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!

2 hours ago, Private Citizen said:

Aha...never assume the person asking doesn't know.

You answered the question about what YOU do about Protein, thanks for that. Remember to keep an open mind to learning new things, real science is NEVER settled, and a lot of what is produced online is not correct. And since Americans are the most overfed nation on the planet with the best longer term genetics they can experiment widely with any foods and still not suffer for it. Notice I did not disagree with you on the value of plant based diet.

Call me confused. Have no idea what you're talking about. Otherwise, yeah, science is always trying to be debunked with more science. What is proven fact though, I'll accept. ? Yay for plant based!

10 hours ago, Newme17 said:

Call me confused. Have no idea what you're talking about. Otherwise, yeah, science is always trying to be debunked with more science. What is proven fact though, I'll accept. ? Yay for plant based!

Me too. I am not sure which post private citizen was responding too. I believe reading this book and researching a whole foods plant based diet demonstrates having an open mind and a willingness to search out the latest scientific findings. I am not sure what was meant about Americans having the best longer term genetics. I agree that this country is largely overfed, but mostly with the wrong foods. Obesity and chronic disease is very high which leads me to seek out better nutrition for myself moving forward.

Anyone familiar with Dr. McDougall? He believes in a starch-based diet.

For example, the Okinawans of Japan used to subsist on 69% sweet potatoes, colorful veggies, rice, tofu, and fish about once a week. (Pork once a month). 6% of calories from fat, 10% from protein. Almost no fruit or sugar.

What is interesting is after 1960, their diet changed, and they aren't living as long.

2 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

Anyone familiar with Dr. McDougall? He believes in a starch-based diet.

For example, the Okinawans of Japan used to subsist on 69% sweet potatoes, colorful veggies, rice, tofu, and fish about once a week. (Pork once a month). 6% of calories from fat, 10% from Protein. Almost no fruit or sugar.

What is interesting is after 1960, their diet changed, and they aren't living as long.

Yes, I believe I heard of that docs name. Possibly in Proteinaholic. Dr Davis talks about the Okinawans a lot, how their diet is mostly starch, which in turn is high in fiber (and that's what Americans need most). Japan's government noticed the increase in obesity and diabetes, etc and decided to do some research....well, since they started adopting a more western diet, they started getting sicker. Just for those studies alone I would hope many would think about the western diet, being so high in proteins, fats.

One thing that amazes me is that heart disease starts early in life, as young as ten years old, due to diets high in animal proteins. Over time and decades, eating the same diet will ultimately lead to death early on. Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S. Even Dr Atkins died of heart disease. As Dr Greger asks, "Its not where you get your protein, it's where are you getting fiber?" That fiber only comes naturally from plants.

No, Dr. Atkins died of a fall.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Atkins_(nutritionist)

13 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

No, Dr. Atkins died of a fall.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Atkins_(nutritionist)

Technically yes, it was the fall that ended his life, but he had heart disease and high blood pressure.

20 minutes ago, Apple1 said:

Technically yes, it was the fall that ended his life, but he had heart disease and high blood pressure.

Fall or not, following his own diet, he surely wasn't healthy inside.

Edited August 11, 20179 yr by Newme17

The heart disease wasn't diet-related, but the high blood pressure could have been.

1 minute ago, Berry78 said:

The heart disease wasn't diet-related, but the high blood pressure could have been.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-and-heart-disease/

His diet comprised of high protein and even high fat (bacon, etc). I know this...I did it for a while and lost weight, but of course, gained it all back. That was when it was all about vanity for me. Now, the my health is what is important. Anyway, I posted a video in regards to how his heart disease MAY have been diet related--even though the risks of getting heart disease goes up with a diet of high animal proteins; his diet surely didn't help him though...that's just the overall truth.

The more plant protein, the less risk and/or goes away.

I could have saved myself some money of not having WLS had I been this passionate about my health previously and/or found this book!!!! LOL But I'm still thankful and do not regret having it to reset my metabolism. All I can do is move forward and take care of my body the way I believe it should be intended.

I finished the book today. I spent some time today looking up some of the studies he referenced in the book and I am amazed that I did not find some of this back when I was researching the best diet for type 2 diabetes. I think I had tunnel vision and just assumed I need low carb so I didn't even seriously consider any other alternatives. I was focusing on my bs levels instead of the insulin response mainly because I can test bs but not insulin levels.

I think I am ready to put this to the test. As I phase out meat and add more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains I will break out my meter and test pre-meal, 1 hour, and 2 hours post-meal. I will report my finding back to this thread. I figure it will help any others who might be considering a Whole Foods plant based diet.

Hi group! Surgery in just over a week, and wondering what you ate the first couple weeks out of surgery? I currently eat a plant based diet that consists of a lot of raw veggies. I have come to terms with the fact that I wont be munching on raw broccoli or spinach for a few weeks until my stomach will alow me to each solids again.

I plan to eat veggie broth, although I have ordered some bone broth (im struggling with this) to mix with it because I am so concerned about getting the amount of protein that is recommended those first couple weeks. I am also on a vegan protein shake. Any other ideas? I think once I'm back to eating "normal" food it shouldn't be hard to get enough protein. It will be lower than my dr. recommends, but still plenty and I feel sufficient.

Cherbear.. you will need to rely on your plant-based shakes for a couple months. Tofu, beans, and nuts will be your friends long term.

@Newme17 really interested in this book! Will order it today! I was trying to move to a more plant based diet before surgery but then tossed the idea thinking it wasn't something that was going to work with vsg.

12 hours ago, Newme17 said:

I could have saved myself some money of not having WLS had I been this passionate about my health previously and/or found this book!!!! LOL But I'm still thankful and do not regret having it to reset my metabolism. All I can do is move forward and take care of my body the way I believe it should be intended.

Let me just say having been vegan for over a decade--I'm still glad I got WLS! It's so incredibly easy to get vegan junk food and to just eat way too much, healthy or not. I credit being vegan with having no health problems and looking younger than my peers, but I think the combo of both WFPB and WLS is the best for people who have serious eating/obesity issues. It would eventually catch up with me.

Also, I love that you're sharing all the Nutrition Facts vids on here! Are you totally obsessed with Dr. Gregor now like I am?? I mention his name at least once a day!