Proteinaholic

September 7, 2015
Weight loss surgeon Davis (The Expert’s Guide to Weight Loss Surgery) convincingly argues that the best way to eat for health and longevity consists of a diet high in plants and low in meat. He asserts that though it might seem that “scientists are constantly disagreeing,” there actually exists “a broad consensus that including plants and limiting animals in our diets is the single best thing we can do for our health.” Davis takes on the current vogue for high-protein diets and patiently debunks the studies that appear to support them, arguing that the meat and dairy lobbies have long tried to suppress the proof behind his recommendations. Written well and with brio (“If I were to take a piece of fat from your butt, I could send it to a lab that can determine exactly what you have been eating”), the book begins with Davis’s personal transformation from meat-eater to vegan, and then moves to an examination of popular high-protein diets such as Atkins and paleo and a consideration of how diet contributes to or protects from chronic disease. Exhaustively researched and fascinating, this book also contains a handy sample meal plan with recipes.

October 1, 2015

Americans are obsessed with protein. A high-protein diet supposedly helps with weight control and provides energy. Davis, a weight-loss specialist and bariatric surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital, explains why this is not true. Using his personal history as a starting point, he explains that overconsumption of protein actually increases the incidence of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity. When his blood pressure and weight began to rise, the author began researching the medical literature and learned that the healthiest people eat plant-based diets. He shows readers what protein is, what it does, as well as where it comes from. He offers evidence-based information to back up his claim that plant-based diets provide ample protein without the fat that meat contains and supplies an extensive bibliography to assist further research. Davis also presents meal plans and recipes, encouraging a vegetarian or vegan diet, or, at least a reduction in the amount of animal products consumed. He feels that this is important for medical, ethical, and environmental reasons. VERDICT This title is easy to understand and, despite its infomercial-like tone, gives sound information that will motivate readers to improve their health.--Barbara Bibel, formerly Oakland P.L.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
If cattle is king, then chicken and pork certainly must be members of the royal court. Prime steakhouses, roadside rib joints, grills on every patio: Americans are consumed with eating meat. Does a person really need to chow down on this much ground chuck? Davis, a pioneer in weight-loss-management surgery, doesn't believe so. Once dangerously overweight himself, he personally transformed from a self-proclaimed protein addict to a learned proponent of a plant-based diet. From bacon at breakfast to steak at supper, Americans eat more animal protein per capita than any other nation. And what do we get for this high honor? High cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, among other ailments. Through extensive analysis of popular protein-pushing diet plans and meticulous assessment of nutritional research, Davis' passionate advocacy of a more healthful eating plan is also refreshingly transparent. Every claim and recommendation is fully annotated, making this reasoned and reasonable treatise a life changer in the truest sense of the word.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)