Quotes from John Durant

wild animals in captivity and humans in civilization share an important quality: we are both examples of species living outside their natural habitats.

Fermentation is right up there with cooking as one of the most powerful methods to transform food.

Avoid sunscreen! Regular sun exposure reduces risk of melanoma.

This approach was typical of the Industrial Age: inadvertently removing something essential for human health, discovering it was essential for human health—and then developing an industrial method to add it back in.

the very people who clamor the loudest about animal suffering won't actually pay for meat that has been ethically slaughtered.

In 2012 a landmark German study found that vegetarians are considerably more likely to have mental disorders than people who eat meat.

In the middle of the breakup I had an epiphany: If I got fewer than eight hours of sleep, it felt like my world was coming to an end. But on the days when I got more than eight hours of sleep (and exercised), I was able to put it all behind me. It blew my mind that my entire outlook on a relationship could be so noticeably influenced by my bedtime.

vegetarianism perpetuates (or even exacerbates) mental disorders.

The demands of standing, walking, and running have literally shaped the entire human body from head to toe.

our society seems to have become ever more risk-averse, full of helicopter parents who try to shield their children from all risks—which is impossible—rather than purposefully exposing them to reasonable risks.

if getting a good night's rest is sufficiently important for high priority missions in outer space, it should also be important for all of us here on Earth.

When animal rights activists or moral philosophers try to draw moral judgments about wild animal populations, they often suffer from a bad case of "Bambi Ethics" or "Bambi Environmentalism." They apply human morals to nature in a superficial way, without considering the actual ethical or environmental consequences of their actions.

Believe it or not, countless generations of children finished their supper before the advent of Kraft Mac & Cheese and ice-cream sandwiches.

What we do to many factory farm animals is dishonorable in the same way that carelessly wounding an animal while hunting is dishonorable.

the most ethical option is not to stop hunting animals, but to re-enter the food chain and replace the predators that we displaced. To be good stewards of such ecosystems, we have an ethical obligation to become surrogate predators.

There's actually a straightforward solution to invasive species: Eat 'em!

running an entire marathon burns only about 2,600 calories, the equivalent of a day's worth of food. Even worse, body fat is a remarkably good way to store energy: a pound of body fat contains roughly 4,000 calories. That means losing a mere ten pounds is the caloric equivalent of running 13.5 marathons.

Turn down the thermostat. Let the air be a touch cold rather than a touch hot. Others can choose to wear extra clothing if desired. This also improves alertness and saves money.

Vegetables you've grown in your own garden just taste better. Meals that you've cooked yourself just taste better. And yes, animals that you've killed yourself just taste better.

there are serious environmental and ethical problems with the industrial food system.

Habitually barefoot societies have lower rates of just about every major foot problem—flat feet, athlete's foot, plantar warts, plantar fasciitis, bunions, corns—many of which are practically nonexistent.

Effective antibiotics are a linchpin of modern medicine; without them, it all falls apart. We are financing the creation of virulent biological weapons that one day may be turned against us. This alone should be sufficient reason to create more hygienic conditions for animals.

the food movement needs people who can do the dirty work: hunt wild boar, gut deer, eat invasive species, try insects, raise animals the right way, and pay for ethically raised meat. That role falls to us.

A holistic, habitat-based approach to human health is long overdue.