- Hardcover: 640 pages
- Publisher: Vermilion; New edition edition (5 Aug 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0091891418
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 5.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 49,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Sue Baker, Publishing News
"Read this, and you'll be astonished at the shaky foundations of dietary medicine and health advice...First off, I was struck by how little science does know, what we take for established fact if often partial truth at best. Conjectures are, apparently, made on imperfect research...compelling reading"
Richard Rhodes, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
"...easily the most important book on diet and health to be published in the past one hundred years. It is clear, fast-paced and exciting to read, rigorous, authoritative... If Taubes were a scientist rather than a gifted, resourceful science journalist, he would deserve and receive the Nobel Prize in Medicine"
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a BIG, highly readable and hugely informative book, written by American science journalist Gary Taubes. I read the US edition, which was published there as "Good Calories, Bad Calories". I assumed that when it appeared in the UK, it would arrive in a blaze of publicity. So far, it seems I was wrong.
Taubes' interest is in the scientific basis for the received wisdom about what makes up a healthy diet and what makes people fat. We all know (because we're told ad nauseam) that the current obesity epidemic is the result of people overeating and having sedentary lifestyles. And overeating is generally interpreted as eating too much fat and too few fruits and vegetables.
Taubes has spent years going back to the original research and interviewing scientists. And he's found that in fact, there is very little real science behind what we are routinely told about dietary fat. Instead, assumptions linking dietary fat to heart disease were made in 1960s America and the "fat is bad for you" bandwagon rolled on from there.
The book also challenges the view that obesity is "caused" by overeating and taking too little exercise. It's like saying that alcoholism is "caused" by drinking too much alcohol - as an explanation, it doesn't get you very far. Taubes argues that obesity is actually a problem of fat accumulation. If an animal's body is working properly, increased energy intake (extra food) will be matched by increased energy expenditure. Conversely, if you restrict food, the animal will be less active. In both cases, fat stores will remain the same. But if the body isn't working properly to maintain this homeostasis, and if instead, it stores calories eaten as fat and is unable to release fat from fat cells to provide energy, the animal is going to be hungry and lethargic, while accumulating even more fat. The typical symptoms of obesity.
And the cause of our obesity problem (and many other chronic diseases of civilisation) Taubes argues, could be a diet very high in carbohydrate (and particularly, refined carbohydrate). That type of diet leads to constantly high blood insulin, which in turn stops fat cells releasing fatty acids for use as fuel. Type I diabetics have difficulty maintaining body fat. People treated with insulin have difficulty not putting on weight. And as a society we are eating far more carbohydrates that ever before, not least because if we try to avoid eating fat, we tend to get our calories from carbohydrate foods.
This book isn't trying to sell us the "Taubes diet" or the "Taubes supplement range" - the author is trying to convince us, our doctors and our scientists that the current received wisdom is not only flawed but may also be causing enormous harm. The book is a fascinating, page- turning read, debunking many of our nutritionists' most cherished platitudes left, right and centre. Well worth reading.
Taubes' interest is in the scientific basis for the received wisdom about what makes up a healthy diet and what makes people fat. We all know (because we're told ad nauseam) that the current obesity epidemic is the result of people overeating and having sedentary lifestyles. And overeating is generally interpreted as eating too much fat and too few fruits and vegetables.
Taubes has spent years going back to the original research and interviewing scientists. And he's found that in fact, there is very little real science behind what we are routinely told about dietary fat. Instead, assumptions linking dietary fat to heart disease were made in 1960s America and the "fat is bad for you" bandwagon rolled on from there.
The book also challenges the view that obesity is "caused" by overeating and taking too little exercise. It's like saying that alcoholism is "caused" by drinking too much alcohol - as an explanation, it doesn't get you very far. Taubes argues that obesity is actually a problem of fat accumulation. If an animal's body is working properly, increased energy intake (extra food) will be matched by increased energy expenditure. Conversely, if you restrict food, the animal will be less active. In both cases, fat stores will remain the same. But if the body isn't working properly to maintain this homeostasis, and if instead, it stores calories eaten as fat and is unable to release fat from fat cells to provide energy, the animal is going to be hungry and lethargic, while accumulating even more fat. The typical symptoms of obesity.
And the cause of our obesity problem (and many other chronic diseases of civilisation) Taubes argues, could be a diet very high in carbohydrate (and particularly, refined carbohydrate). That type of diet leads to constantly high blood insulin, which in turn stops fat cells releasing fatty acids for use as fuel. Type I diabetics have difficulty maintaining body fat. People treated with insulin have difficulty not putting on weight. And as a society we are eating far more carbohydrates that ever before, not least because if we try to avoid eating fat, we tend to get our calories from carbohydrate foods.
This book isn't trying to sell us the "Taubes diet" or the "Taubes supplement range" - the author is trying to convince us, our doctors and our scientists that the current received wisdom is not only flawed but may also be causing enormous harm. The book is a fascinating, page- turning read, debunking many of our nutritionists' most cherished platitudes left, right and centre. Well worth reading.
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is, without a doubt, the most interesting and thought provoking book I have read about diet and nutrition. Based on what I learned from this book my perspective has totally shifted on what may or may not constitute a healthy diet. I can not recommend this book enough to anyone who has been lead to believe their health may be at risk due to raised cholesterol levels or any other alledgedly diet related condition. Gary Taubes simply lifts the lid on what may well turn out to be the biggest health campaign of misinformation in living memory. The amount of information in this book is huge, and although it is extremely well written it took me about a week to read. I had to keep stopping and considering the implications. Mr Taubes has constructed a truly brilliant and informative book that is both damning of conventional dogma regarding diet and enlightening in respect of how our body actually deals with what we eat.
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Gary Taubes is not a dietician or a medical doctor, but a journalist with a science background. He has a solid track record of serious, scientific journalism.
I had seen some of the publicity surrounding the publication of what I take it must be the American version of this book ("Good Calories, Bad Calories"), and also have read some of his articles in the quality press and on the web. I liked his articles, but based on the reaction to his U.S. book, I did wonder whether this one would be either a polemic, or possibly, well, a bit dull.
In fact it is neither, but is a solidly, good read. Sure it's quite long, but then it covers many years and a lot of material. If you really want to know the history, background and facts of "dieting", this is an excellent place to start.
If I could give it six stars I would.
Regards,
M.
p.s. Updated to respond to Tiger Lily's comments: Sorry to disagree with your analysis, but I believe GT when he says he didn't have preconceived
ideas. As for the EPIC study, even websites which are sympathetic to it
only seem to say that it might be suggestive of certain conclusions,
rather than definitive. This study on the other hand seemed to find no benefits in "healthy" diets:
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/10/junkfood-science-exclusive-big-one.html
Good luck to you on your vegan diet. It's very hard to get all the nutrients you need that way.
M.
I had seen some of the publicity surrounding the publication of what I take it must be the American version of this book ("Good Calories, Bad Calories"), and also have read some of his articles in the quality press and on the web. I liked his articles, but based on the reaction to his U.S. book, I did wonder whether this one would be either a polemic, or possibly, well, a bit dull.
In fact it is neither, but is a solidly, good read. Sure it's quite long, but then it covers many years and a lot of material. If you really want to know the history, background and facts of "dieting", this is an excellent place to start.
If I could give it six stars I would.
Regards,
M.
p.s. Updated to respond to Tiger Lily's comments: Sorry to disagree with your analysis, but I believe GT when he says he didn't have preconceived
ideas. As for the EPIC study, even websites which are sympathetic to it
only seem to say that it might be suggestive of certain conclusions,
rather than definitive. This study on the other hand seemed to find no benefits in "healthy" diets:
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/10/junkfood-science-exclusive-big-one.html
Good luck to you on your vegan diet. It's very hard to get all the nutrients you need that way.
M.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An important read
I have been reading around this subject for a while and read a few reviews of previous books which led me to this one. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Bobby Moon
Most excellent book
I found this to be a well researched, well written and interesting read, most useful and educational, and helping both my partner and myself to readjust our weight in a painless... Read more
Published 8 months ago by weeroundscot
worth the effort
Back in 2008 i bought this book, Then as now a T2 Diabetic,also then i was overwieght. My GP was going to put me on insulin because my numbers wern`t going the right way. Read more
Published 17 months ago by parky
From veggie to animal eater
I have had this book for a long time and just brushed through it as I had already decided to go the vegetarian route, aiming at raw vegan a bit later. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mrs. C. Watts
A diet book that relies purely on hard science
Amazing book. For those who are thinking of buying it but aren't sure, this is kind of a summary in the epilogue (p. Read more
Published on 3 April 2010 by J. Sloan
duped
Lo-fat High Carb (LF-HC) diets use cheap ingredients, so are loved by the convenience food industry and supermarkets. Read more
Published on 5 April 2009 by Burkitt
Welcome addittion to the debate
Very interesting and enjoyable book and I am suprised it didn't get more publicity, perhaps because it's not pushing a diet. Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2008 by Maximus
This book is fantastic
It confirmed what I suspected. I ve spent years eating whole grain healthy stuff with pretty low fat intake and I still put on weight - even though I was going to the gym daily. Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2008 by D. H. Rowlands
Updated. Evidence to support we've wrongly been sold a bad diet!
This book is one of those books which once you read you cant really put down!
He has facts & evidence to support the truth that the LOW FAT DOGMA IS WRONG! Read more
He has facts & evidence to support the truth that the LOW FAT DOGMA IS WRONG! Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2008 by Brendan T. Hole
Insufficient Superlatives
Thank you, Mr Taubes, for presenting a critical analysis of the evidence published so far, for although my own researches had drawn me to similar conclusions as your own, you have... Read more
Published on 22 July 2008 by Seannachie
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