Author: Garth Davis, Howard Jacobson

ISBN: 978-0062279316

I used to be obsessed with proteins, always worried that my very active lifestyle requires large amounts of proteins. My ex-girlfriend was a vegan and I wanted to prove her that plant-based nutrition cannot provide enough protein. I decided to build my case on scientific studies. I read the literature promoting plant-based eating first to point out the shortcommings. To my surprise, I couldn't find many. I can't say I am convinced that meat is bad for your health, but I am sure that eating meat only once or even twice a week on an otherwise plant-based diet does not lead to any health risks. Even if you're an IronMan or ultra-marathoner!

EXCERPTS

It seems strange to me now that in my entire medical career, I had never even wondered whether disease was necessary. I just assumed it was inevitable and focused on how to treat it.

We spend thousands of hours studying disease but never even stop to consider why disease appears in the first place.

Many studies show that calorie restriction slows aging and increases longevity. The trouble is, very few people are willingly to adopt a “mild starvation” diet to increase their life span.

Ready for the diet and lifestyle recommendations of the most comprehensive review of the literature by an unbiased panel of the best-regarded experts in the world? Here goes:

1. Be as lean as possible, within the normal range of body weight. [Aim for the lower end of normal body mass index (BMI). In this book, we have seen that a plant-based diet is the best way to maintain low body weight.]
2. Be physically active as part of everyday life.
3. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods. Avoid sugary foods. [In other words, eat foods low in fat and high in fiber and water content. Foods low in fat and high in fiber are plant foods, not animal proteins.]
4. Eat mostly foods of plant origins. [The personal recommendation within this public health goal is to have at least five servings of fruits and veggies each day, and include pulses and unprocessed cereals with every meal.]
5. Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat. [The public health goal within the recommendation is to consume less than 300 grams (2/3 of a pound) per week. Being completely vegetarian does reduce cancer risk, but we can’t rule out the possibility that the difference is due to other aspects of a healthy lifestyle.]
6. Limit alcoholic drinks.
7. Limit consumption of salt. Avoid moldy cereals (grains) or pulses (legumes).
8. Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone. [That is, without dietary supplements.]

[Note 1: Oh and by the way, this is not the only book on topic of the health nutrition that supports the above conclusions! The World Health Organisation (WHO) came to a very similar conclusion in it's Report no. 935 on Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition. The WHO report among others concluded:

• • protein needs vary very little due to physical activity [In other words lifestyle does not impact our needs for proteins! Read the whole report for explanation of mechanisms that limit the need for additional protein even when we are very active.] That being said, the more active you are, the lower % of protein your diet needs to have. Also note that endurance athletes do not aim for hypertrophy (optimal or maximal muscle growth), but for relative strength. 
  • No difference in muscle mass gain after one month of intense weight training with protein intake of 1,3g/kg vs 2.2 g/kg.]

[Note 2: It might be that nutrition for optimal health is different from the one for optimal performance is some sports! In endurance sports taking longer than 2 hours for example, there is a general trend in recent years to consume fat as a large % of daily caloric intake. Such diet is usually called low-carb or high-fat diet.]