Below is a “food pyramid” built solely on the basis of books available on the forum (without my own views). All these sources are strongly pro‑plant, often outright “anti‑dairy” and “anti‑meat”.
1. Base of the pyramid – UNPROCESSED PLANT FOODS
a) Vegetables, especially green leafy ones
Sources:
- “Green for Life – Victoria Boutenko” (sections on the superiority of greens over roots)
- “Healthy Living – Kaiser Permanente / Craig McDougall MD”
- “Master Plants Cookbook – Margarita Restrepo, Michele Lastella”
- “Food Revolution – John Robbins”
What the books say:
- Green leaves (kale, spinach, lettuces, herbs, dandelion, cruciferous veg) are the most concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals. Boutenko shows that beet, carrot and turnip greens have many times more calcium, vit. A, K etc. than the root.
- “Healthy Living” and “Master Plants” place vegetables – especially greens – as the absolute foundation of the diet for preventing and reversing chronic diseases (heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, RA).
- Recommendation from “Healthy Living”: non‑starchy vegetables – “no limit, minimum 6 servings a day, including at least 1 serving of leafy greens”.
In the ebooks’ pyramid:
The broadest base – eat vegetables (especially green leafy ones) with every meal, practically “as much as you can”.
b) Fresh, whole fruit
Sources:
- “Green for Life – Boutenko”
- “Healthy Living – Kaiser Permanente”
- “Our Top 12 Strategies for Long Term Success on a Raw Plant‑Based Diet – Rick & Karin Dina”
- “Dr Sebi Nutritional Guide”
What the books say:
- Boutenko: fruit + greens in smoothies are a way to “retrain” taste buds from processed food to natural food.
- Dina: on a raw diet you must “eat enough fruit”, because it’s the main energy source; too little fruit = hunger, snacking on junk.
- “Healthy Living”: fruit is one of the main pillars of a plant‑based diet; in diabetes they recommend limiting to 2 servings, but fruit is still present.
- Dr Sebi: a long list of allowed fruits, emphasis on seeded, as‑natural‑as‑possible fruit.
In the pyramid:
Second, very broad level – fruit as the main source of energy, especially in raw/whole form, not as juice.
2. Large middle level – STARCHES AND PLANT PROTEIN SOURCES
a) Whole grains and starchy vegetables
Sources:
- “Healthy Living – Kaiser Permanente”
- “Master Plants Cookbook”
- “Food Revolution – John Robbins”
- “Mucusless Diet Healing System – Arnold Ehret” (more critical, see below)
What the books say:
- “Healthy Living”:
- Group “Whole grains + tubers”: brown rice, oats, quinoa, barley, millet, rye, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squashes, plantains.
- 5–8 servings a day of whole grains + 2–4 servings of tubers/starches, especially for those who want to feel full on low‑calorie‑density foods.
- “Master Plants” and “Food Revolution”: whole grains and starches are the traditional base of many healthy populations (Asia – rice, Latin America – corn, Andes – potatoes, etc.).
- Ehret: much more radical – considers most cooked starches “mucus‑forming” and prefers fruit + vegetables. This is a minority but present voice.
In the pyramid:
A large level – whole grains and starchy vegetables as an important energy source, especially for people on a low‑fat diet, active, overweight (because they are filling at low calorie density).
With the caveat: Ehret and some raw authors suggest limiting cooked starches in chronic disease.
b) Legumes, tofu, tempeh
Sources:
- “Healthy Living – Kaiser Permanente”
- “Master Plants Cookbook”
- “Food Revolution – John Robbins”
What the books say:
- “Healthy Living”: 2–5 servings a day of beans, lentils, peas, tofu, tempeh; these are the main sources of protein, iron, zinc on a plant‑based diet.
- “Master Plants” and “Food Revolution”: legumes are key in the diets of long‑lived populations (e.g. Okinawa, some vegetarian communities).
- Raw authors (Dina, Ehret) are more cautious about large amounts of cooked legumes, but there is nothing like the strong condemnation they reserve for meat/dairy.
In the pyramid:
Same level as whole grains – daily, preferably several servings, unless someone follows a very raw, high‑fruit model (then less).
3. Higher level – HEALTHY PLANT FATS AND NUTS/SEEDS
Sources:
- “Healthy Living – Kaiser Permanente”
- “Our Top 12 Strategies for Long Term Success on a Raw Plant‑Based Diet – Dina”
- “Master Plants Cookbook”
- “Dr Sebi Nutritional Guide”
What the books say:
- “Healthy Living”: nuts, seeds, avocado – 0–4 servings a day; important, but easy to overdo calorically.
- Dina: on a raw diet “eat enough fat, but not too much” – especially from walnuts, flax, chia, hemp (omega‑3).
- Dr Sebi: allows e.g. Brazil nuts, walnuts, sesame, hemp; oils – mainly olive, coconut, grape seed, sesame, avocado (with the caveat not to overheat).
- “Master Plants”: presents “master plants” rich in healthy fats (avocado, nuts, seeds) as elements supporting hormones, brain, vitamin absorption.
In the pyramid:
Narrower level – daily, but in moderate amounts.
Preferred: whole nuts/seeds, avocado, olives; oils rather as an addition, not a calorie base.
4. Top of the pyramid – ANIMAL AND PROCESSED PRODUCTS
a) Meat, dairy, eggs
Sources:
- “Healthy Living – Kaiser Permanente”
- “Master Plants Cookbook”
- “Food Revolution – John Robbins”
- “Master Plants – theoretical section”
- “Dr Sebi Nutritional Guide”
- “Mucusless Diet Healing System – Ehret”
What the books say:
- “Healthy Living”: the program is practically vegan – “low‑fat, whole‑foods, plant‑based diet” – no meat, fish, dairy, eggs. Animal products are presented as factors increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers.
- “Food Revolution” and “Master Plants”: very critical of industrial animal farming, meat and dairy – both for health (cholesterol, IGF‑1, saturated fats) and ethical/environmental reasons.
- Dr Sebi: completely rejects meat and dairy as “unnatural” for humans.
- Ehret: goes even further – considers animal products the main source of “mucus” and disease, recommends eliminating them completely.
In the ebooks’ pyramid:
- Either completely outside the pyramid (ideal: 100% plant‑based),
- or at the very tip as something “to be maximally limited / transitional while quitting”, not a component of a healthy diet.
This is consistent with what you write about Seventh‑day Adventists – the books I rely on cite similar data: populations with the highest life expectancy eat very little or no animal products.
b) Processed food, sugar, refined oils
Sources:
- “Healthy Living – Kaiser Permanente”
- “Master Plants Cookbook”
- “Food Revolution – John Robbins”
- “Mucusless Diet Healing System – Ehret”
- “Raw‑food” authors (Dina, Ehret)
- “Dr Sebi Nutritional Guide”
What the books say:
- Common denominator of all: elimination or maximal restriction of:
- refined sugar, sweets, white flour, sugary drinks,
- refined oils (especially for frying),
- highly processed “vegan” substitutes (soy hot dogs, plant cheeses made from oil, etc.),
- fast food, chips, salty snacks.
- “Healthy Living”: explicitly – a diet without oil and without sweets (apart from occasional exceptions).
- Ehret and Dr Sebi: go even further – call cooked, processed food and synthetic drugs literally “the cause of all diseases”.
In the pyramid:
The tip, or actually “outside the pyramid” – something these books do not treat as food, but as a stimulant.
5. Differences between the books (important to know)
-
Degree of “rawness” of the diet
- “Healthy Living”, “Master Plants”, “Food Revolution”: promote a whole‑food plant‑based diet, but not necessarily 100% raw – cooked grains, legumes, baked vegetables are OK.
- Dina, Ehret, some other authors: strong emphasis on raw fruits and vegetables, limiting cooked starches and legumes.
- Common denominator: the more fresh, unprocessed plants, the better.
-
Fat in the diet
- “Healthy Living”: low‑fat diet – little oil, moderate nuts.
- Dina: on a raw diet warns against too little fat – you must ensure an adequate amount of healthy fats (omega‑3).
- Dr Sebi: allows oils, but rather as an addition, not a base.
-
Grains and gluten
- “Healthy Living”, “Master Plants”, “Food Revolution”: whole grains (including whole wheat) are OK for most people.
- Ehret, Dr Sebi: more critical of grains, especially hybridized, gluten‑containing ones; prefer pseudograins (quinoa, amaranth, teff) and wild plants.
6. What the “ebooks’ pyramid” would look like in brief
From bottom to top:
- Vegetables (especially green leafy ones) – base of every meal.
- Fresh, whole fruit – main source of energy, especially in raw form.
- Whole grains + starchy vegetables (brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, groats, quinoa, corn) – according to the more “moderate” books.
- Legumes, tofu, tempeh – main protein source.
- Nuts, seeds, avocado, olives – healthy fats in moderate amounts.
- Animal products (meat, dairy, eggs) – in the ideal model: 0; alternatively at the very tip as something “occasional / being phased out”.
- Ultra‑processed food, sugar, white flour, fast food, sweets, sugary drinks, refined oils – outside the pyramid.
If you want, in the next post I can:
- draw a simple graphic pyramid (e.g. as a table/ASCII),
- or make a “mega‑answer” which, besides these books, will also include current medical guidelines and research (Adventists, Blue Zones, etc.) and compare them with what the authors of our ebooks propose.