NOTE: This was originally supposed to be a guest post for Kris Gunnars’ Authority Nutrition website, but in true Denise Minger fashion, the word count got out of control and we decided to dock it here instead. Voila! Just pretend you’re reading this on a blog far, far away, and that, for once in my life, I managed to be brief.

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Ever since the “fat is bad” movement of the ‘90s morphed into our current era of carb-phobia, I’ve suspected the world would eventually turn its dietary lynch mob on protein—the only macronutrient not yet slandered by media headlines and hyperbolic Facebook memes.

Behold! The day has come.

Proteinaholic is the latest work of Dr. Garth Davis—a Houston-based weight loss surgeon whose personal and professional journey led him away from animal foods and down the fibrous, veggie-lined path of plant-based eating.

The book’s title isn’t quite as literal as a bevy of fumbling addicts slurping whey-protein shakes from paper bags, but in some ways, the image isn’t far off. Animal protein, according to Davis, is not the key to weight loss—but rather, a chief cause of our expanding waistlines. Far from making us healthier, it drives the progression of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other ailments crippling the Western world. Those who swap it out for the bounty of the plant kingdom are rewarded with greater longevity and disease protection, Davis argues.

Regardless of its scientific validity (which we’ll get to in a minute!), Proteinaholic is bound to make some waves. It’s stoking the flames of our next macronutrient-centric shift, bringing a new dietary villain to the fore, and adding ammo to the plant-based diet movement’s arsenal of “things that sound like proof.” Like The China Study, Proteinaholic is destined to become a go-to resource for those wanting scientific validation for veganism.

But that leads us to the question: does this book make a legitimate case against animal protein? Or is it an example of some kernels of truth swathed in selective interpretation and bias? Let the analytical games begin! (more…)