false 2442529 1400033462 9781400033461 9 2 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2442529.Good_Calories_Bad_Calories_Challenging_the_Conventional_Wisdom_on_Diet_Weight_and_Disease 712666 Gary Taubes 296 135 3 0 false Fri Jun 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 15:58:48 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 12 12:22:20 -0700 2009
Some people might try and turn this into a 'diet book', but thankfully I don't think it was the author's intent (or maybe by the end it was...but I'm pretending otherwise). Instead, it's an incredibly exhaustive look at the science and all the studies regarding fats and carbohydrates in our diets. The traditional thinking goes that we get fat from eating fatty foods and being lazy...and that more calories in and less calories out equals a fatter human. The surprising part is that there's apparently not a single study that has confirmed this (and they've tried!). Instead, we have countless studies that say the fattening process is driven by hormones and, specifically, insulin...and what raises insulin? Carbohydrates and refined sugars.

It's a simple statement that he backs up with hundreds of pages of reference materials and scientific studies. Everything (even common sense once you go through his journey)points out that the way we think about chronic diseases and obesity is radically flawed and that the answer may be as simple as "choose a steak instead of a potato".

I would have given this a 4 star, but it was tough for me, personally, to get through. I enjoyed it just the same and it really helped craft my mental space when it comes to diet and health.]]>