Based on what our ape relatives eat, the volunteers were fed a three-day rotating menu of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey. This is what it looked like:
Up to 5 Kg or 2,300 calories of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey, including:
- Apricots
- Bananas
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Figs
- Hazelnuts
- Mangoes
- Melons
- Plums
- Radishes
- Satsumas
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
- Watercress
There was of course water to drink, and during the second week, portions of cooked oily fish were introduced, reflecting our later hunter/gatherer lifestyle.
The diet was also low in salt - 1g per day compared to the group's average of 12g a day - and low in saturated fat, at around 5% of calories compared to the group's usual 13%.
With so much raw fruit and vegetables, there was also a dramatic increase in both the soluble fiber and plant sterols, both of which help to lower cholesterol.
Indeed, there was so much bulk in the diet that the volunteers often failed to finish their daily ration. They also reported good energy levels and mood.
