I still believe that a plant-based diet has tremendous health

"I still believe that a plant-based diet has tremendous health benefits, but I have incorporated more animal protein into my diet. I found that my body personally got to a point where I needed something more." – Bob Harper

In these words, Bob Harper speaks not as a man divided, but as a man awakened. His wisdom arises from experience, from the quiet revelation that balance, not dogma, is the path to true health. He honors the plant-based diet for its purity, its gentleness, its ability to heal—but he also acknowledges the sacred voice of the body, that ancient messenger that whispers truth when reason alone cannot. To say “I needed something more” is not an admission of weakness—it is a triumph of awareness. It is the courage to evolve, to listen, and to adapt in a world that often worships rigidity over understanding.

In the olden days, the seekers of wisdom knew this truth well. The philosopher Hippocrates, father of medicine, taught that health is not one law for all, but a dance between the needs of the individual and the gifts of nature. “One man’s food,” he said, “is another man’s poison.” Bob Harper’s reflection continues that lineage of wisdom. He reminds us that even the most noble practice must bend to the needs of life itself. For health is not a religion—it is a living covenant between body, mind, and earth. The one who listens to that covenant is not a servant to rules, but a master of harmony.

To live by belief alone, without listening to the body, is to mistake principle for truth. The ancient Stoics knew this: that wisdom lies in adaptation. When the sailor clings to his sail in a storm, refusing to change course, he drowns by the weight of his own certainty. But the wise navigator trims his sails, turns with the wind, and finds safe harbor. So too did Bob Harper adjust his course. He did not abandon the plant-based path—he expanded it, weaving into it the strength of animal protein, the vigor his body sought. In doing so, he embraced the full spectrum of nourishment that nature offers.

There is a story of Galen, physician to the Roman gladiators, who once treated two fighters of equal skill. One thrived on fruits and grains; the other wasted away on the same food. When Galen introduced meats and broths, the second man’s strength returned. From that day forward, Galen taught that the truest healer is observation, not ideology. Harper’s wisdom mirrors that of the old physician: to understand that each body is its own universe, ruled by its own laws, deserving of respect, not command.

What Bob Harper speaks of, then, is not merely diet—it is self-awareness. He calls us to honor the quiet signals of our being, to know when to persist and when to change. For too long, humanity has looked outward for perfection—in rules, in systems, in the words of others. But the true teacher lives within the skin. The body speaks through strength and fatigue, through hunger and satisfaction, through peace and restlessness. To ignore these signs is to turn away from the oldest wisdom of all: that we are not machines to be programmed, but living beings to be understood.

His words are also an ode to humility. In the journey toward health, there is no shame in change. The wise do not cling to yesterday’s truth when today’s body asks for something new. The earth herself teaches this—she changes with the seasons, giving fruits in summer, roots in winter, rivers when the rains fall, and silence when the snows come. So too must we change with the seasons of our lives. What nourished us once may not nourish us always. To incorporate something more is not to betray a belief—it is to deepen it.

The lesson, then, is clear: listen deeply. The mind may plan, but the body knows. Eat not by trend, but by truth. Let your diet be guided by gratitude for all that grows and breathes. Embrace plants for their purity, but do not scorn the strength of flesh if your body calls for it. Health is not found in extremity, but in equilibrium. Let your choices be guided by respect—for yourself, for the creatures of the earth, and for the life that flows through you.

And so, let these words be remembered as an offering to future generations: balance is the highest form of wisdom. The path to vitality is not carved in stone—it is alive, shifting, responsive. As Bob Harper discovered, to become whole is not to follow one path blindly, but to walk in rhythm with one’s own nature. To hear that quiet whisper—I need something more—and to honor it, is to walk the ancient path of truth, where nourishment becomes not just survival, but communion with life itself.