diets has come with a price—a dramatic increase in the “Diseases of Civilization,” including heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune conditions, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and acne. This book examines the problem and looks at practical, science-based ways to improve health and address weight regulation using simple diet and lifestyle changes.

About the Authors

Dr. Kerry Brock is a mathematician and scientist who is skilled at assessing the use of statistics and analyzing the data in medical and other scientific research. She has studied nutrition for many years and has taught numerous college courses in human nutrition and the connections between diet and health. She was educated at Imperial College in London (M.Sc.) and the University of Texas at Dallas (Ph.D.), and has taught for more than 20 years at Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

Dr. George Diggs, Jr. is an evolutionary biologist and botanist who has studied and taught about human evolution, plant toxins, plant and cell biology, health, and nutrition for more than 30 years. He was educated at the College of William and Mary (M.A.) and the University of Wisconsin (Ph.D.). He is McGregor Chair of Natural Sciences at Austin College and also is a Research  Associate at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth. He is co-author of three botanical books and more than 30 scientific articles.