It’s well known that in order to live a long and healthy life, a sensible diet should be followed.

The traditional food pyramid, now known as My Plate, has long dictated what a balanced diet should consist of, but is there a chance this long time knowledge is not as accurate as we all once thought?

The public’s obsession with eating animal meat as a main source of protein dates back as far as stories of ancient cavemen.  Popular cartoons over the years such as The Flintstones have added to the stereotype of the carnivorous human diet.

It seems that much of the population has forgotten that our ancestors were not just hunters, but also gatherers.

Australian Joe Cross has become well known for his documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead which follows his sixty-day journey to regain his health and his life by following a plant protein-based diet.

When the documentary journey started, Cross was overweight, unhealthy and on a steady daily regiment of a string of medications, but under the watchful eye of Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Cross began his fruit and vegetable journey back to life.

Taking a page out of the caveman gatherers’ playbook, Cross cut all animal protein out of his diet.

His documented doctor’s visits showed him come back to life over the course of his sixty-day reboot.  Regular physical weigh-ins and check ups proved that Cross’s theory about putting down the knife was not only effective, but adding longevity to his life.

After two months, not only was Cross’s health restored, but his weight was under control, and he was able to throw away every pill bottle in his medicine cabinet.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead goes beyond just the journey of Joe Cross.

During his journey, Cross travels across the United States meeting average, everyday people and working to educate them on the benefits of eating a plant-protein diet as well as how hard the human body has to work to digest and expel animal-protein.

Throughout the documentary, several people agree to try a reboot with Joe.  All of them have favorable results, and visits to the doctor show them to be healthy and happy.

One participant in particular, Phil Staples, a morbidly obese and heavily-medicated truck driver, undergoes an amazing transformation.  At the end of his reboot, Staples, like Cross, was able to throw away every medication on his prescription list in addition to losing an astounding three-hundred pounds.

While it is unrealistic to expect everyone to stop eating animal-proteins, like everything else good in life, moderation is key.

More information is becoming available daily and more studies are being conducted to show the undeniable advantages of turning to the garden rather than the butcher.  Maybe it’s time we all thought about putting down the knife.

Fat, Sick & Almost Dead can be viewed in full on Youtube.   To view an extended trailer, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv3vEXy_EwU