|
Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Vintage) | 
| Author: Gary Taubes
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $10.10
You Save: $6.85 (40%)
New (48) Used (12) from $9.99
Rating:  203 reviews
Sales Rank: 1765
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 640
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 1400033462
Dewey Decimal Number: 613
EAN: 9781400033461
ASIN: 1400033462
Publication Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
For decades we have been taught that fat is bad for us, carbohydrates better, and that the key to a healthy weight is eating less and exercising more. Yet despite this advice, we have seen unprecedented epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Taubes argues that the problem lies in refined carbohydrates, like white flour, easily digested starches, and sugars, and that the key to good health is the kind of calories we take in, not the number. In this groundbreaking book, award-winning science writer Gary Taubes shows us that almost everything we believe about the nature of a healthy diet is wrong.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 198 more reviews...
 Up is down...black is white....that's what this book does for diets. January 6, 2009
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you presume to know what's healthy, you watch your fat intake, calories....you eat salads and rarely touch a steak then you MUST read this book. It most definitely IS NOT a Diet Book. Its science, its facts, its the TRUTH and its amazing.
I started reading online articles by Taubes about 6 years ago and eagerly awaited this book. I changed the way I viewed nutrition and "healthy" foods based on those articles as well as many, many others by many, many authors (see Mary G. Enig and Sally Fallon), and I'll never by fooled into eating tofu or rice cakes again. And cholesterol meds! I'd have to be bound and gagged before I'd take them....even if my levels were sky high.
Every new so called "study" that shows up on the evening news makes me cringe. And I often get online, go directly to the source and read the study for myself. You'd be shocked at how much they leave out or twist on the evening news. Truthfully, I have to wonder if it's all been a mistake or quite on purpose seeing that health care in the USA is now the number one industry.
I've seen a lot of reviews that claim the book is difficult to read. Yes....it's big and there is a lot of science....but I'm one of the reviewers that found it hard to put down. I hate to admit it's the only book I've read in about 3 years.
Read this book.
Not for the shallow orthodox mind December 23, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I'll keep it simple. If you can't be swayed by science, or have no understanding of physiology this is not the book for you. It is hard science and some good lessons in cellular physiology. As a practicing Doctor of Chiropractic I already understood the basics of the science before I read this book. I wanted to see if he would "tow the party line" or relinquish and bow to the orthodoxy; NO TOWING HERE! Though he attempts to present an objective assessment of the data and the orthodox response (or non-response) to it, he slips his incredulity out of the box on the mindless dogmatic antithetical responses to the science that the medical profession so proudly professes to embrace... was that a run-on... except when it doesn't fit their world-view. I am very impressed with the thoroughness of Mr. Taubes' research. I am also very impressed with his simplified explanations of some very deep physiological science. Some of it I was surprised to see and some of it I was surprised he could uncover. I have seen studies expunged from the literature because it did not espouse the orthodox dogma related to cholesterol. In particular a Japanese study of 20,000 individuals followed for a period of 20 years that presented the cholesterol stats revealed by the author. Even though the book took me five days to read (it takes me seven days to read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy - 1500+ pages), I wouldn't consider it an easy book. I have a background in physiology, which made it easier for me. The uneducated reader may find it a daunting task to complete, if not totally boring. I would definitely recommend this for any health-care professional who is interested in the science of fat metabolism, anthropological-based nutrition, as well as diabetes and obesity. But, be advised: leave the dogma at home.
Meticulously thorough and highly insightful December 22, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Anything I could possibly say about this book has probably already been said, so I will keep it simple: this book is amazingly thorough and detailed in its analysis of the past 150 years of obesity research. If you take the time to actually read the book, every chapter, especially the last four chapters, you will find the book highly insightful.
This book has also given me a jumping-off point for reading countless other books and articles on the subject, such as William Banting's Letter on Corpulence, A. W. Pennington's journal articles, Herman Taller's Calories Don't Count, or Atkins's New Diet Revolution.
My experience has mirrored the claims in the book. Over the last three months, I have lost 20+ pounds very easily, all with no exercise and no feeling of hunger, just by eating more meat, cheese, nuts, and less breads, pasta, sweets. The whole time, my only exercise was reading (this book, and a few others). I should also note that my full time work requires little or no labor.
 Right on the mark December 10, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Gary Taubes's research matches what my body has told me. I tried the Rotation Diet back in the '80s and was successful. I didn't mind being on the 600/900 60% protein/fat portion, but absolutely hated the 1200 portion (low-fat ratio), because I was always hungry on it. I've tried the Protein Power diet and liked it, but had problems with arachidonic acid and could never really balance out the carbs effectively. After reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, I'm giving the low-card diet another go with the knowledge I gained from Potatoes Not Prozac about controlling serotonin levels. My thanks to Gary Taubes for explaining why my body has reacted the way it has. The book is very thorough and absolutely informative.
A small note about his comments on cancer. A few years ago, a NIH researcher mentioned that Marin County, California had one of the highest cancer rates in the county. I asked about pesticides. She said that the workers, who actually worked in the areas being sprayed, did not have the high cancer rate; it was the wealthy homeowners and so far they didn't have an actual cause. I suspect that Gary Taubes has found it with the low-fat diet increasing insulin in the blood and revving up the cancer cells.
Enjoy and do buy the book, your life will never be the same.
Great Book November 30, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Vintage)This book is amazing. Applies critical thinking and the scientific process to shatter myths about food. Certainly has changed the way I look at my food choices. I recommend this read for anyone interested in eating healthy based on scientific fact rather than myths, hype, and misleading marketing.
|
|
|
Copyright 2008 - Garden-Guidebooks.com | |
