Michael Pollan wrote about this concept in In Defence of Food. He's also known for the idea of "eat food, mostly plants, not too much". His book goes on to explain what he means by "food" and mentions only eating from outer part of the super market where the fresh meat counters and vegies are.
Michael Pollan was incorrect about plants, though -- it turns out you can just cut plants out of your diet entirely and experience excellent health and fitness as a result.
I follow enough to know that you can remove plants; humans have shown they can survive (thrive even) on a large variety of diets and lifestyles. Do you have any links to something I can read about that you should? that is, the benefits of removing plants entirely outweighs consuming some of them.