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:

One thing that has happened is the guys in his shop (he is a diesel mechanic for the National Guard) have been giving him grief about eating a vegan diet..,men can be so childish sometimes...lol...

I swear you just wrote about my husband!!!! Lol. He's a licensed aircraft mechanic for the Navy, currently. ? His coworkers are doing the same! He's always got some story about the guys giving him grief as well. Lol

2 hours ago, Berry78 said:

Us bariatric folk HAVE to have more concentrated sources of protein. (And I can't do shakes).

I don't worry about the protein anymore. I just stick to making sure I eat my Whole Foods and I believe it'll take care of itself as well. So, in other words, I could probably sit down and figure out what I ate today and how much is in it, etc...but that's not me. If I did it, I'm sure I probably got a good dose of plant proteins, etc in. Doesn't stop me from not having any energy or even lifting weights at the gym (although I need to do more). I just believe my body is taking care of itself. Now, I do like to have some cold brew with a protein shake every now and then (so that helps!) and I do have plant protein shakes from time to time too. Oh, and I eat an egg here and there as well. ?

2 hours ago, SusanG81 said:

So I wonder what to go by...a vegan or a plant based???

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I think it's a matter of preference. I tend to go by Whole Foods plant based. Vegan can have a lot of other things than just veggies and fruits, as long as there are no animal products used, which can be a whole lot of junky processed foods as well. There are Healthy vegans though. If I had to label my lifestyle it'll have to vegetarian currently, because I do have an egg or some cheese every now and then; but it's probably 90% plant based. But I am not all that big on labels, so I say I eat a WFPB diet if the subject of diet comes up.

2 hours ago, SusanG81 said:

NewMe I love your post about the myths and so on. Thank You for posting the info. Can you please tell me more about it?

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I am still learning a lot myself! Lol. I get interested in things and start looking stuff up on the internet. It was Apple's signature quote that piqued my interest about the myths etc.

Here's a great site for science based information about anything to do with being healthy:

https://nutritionfacts.org/

2 hours ago, SusanG81 said:

Lol NewMe I am a vegetarian and had the sleeve in 2015. I was just tested and showed my good cholesterol was low and my bad cholesterol was high.

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First thing I thought was "how much is your dairy intake?" Just as Apple asked, do you eat a lot of eggs, cheese, etc (and oils). That'll play a good role in bad cholesterol being high.

Here's an excerpt of a great article.

....it appears we need to drastically reduce our intake of trans fat, which comes from processed foods and naturally from meat and dairy; saturated fat, found mainly in animal products and junk foods; and, playing a lesser role, dietary cholesterol, found exclusively in animal-derived foods, especially eggs.

Notice the pattern? The three boosters of bad cholesterol—the number-one risk factor for our number-one killer—all stem from eating processed foods and animal products. This likely explains why populations living on traditional diets revolving around whole plant foods have largely remained free from the epidemic of heart disease.

https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/

I stopped drinking regular milk about a year ago because it upset my stomach. Now I drink unflavored almond milk. Cheese I have VERY little of due to it hurting my stomach like milk but I am no longer gonna eat cheese and am looking for a good replacement. As for eggs after wls it is what I lived off of. Lol used to live off of them. Now I don't eat them at all though. Tried egg whites liked them 1 time but hated them after that so no more egg whites either. Oils I don't use at all. But ueah I am sure my high cholesterol is due to my past egg life.

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I also need to find foods that are hgood dor me with the good cholesterol.

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I keep thinking of things to say or ask after I press send lol. Anyways...due to everything I have said I am starting a vegan/ plant based diet for the rest of my life. What one do you all think is better..vegan or plant based?

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Oh yeah..thanks for the info Newme

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8 minutes ago, SusanG81 said:

I keep thinking of things to say or ask after I press send lol. Anyways...due to everything I have said I am starting a vegan/ plant based diet for the rest of my life. What one do you all think is better..vegan or plant based?

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Why not both? Just be sure to leave out the processed foods from the vegan...which will leave you with a Whole Foods plant based diet anyway! ?

14 minutes ago, SusanG81 said:

I also need to find foods that are hgood dor me with the good cholesterol.

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Here's a good list to start. I personally would eliminate the fatty fish and limit the olive oil. But the rest are everything on a good wholesome plant based diet.

Thanks alot Newme

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9 hours ago, SusanG81 said:

I stopped drinking regular milk about a year ago because it upset my stomach. Now I drink unflavored almond milk. cheese I have VERY little of due to it hurting my stomach like milk but I am no longer gonna eat cheese and am looking for a good replacement. As for eggs after wls it is what I lived off of. Lol used to live off of them. Now I don't eat them at all though. Tried egg whites liked them 1 time but hated them after that so no more egg whites either. Oils I don't use at all. But ueah I am sure my high cholesterol is due to my past egg life.

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The body is a glorious mechanism composed of vast numbers of feedback loops. We actually NEED cholesterol for health and repair. If we do not take in enough cholesterol through diet, our body manufactures it. The catch is, that if the body has to manufacture it, it's almost always comprised of small, dense particles carrying (Apo B=LDL particles). The bad rap cholesterol has received comes mainly from the small ApoB lipo protein particles. These are the particles that make up the plaques in our arteries. Surprisingly, when we consume cholesterol, especially saturated fatty acids, these particles consist of large fluffy particles and they actually go through and clean out the small LDL particles in our arteries.

I'm sure I'm goobering this science up. Uffe Ravskov wrote a pretty definitive book on the subject. Also, some few people have familial dyslipidemia that caused cholesterol and triglycerides to go high regardless of diet. And, thyroid dsyfunction can also cause cholesterol and triglycerides to remain high despite diet.

50 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

We actually NEED cholesterol for health and repair

Yes I agree. Good cholesterol has gotten a bad rap, just like carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap. We need these both, just the good ones. ?

11 hours ago, Newme17 said:

I swear you just wrote about my husband!!!! Lol. He's a licensed aircraft mechanic for the Navy, currently. ? His coworkers are doing the same! He's always got some story about the guys giving him grief as well. Lol

Our hubby's are so much a like...lol..