Proteinaholic: How Our Obsession with Meat Is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It

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. (Oct.)