Howard Jacobson

The longest-lived people in the world get an average of 10 percent of their total calories from protein. Our average is as high as 15 to 20 percent, and of course, if you’re on a high-protein diet—Atkins, Paleo, or the diets recommended by many of my colleagues, and formerly by me—that figure goes up to 40 or 50 percent.

For example, the German physiologist Dr. Carl von Voit studied the diets of late-nineteenth-century laborers and found that they ate about 118 grams of protein per day. Von Voit then made a couple of classic errors. He confused description with prescription, and he extrapolated from heavy laborers to the population at large. He assumed that the workers ate what their bodies needed, so therefore 118 grams of protein must be the optimal daily amount for everyone

We seemingly cannot get enough of protein, and this reality is leading us down a very dangerous road. In fact, “eat more protein” may be the worst advice that “experts” give to the public.

recently, a survey done by the International Food Information Council Foundation found that 63 percent of Americans are looking for protein foods when deciding what to eat, and a whopping 57 percent said they are trying to eat as much protein as possible!

So what is the problem? In a word: confusion. Some of us eat protein to lose weight, while others eat protein to gain weight. Ponder that paradox for a second.

“Experts” argue about good fats and bad fats, or good carbs and bad carbs. This is very much part of the reason we are so confused about what to eat. But in protein we all seem to feel safe. No one would dare to argue that protein is bad for you.

you will see that the science shows that our protein obsession may be one of the main causes for the rise we are seeing in obesity, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. The United States is arguably the sickest first world country with the lowest life expectancy, and we eat more protein than any other country. Protein very well may be to blame for our poor health!

Animal protein is not one of the healthiest foods around—rather, it is strongly associated with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer, the primary killers of our time.

Plant-based protein not only exists—it’s much better for you than animal protein and all plants contain more than enough to support every one of your health needs.

After years of intense research, I could come to only one conclusion: People whose diets are high in animal protein have significantly higher rates of chronic diseases: hypertension, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and many, many others, including cataracts, diverticulitis, diverticulosis, inflammatory bowel disease, gall bladder disorders, gout, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney stones, and rheumatoid arthritis.