I know this was mentioned before here in the Vegans/Vegetarians forums and I wanted to maybe start this thread for all things pertaining to the book that Dr. Garth Davis authored, Proteinaholic. So far I'm on chapter 6 of it and I'm just amazed with how sound it is and all the studies that are out there to support why we don't need such a high amount of protein, and why it's a culprit of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.... There's just so much to talk about if anyone wants to get into discussion. Now, this thread IS NOT going to be for debate. I do not want anyone coming on here advocating high protein and what they "know" and debating with any of us who are or evolving into plant based, vegans or vegetarians. I want to share the things I've learned from the book and if anyone wants to challenge those, READ THE BOOK FIRST, and then you can come and talk about it. If you don't or haven't read the book, feel free to read the things that will be posted...and do your own homework to find these facts/truths out for yourself. I literally don't have time to do a protein ping pong match...so don't start one. You will be ignored.

Okay, with that said and out of the way, the first thing I want to mention is that Dr. Davis actually dispels the myths about protein and why our bodies don't need so much. It is not an opinionated book, it's a science/fact book. It makes TOTAL sense. He is quite comical too. The parts where he plays out his doctor/patient dialogues hit me the most...because I can relate to how I was educated about protein being what we all need. I had the same mentalities as he did regarding it, but after I started watching documentaries on plant based diets for the past couple of years, I've slowly become open to all the health benefits of eating plant based. But now, even though I knew plant based is great for the health, I didn't know that the protein component was/is what was causing so many problems in my health, my husband's, etc. Now, I've got science and truth to understand the premise of protein. The history of why, what Dr Davis talks about, we western society pick apart whole foods and live based off of macronutrients. Now, it just boggles me why we do that. The other thing that rings true and is nice knowing, is that he is a bariatric surgeon too. He knows what he's coaching/telling his patients. He knows that he was not a nutritionist, didn't know a single thing, but the one hour of nutrition studies in his school days, but he took the time to dive into history, studies, reports, etc to bring light to why western society is so unhealthy, and most of it is based on animal protein.

Wow.

Read the book!

3 hours ago, Apple1 said:

This was my upbringing exactly. My mom like to use cream of mushroom Soup to season everything. I think that is why I hate mushrooms now..lol..

Lol. My mom did a lot of cream of mushroom stuff too! But I do love mushrooms still...in fact, just ate some on my salad.

We ate a ton of pasta.. spaghetti every week, and macaroni and cheese and spanish rice (basically spaghetti but rice instead of noodles). Money was an issue, so taking a pound of ground beef and mixing it into a bunch of starch was a relatively cheap way of feeding 5 people. We drank milk and orange juice and tea.

According to Mercola: (It's good to research each nutrient to figure out how much we're getting, and how much we need).

• Eight nutrients you cannot get from plant foods include: vitamin B12, creatine, carnosine, taurine, vitamin D3, heme-iron, the omega-3 fat DHA, and sulfur

12 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

Eight nutrients you cannot get from plant foods include: Vitamin B12, creatine, carnosine, taurine, vitamin D3, heme-iron, the omega-3 fat DHA, and sulfur

You can get omega-3 from some vegetables, hemp seed, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, and some oils like olive and canola. Beans are a good source also.

Vegetables have iron just in a different form than the heme-iron found in meat.

57 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

• Eight nutrients you cannot get from plant foods include: Vitamin B12, creatine, carnosine, taurine, vitamin D3, heme-iron, the omega-3 fat DHA, and sulfur

You CAN get B12 from plants actually, if you farmed all of your own plants without any kinds of pesticides, etc. and did just a rinse of them. Otherwise a supplement will have to do for most of us.

Isnt the heme iron the one we don't want? I'll have to go back and find the topic/science of it in the book.

Made this tonight. Soooo good.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/07/slow-cooker-coconut-curry-lentils/

my pic:

I definitely came from a family of meat eaters. I grew up on t-bone and ribeye steaks, and prime rib. My brother and dad would place steak bets instead of money on football games. ? I love the quote by Maya Angelou, When you know better you do better." It's been somewhat of a mantra for me.

I told my mom (my dad passed away several years ago) very nonchalantly last week that I wasn't eating meat anymore. She really didn't have a reaction one way or the other. A few days later, as my mom was preparing a menu for our annual family reunion picnic, she called me and said, "Well, I don't know what to bring to the picnic sense you can't eat anything." I just chuckled to myself as I wondered how did me going meatless turn into me not being able to eat ANYTHING? ???

12 minutes ago, Frmbandtosleeve said:

I definitely came from a family of meat eaters. I grew up on t-bone and ribeye steaks, and prime rib. My brother and dad would place steak bets instead of money on football games. ? I love the quote by Maya Angelou, When you know better you do better." It's been somewhat of a mantra for me.

I told my mom (my dad passed away several years ago) very nonchalantly last week that I wasn't eating meat anymore. She really didn't have a reaction one way or the other. A few days later, as my mom was preparing a menu for our annual family reunion picnic, she called me and said, "Well, I don't know what to bring to the picnic sense you can't eat anything." I just chuckled to myself as I wondered how did me going meatless turn into me not being able to eat ANYTHING? ???

I love that quote! When you've got the knowledge of something, now you're responsible for carrying it out.

Had to chuckle about the "you can't eat anything" statement. ? If anything we have a whole lot more variety to eat than when we did with meats.

Absolutely!

2 hours ago, Newme17 said:

Made this tonight. Soooo good.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/07/slow-cooker-coconut-curry-lentils/

my pic:

That looks so yummy. I guess it was a lentil weekend..lol.. I forgot to take a photo of my vegetable lentil soup. It did not last long my dh and son pigged out.

1 hour ago, Apple1 said:

I guess it was a lentil weekend..lol..

Guess so! I had a friend who went vegan (for the animal aspect) about 8 years ago. She had lentil soup so much during our lunches and I could never understand why she enjoyed them so much. Lol. Now that I've learned to make different lentil dishes, I too, am enjoying them. She ended up moving and we lost contact...I'd have to bet that she's still eating vegan. She also does long distance cycling, which she took up while we were both at the gym. I can now understand where she got all of her energy from!!! Lol. Makes me wonder how she is...she's 48 now and lives in Houston (?). Hope she is well.

I've only known one vegan and one vegetarian. (I don't get out much).

Interesting story about the vegan. The first time I saw her (she owned a little health-supplement store.. homeopathics and the like).. anyway, I go into her shop, and she is something like 8 months pregnant. Rail thin, pale, sickly looking. She mentions she's Vegan.

Second time I go in, she has her baby, is lactating, and she looks no better. She was planning on raising her daughter that way. I left the store, feeling sorry for the babe.

Skip forward about 5 years (I didn't frequent the store). Her daughter is as cute as a button, dancing around the store, and the Mom looks MUCH better. She had put on 20-30lbs, had color back in her face.. she looked so much more healthy. I told her as much and she said, "I used to be Vegan, but it didn't agree with me".

For all I know, she was a sugar-aholic, and didn't really eat well or take all the required supplements to sustain that way of eating.... in other words, the poster child for how NOT to eat a plant-only diet. But since our relationship was so superficial, I never could find out. Her store is closed now, so it will remain a mystery.

The lacto-ovo vegetarian is quite healthy.

My first college was an all-girls school. It was a very small college, but it had 2 dinner lines: vegetarian and meat-based. I always looked at both before making my selection.. and the vegetarian food always looked better!! Lol.

I'll see what I can turn up about heme iron. Mercola isn't necessarily my favorite dude, but he has had some interesting things to say over the years...

57 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

Rail thin, pale, sickly looking. She mentions she's Vegan.

She was probably not taking any b12 supplements, for sure. I would have felt bad for the baby too.

Symptoms of a deficiency of b12:

• Weakness, tiredness, or lightheadedness
• Heart palpitations and shortness of breath
• Pale skin
• A smooth tongue
• Constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or gas
• Nerve problems like numbness or tingling, muscle weakness, and problems walking
• Vision loss
• Mental problems like depression, memory loss, or behavioral changes

1 hour ago, Berry78 said:

I'll see what I can turn up about heme Iron

Here's what Dr Greger has to say:

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/

I know many vegans and vegetarians. About half of my church are one or the other. Our monthly potlucks are always meatless. Some are the picture of health and some are whatI call junk food veggies. They consume way too much sugar, pizza, bread, ect...and are overweight.

There is so much difference in how people eat. I hope to be a healthy WFPB example.

9 hours ago, Newme17 said:

Guess so! I had a friend who went vegan (for the animal aspect) about 8 years ago. She had lentil Soup so much during our lunches and I could never understand why she enjoyed them so much. Lol. Now that I've learned to make different lentil dishes, I too, am enjoying them. She ended up moving and we lost contact...I'd have to bet that she's still eating vegan. She also does long distance cycling, which she took up while we were both at the gym. I can now understand where she got all of her energy from!!! Lol. Makes me wonder how she is...she's 48 now and lives in Houston (?). Hope she is well.

That's too bad you lost contact. Maybe your paths will cross again some day. I am full of energy these days. Since I am off today I am going to take advantage and go to the park and get another run in.