Is protein a MYTH??
What this video covers
Andy Elliott sits down with health coach Nate Klein to explore his radical transformation from a stressed corporate executive to a thriving fruitarian. Klein challenges conventional beliefs regarding protein, asserting that fruit provides all necessary amino acids while significantly reducing inflammation and stress. The discussion highlights Klein's personal health results, including increased muscle mass and optimized hormone levels, and outlines his approach to guiding others toward natural nutrition.
Key takeaways
- Nate transitioned from consuming two pounds of meat daily to eating an exclusively fruit-based diet after experiencing burnout and health issues.
- He contends that the societal emphasis on high dietary protein is propaganda, explaining that the body requires amino acids rather than animal protein.
- In a 12-week personal trial against his brother who followed a standard bodybuilding diet, Nate gained 1.3 kg of lean muscle on fruit alone while his brother lost muscle.
- A fruitarian lifestyle paired with breathwork and meditation drastically lowered Nate's cortisol levels, resulting in a significant increase in testosterone.
- Nate rarely drinks plain water, meeting his hydration needs directly through water-rich raw fruits.
- Through his coaching framework, the FRUIT method, Nate helps individuals transition sustainably away from processed foods toward holistic physical and mental well-being.
Topics covered
- The Journey to Fruitarianism
- Nate recounts his background as an overweight, stressed executive and how a series of dietary eliminations and a three-day water fast led him to align with what he considers a species-specific, raw human diet.
- Debunking the Protein Myth
- The discussion addresses the widespread belief that animal meat is essential for strength, presenting Nate's argument that fruit is abundant in amino acids and capable of supporting muscle growth and athletic performance.
- Hormonal Health and Stress Reduction
- Nate and Andy examine the relationship between modern diet, elevated cortisol, and declining testosterone levels, noting how natural eating habits and stress management restore natural vitality.
- The FRUIT Method and Coaching
- An overview of Nate's structured approach to helping clients safely transition their diets, heal their gut, rewire limiting beliefs, and cultivate sustainable wellness.
“Because the big reason why my testosterone shot up is because my cortisol levels have gone the other way.”
FULL TRANSCRIPT
When I tell people that I only eat
fruit, the first [music] question that
everybody asked me
>> What about protein?
>> Exactly.
>> Where do you get your protein?
>> Where do I get my protein? But it's
>> People are thinking I die.
>> [music]
>> Well, this this is the thing. I mean,
I'm 7 days just on oranges at the moment
and I feel fantastic. The protein myth,
[music] it's it's it's propaganda to get
us to eat more meat.
>> It's actually lowering [music] men's
testosterone. I mean, women, too, but
>> Yes.
>> Everyone's testosterone dramatically.
They were talking about like in the
[music] 1950s,
men's testosterone would probably be up
around like 1,500.
>> Yes.
>> Like it would [music] be really high.
Today, they say normal range of men's,
you know, testosterone is between like
[music]
200 to 900.
>> I very rarely drink water. I get all my
water from my fruit.
>> And you look like you're 20 years
younger.
>> Well, I feel it. I feel it. We've got a
a worldwide epidemic at the moment in
terms of our health. Not just here in
the US, [music]
>> Yes.
>> but in Australia, all over the world,
we've got the highest rates ever of
obesity, we've got [music] uh high
cancer rates, we've got high heart
disease, we've got uh
diabetes [music] through the roof.
There's a reason for that. It's the food
that we're eating.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> And
we're treating the symptoms, we're
treating the problems, but we're [music]
not treating the cause.
>> Hey guys, what's going on? It is Andy
Elliott. Today in this video, we are
going to talk about why protein is a
scam. Listen, check this out. I got my
boy Nate with me right here. Um this
guy's number one. He's unbelievable.
Extremely smart. But Nate ain't ate food
in the last year, right?
>> I've been eating fruit for the last
year, yeah.
>> Okay, listen. And so, when I say food,
like I'm thinking like steak, chicken,
turkey, like
like he's been eating fruit. Matter of
fact, he's been eating oranges for like
the last 7 days.
>> That's right.
>> And
again, you may think like this is crazy.
Listen, do me a favor.
I want you to stop This video is going
to be less than 20 minutes.
And I want you to listen to his side cuz
he was a normal guy, very successful in
business.
And one day he drew a line and changed
everything. Why? Why did he do it? And
he feels amazing. He looks unreal. He's
incredible. He's on fire. He's crushing
and everyone that does what it is that
he's telling them to do, they do the
same thing.
And so I told him and by the way I know
his story. I told him I said we're going
to tell this to the world and then you
guys can decide is protein a scam? Is
it?
Or is it not? But whatever it is, Nate's
here with us and Nate I love you. I love
what you've done. It works amazing for
you. Every single person in this world
has their choice what they want to do
but we all want to be healthier, am I
right? So I got Nate, Nate Klein. Thank
you.
You're from Australia. Where do you live
right now?
>> I live in Sydney, Australia.
>> Okay, that's what I thought.
>> here visiting.
It's always good to be here. Thank you
for having me. Uh but this is this is
huge.
>> Yeah, I want you to I want you to rip.
Tell me what was the thing that made you
make the decision to live this way?
>> It was a it was a gradual process. It
was I had to learn as I as I was going.
But I was overweight. I was stressed
out. I was angry all the time. I was
distracted. Um
you know, I was in a in a high-paying
executive role and and it felt like I
was drowning under the work. And I got
back in the gym. I started training
properly again. I lost some weight and
and I just felt called to give up meat.
You know, there was this big message in
my head that
Nathan, you have to give up meat. All
right? Like it it it it it was it was
almost like a spiritual experience.
>> Mhm.
>> And and it felt wrong what I was doing.
I was eating about 2 lb of meat a day.
>> Yeah.
>> You know, to try and lose weight.
>> [laughter]
>> Okay.
>> I mean, I sound like most people.
>> Yeah. No, I like that. But no, this is
good and the reason why is because I
have changed a lot of things in my life
because I have seen what it has done for
other people.
>> Yeah.
>> So at this point in time, you're
overweight, you're in a high-stress job,
you're super
you know, just not happy with yourself.
>> Correct. So I I started working on
myself a lot.
>> Mhm.
>> And I I realized through that experience
that
there's no way that I could be giving my
loving myself the most and giving myself
the absolute best possible foods if I
was consuming death. If I'm consuming
dead animals,
if I'm consuming animal products, you
know, dairy, eggs, all those sorts of
things. And so, over the course of a few
months, I gave up meat.
I felt amazing. I gave up dairy. I felt
amazing. I gave up eggs. I felt amazing.
And then all I had left was tofu and
lentils and beans and those sorts of
high protein foods.
And
when I
sort of I it was still feeling wrong.
Something was still feeling off.
Um and I I sort of took it back I took a
it back to a water fast. I did a a 3-day
water fast.
And if you've ever done a fast, it is
one of the most spiritual experiences
that you can have, where you really
connect to God, you really connect to
yourself.
And
it was at that moment that I realized
that
this is not how we were designed.
Every single animal
on Earth has a species-specific diet.
They have a diet that they have in its
raw and natural form. And they No animal
on Earth has to cook their food. And I'm
thinking to myself, why are humans any
different?
Why are humans any different? Why am I
having tofu? Why am I having beans? Why
am I having lentils?
Yes, I wasn't killing any animals. Yes,
I was I was doing the right thing by the
environment now.
But I still wasn't living in alignment
with how I believed humans were
designed.
>> Yeah. Yeah, you felt like something was
still off.
>> Something was still off.
>> So, so what happened?
>> So, it during this fast, uh you're
supposed to break your fast with
uh very water-rich foods, fruits, things
like that. And on this fast, I had this
overwhelming sensation that I needed to
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