Henry has an ear infection, and as I was taking him to the doctor yesterday I realized I haven’t been to the doctor a single time with the kids this entire winter. And it doesn’t make me nervous to say this out loud (or in this case to write it out loud), not only because I don’t believe in the idea that words of that sort have an actual impact on actual reality via an actual jinx mechanism (who would have put such a mechanism in place? and why? and what would be the logistics of implementation?), but also because it’s now March, and March is spring.
Official Spring isn’t until March 21ish, but I think it should instead be divided this way in my area of the world, both for ease of use and for making sense: winter is December, January, and February; spring is March, April, and May; summer is June, July, and August; and fall is September, October, and November. I’m tired of having to say to a questioning child, “Well, yes, it’s warm/cool and rainy and the tulips are coming up, but it’s still TECHNICALLY winter,” or “I know, it’s snowing and we’re making paper snowflakes and it’s almost Christmas and we’re singing ‘Winter Wonderland,’ but TECHNICALLY it’s still fall.” Dim. I reject the jinx AND the equinox!
I just finished reading a book that has made me feel a little shaky and unstable:
Why We Get Fat, by Gary Taubes
(photo from Amazon.com,
though probably they got it from somewhere else too)
It has seemed pretty clear to me that any food-group-eliminating diet is for weight-loss only—that it might work for weight loss, but that that doesn’t mean it should be seriously implemented long-term, any more than a “grapefruit and egg” diet is supposed to be implemented long-term. It makes SENSE that eliminating a whole FOOD GROUP is dangerous ground.
But THIS book is saying it’s not about eliminating a food group, it’s that something SHOULDN’T BE A FOOD GROUP AT ALL. Like, okay, I don’t have a dog, so already I’m on not-safe-for-analogy-making ground, but am I right that I regularly hear of dogs who need to be fed less in the way of table scraps? Like, maybe some dogs can handle the regular scrap or two, or even LOTS of scraps, but other dogs get all fat and the vet has to caution the owners to cut it back, and still others are practically killed by their old-lady owners relentlessly feeding them from the table? Let’s just assume I HAVE heard this, and that it is VETERINARY FACT that table scraps are not a food group for dogs: they’re able to eat the food (it’s not like eating plastic wrap) (although I’ve heard dogs do eat any number of such things), and their bodies recognize it as food and so forth, but it’s not something they should be making a little food pyramid about and saying they ought to get 3-6 servings a day from that group. I mean, if dogs could talk. And hold a pen. And I’m sorry I seem to be comparing us to dogs.
So anyway, that’s more what this author is saying: it’s not about “Don’t eat carbs, and you’ll lose weight YAY!!,” it’s more like “Certain foods are not appropriate for human consumption by a segment of the human population that can’t process them appropriately.”
The first half of the book is VERY HEADY STUFF. It says, basically, “Have you noticed that some thinnish people can lose a little weight through relentless and perpetual effort, and so can some fattish people, but that basically thin people are thin and fat people are fat and the “Lost Half Their Size!!” people are not available for interview a year later? And have you noticed that you can ‘eat less and move more’ until you are doing NOTHING but working on your body, and yet you are still fat, while other people, who spend nowhere near as much time or effort on it, are standing around rolling their eyes about how lazy you are and how you probably feed yourself through drive-throughs, and meanwhile you suspect this whole system is screwed up and that people are being icky to each other with ZERO SCIENTIFIC BACKING? Yes, well, you’re totally right. Some people can process carbohydrates correctly, and some people can’t.”
The second half is more about the studies and the science—though it’s not strict halves at all, and there are plenty of studies in the first half and heady stuff in the second half. But first he establishes his “Things are MESSED UP” point, and then he turns to the “Here’s what you can try” point. And, as you have guessed, and as I became increasingly and cringingly aware he was going to do, he cuts out the carbohydrates. Not ALL of them (in fact, you’re still supposed to eat multiple cups of vegetables a day), but pretty much. But he’s not saying, “EEEEWWWWW, they make you all FAT and GROSS!,” he’s saying, “Heart disease, insulin levels, screwing with the way your body decides how much fat to store.”
The very end of the book is the weakest part, but he knows it: he’s asking for more research to be done on this topic, because so far there isn’t enough: there’s research showing what WON’T work for some people (eating less and moving more, eating low fat, etc.), and there’s scientific reason to believe that this WILL work for those same people—but we don’t have enough to go on yet. And so he has to kind of peter out at the end: here’s what he thinks, here’s what the studies DON’T show, here’s the anecdotal evidence, here’s the scientific evidence—now sadly YOU will have to figure out how to implement it for the way your own individual body works (no carbs? some carbs? saying “carbohydrates” instead of “carbs”?), because everyone who could be working on this is too busy shaming people into eating less fat and fewer calories so they won’t be such COWS.
I’m not at all sure it CAN be implemented. In the beginning of the book he’s very sympathetic toward people who can’t stay on diets, and he says people are always talking about “will power” but that that’s not it AT ALL and it’s cruel/stupid to say it is. But then at the end, talking about implementing the meat thing, he’s more like, “Well, it’s hard, but you’ll have to use will power.” I appreciate the candor (I am immediately and deeply suspicious of any diet plan that suggests it will be EASY! and FUN! like that 12-page compare/contrast English paper the teacher tells you to “have fun with!”), and I also thought his analogy to cigarette use was helpful, but…I still look at the plan and think, “Oh, I, um, I’m not sure this…I mean, that’s really…”
And although he went a LONG way to convincing me that he was right, it is VERY HARD to completely give up long-standing beliefs. I LIKE the food pyramid. I am ATTACHED to the idea that “lean meat, whole grains, plenty of fruits and vegetables” is a boring cliché BECAUSE IT’S TRUE. I don’t really WANT to believe that people who switch to “heart-healthy” diets don’t make any difference in their risk of heart attack. I want to continue thinking that what makes sense is that eliminating entire food groups is a bad idea. It’s really difficult/unpleasant when I’ve been SURE of something, to find out I shouldn’t have been so sure and that actually I didn’t know anything about it beyond the posters on the wall in kindergarten.
Plus, I’m only so-so on meat. I like it okay, but I don’t think, “WOO-HOOO, ALL THE BACON I CAN EAT!!!” I don’t even remember the last time I ate bacon, and we cooked pork chops this weekend for THE FIRST TIME IN MY ADULT LIFE. So…to try this eating plan, I’d have to be convinced of it from a medical/science sort of perspective—not because it appeals. And meanwhile my brain is resisting it and saying “BUT THE FOOD PYRAMID!! The GRAINS!! The MILK!! The VEGETABLES!!”
I don’t know how this will pan out. I suspect some time will go by while I process this information, and then I will suddenly get motivated to try it, because I have been increasingly fretful and incredulous about my weight as the years have gone by, and if someone is offering me a plate of hope, I’m likely to think, “Well, sure, why not? I can always order something different next time.” Right now, though, I’m still thinking about it—and recommending the book, if only because it’s a fun, heady read and has a lot of thought-provoking stuff written by someone who writes like a good writer and not like a transcript of a motivational seminar.
I am with you on the divisions of seasons. I, actually, was quite happily calling March 1 “spring” a few years ago, but that didn’t fly with my nitpicky husband who goes by the calendar. So we’ve had Discussions about it for years with our oldest, and now have started with our thirdborn. It would be nice to have a calendar that matches up with reality.
I am skeptical of any diet that takes out a major source of food. Especially one that says we should go heavy on the meat. It just doesn’t make sense. I definitely understand cutting down on carbs, but not cutting them out.
And how expensive would that kind of eating be?!
— Mairzy
You are in luck! Just tell people you’re going by meteorological seasons and not astronomical ones. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season#Meteorological
I’m pretty suspicious of anything that uses “fat” to mean “unhealthy,” which seems to be what he’s doing. I’m also suspicious of anyone who suggests that there is a right way to eat for everyone.
Refined carbs trigger my mindless eating, which in turn triggers my Feeling Crummy. And even whole grains are only OK in limited quantities. So in my case, eating the Taubes way would work. But just looking at my kids, I have living, breathing examples that one diet does not work for everyone.
Mairzy- You’ll have to read it and see if you end up with the same mind-blown feeling! I’d be so interested to hear what you thought of it.
He doesn’t advise cutting out all carbohydrates: you’re still supposed to eat several cups of vegetables a day, and he says it’s highly individual with things like grains—that some people ARE able to eat some, and some people are not.
Slim- That’s my fault for condensing the book into a blog post about only what caught my attention—I wouldn’t say he makes either of those points. He in fact says the opposite: as with my dog example, that it’s highly individual, and some people seem able to eat any carbohydrates without trouble, and some can eat SOME carbohydrates without trouble, and some can’t eat any at all. He also makes the point that thin doesn’t equal healthy.
Well, OK, then I will blame you ::glare:: for some of it. But why include the word “fat” in the title, in that case?
Slim- (1) To sell more books, and (2) Because it IS about why we get fat. It’s just, it’s not like the usual “FAT IS UNHEALTHY, you should get rid of it,” it’s more like “If you ARE trying to lose weight and finding you CAN’T, THIS might be WHY.”
My yoga teacher told us yesterday morning that it was the first day of “meteorological spring”. Meanwhile, it was 35 degrees out. (To be fair, it WAS 6 am).
—
On to the book:
I love this:
‘(no carbs? some carbs? saying “carbohydrates” instead of “carbs”?)’
Ha!
Also, your final sentence makes me want to read the book. I’m always up for “thought-provoking stuff written by someone who writes like a good writer and not like a transcript of a motivational seminar.” HELLS YEAH.
It must be diet season, because I am also wrestling once again with the diet demons.
This is the way I usually handle it: http://www.hilarity-in-shoes.com/2011/03/01/tried-and-true-diet-tips/
But I know I need to really do the low-carb, no refined carb thing. The one time I did stick to it for a while, the results were dramatic, and the plan was even pretty easy to stick with after a while.
But spaghetti. I love it. And also don’t like cooking meat.
If only it could be easier.
Hmm. But… I like bread. I don’t even eat that much but the thought of giving it up makes me want to bake up a fresh loaf and down the whole thing. *sigh*
The beginning sounds interesting. I liked some of the points you highlighted.
I’ve decided this weight thing wouldn’t be a problem for ME if I could just switch metabolism with my husband. what are the chances of that?
I’m kind of curious what/if he says about historical diets. I mean, didn’t a lot of peasants across the world eat a lot of grain/carbs for centuries? I know that kind of a diet is not the BEST thing for you, but people certainly lived (and still do) on little more than rice and vegetables.
Or maybe they’re skinny because they don’t even get enough to eat on that diet.
Oh gawd. Oh dear. I am SO NERVOUS about the comments. Do I read them? Or NO?
Obviously I’ve read the book, as well as pretty much everything else Taubes has written, including the 234987 page “Good Calories, Bad Calories”. I like the guy; I think he’s wicked smart and well-spoken on this topic. Also, kind of hot, in a Silver Fox type of way. Also, East Coast Accent, and you KNOW how I feel about THAT. Ahem. Anyway. It’s worth looking up some of his radio interviews & speaking engagements if you’re interested.
I RILLY RILLY do not want to get into the whole carb thing, but I will say that the idea that grains are a starvation food is something to consider.
Anyway, I’m always interested in new ideas in this area, and based on most people’s track record with diet and movement, I’m not sure why everyone isn’t. Because what we’re doing now is working SO WELL *eyeroll*.
Oh the diet books. Why in heaven’s name are there so many? and why, indeed are they shunning whole food groups? I agree with you completely on that one. When I read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, I felt the same way as he is hugely against meat. Go figure.
For me, I struggle with eating comupulsively. Once I start, on certain foods (and they’re not always carbs, but usually they are), I can’t stop. I eat beyond the point of full. So for me, not having any bites of those foods will help me to stay away from the debilitating feelings that accompany the “after” overeating.
Indivudual, indeed.
I always love a heady book. Thanks for the review.
Devan- While reading it, I ate AN ENTIRE BATCH OF FRIED RICE. He just kept MENTIONING the delicious, delicious carbohydrates!
Christy- He gets WAY into the topic of historical diets, but I found that subject pretty boring so I skimmed. I do remember him saying it’s only the last fraction of a percentage of human history that has made grains/produce a large proportion of their diet—but I could be misremembering that, because I was busy eating grains.
You know? I am sick of the whole war on carbs. I still remember the 80’s, when there was a whole lot of “reasoning” behind a grain-only diet, the most interesting to me being that our teeth are shaped perfectly to grind grains. The thing is, we are omnivores, and grains, other plants and meats (sparingly so) are part of a regular diet. It also makes our digestive systems very complex and dynamic, so while I am sure the author can point out lifestyles in which the excercise to diet ratio creates negative health impacgts, it is by no means, I think, THE model for all of us.
I put this on hold at my library as soon as I finished reading your entry, because I like learning about this kind of stuff, and also I’m interested in a book about food that doesn’t make me feel like a failure (hello, Skinny Bitch book. And yes, I should have known better).
I’m impressed with the commenting so far too. Good for your readers!
I agree that any diet that suggests eliminating a group of foods from your diet is suspect. My husband was recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes, and it is actually really important for him to maintain a level of carbs in his diet. But it is equally important to know how many are in the foods we eat, and to not overdo it.
Also, I’m not sure what vegetables he’s talking about in the book, but most dark green veggies don’t have carbs at all (or at least any amount that would affect a person). They are considered “free foods” in the diabetic menu. It would make sense to me that you would want to keep eating veggies, but maybe watch the fruit intake (fruit is almost all carbs).
Probably you know all of this and I look like a jerk, but I’ve been finding the whole learning process since Ryan was diagnosed very interesting and thought I would share. :)
How funny that the last commenter brought up Michael Pollan–I was just about to cite an article by him! I haven’t read any of his other stuff. I was just assigned this article (http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/unhappy-meals/) in a class once, and I was really taken by it. It really made sense to me.
But of course, of COURSE, no one thing is going to work for everyone. Duh. But I loved the way he made me think about foods and non-foods, and especially about health claims on food.
And I love that it’s an article and not an entire book on the topic. I get exhausted by these kinds of non-fiction books. Why take 200-300 pages to make your point if it can be done in 10?
Anyhow, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, Swistle, if you are just dying for one more “expert” telling us what any idiot would know if we just used our brains! *rolls eyes*
This is what I do now, after being diagnosed with some major issues, and I had to overhaul my diet. (Not that anyone else has to do this.) I eat mostly food that is in or no more than one step removed from its natural state. In its natural state = apples, zucchini, etc. One step removed might be a chicken breast or a pork chop–natural state would be the animal running around. Sausage or scrapple (highly processed) would be more than one step removed.
Its not a raw food diet–I cook stuff–but I try to make 80% of my intake be unprocessed food. Processed food (pasta, bread, fruit rollups) can be eaten but generally once a day, with dinner.
Problem area = addiction to chocolate chips. Also, my children are in no way interested in the vegetables I provide. Their diet is quite a bit higher in pasta than mine.
Penny- I’m so sick of it too. When I saw he was a no-carb advocate, I wasn’t going to read it. I read it only because I saw it at the library, and I’d seen an excerpt (the one about how a room being crowded can’t be explained by saying it was because more people went in than came out), so I thought I’d give it a chance even though I knew I’d hate it and reject it. I hope you’ll read it and tell me if you felt the same afterward.
Becky- Totally jerk-free and also I definitely don’t know all of this—most of it was entirely new to me, even though I’d heard of the no/low-carb thing when it was trendy a few years back.
Sabrina- Yes, I’d read that article, and I’ve heard his “Not too much, mostly plants” thing repeated a lot. It sounds good!
I think you would find Matt Stone’s 180 Degree Health website and blog very interesting. Matt would certainly agree with you that shunning an entire food group is suspect.
This is weird but I am having deja vu now, thinking that I have typed this comment before. If this is a repeat of something I have said in the past, disregard it and forgive my middle-aged brain.
Have you read the carbohydrate addict’s diet? I read it years ago and found it interesting.
Jessica- I haven’t, but I read The Sugar Addict’s Diet or whatever it was called, and she referred pretty often to the carb one (in a “this is how we’re the same, this is how we’re different” way, so I feel like I got the gist.
I read something ages ago about how the more exercise you’re getting the better you cope with carbohydrates. I know athletes eat a whole ton of pasta on days leading up to a big competition so that their bodies will have lots of really accessible calories. I think they were looking at traditional Japanese diets which had something like 80% carbohydrates, but the people were farmers and so it wound up being a really healthy diet for them, and didn’t work at all for more sedentary folks.
Then there’s also the Japanese saying “Eat until you’re 80% full”. And writing down every single thing you eat (not the calorie count, just the thing you’re eating) is supposed to help you lose weight…I know when I was food journaling to figure out what it was I was reacting to I wound up eating a lot less junk because I didn’t want to have to write it down in the book.
But back to the original point, which is the book you’re reviewing, I’d be super suspicious about removing carbs from my diet. I’d be more tempted to just remove processed carbs. And I’m far too attached to my pasta, and pizza, and bread to even consider doing that…
I keep waiting for someone to come out with The Pastoralist Diet, where we should all eat like traditional sub-Saharan African pastoralists: pretty much exclusively milk and blood. I mean, have you SEEN those people? Seven feet tall, beautiful teeth, great skin, and SLENDER.
I feel very privileged to be able to make decisions about what is absolutely optimal for my individual body, but I don’t think those who are selling this diet as a cure-all can think this will be accepted by our culture at large. I’m not saying we shouldn’t move in that direction, but it would take some massive shifts not just in attitude and individual behaviors but in our entire food production system.
Some people have great success minimizing different substances (dairy, gluten, carbs in general, potatoes/tomatoes, etc.) so if you are interested, I’d say it might be a fun challenge to try out. But try not to be frustrated if it doesn’t work out for whatever reason and promise me you won’t try to slap the brownie out of my hand if you find that it does work.
I had the same reaction to “Good Calories, Bad Calories” last year. I didn’t know it was a “Low-carb” book going in, so it was fairly surprising, but I have to admit, the man can assemble scientific research, and make a pretty compelling argument.
A year later, I’m still kind of reeling. Somewhat lighter, but reeling. Haven’t given up carbs, but I try to limit the amount of sugar and bread and rice and potatoes.
And for what it’s worth, I feel less hungry on the days when I eat eggs and bacon for breakfast than I do on the days with eggs and bacon and toast. Sigh.
I’ve tried to make it a rule that I only eat food that ceases to taste good after I’m full. Meat? Can’t eat more than a portion. Cheese, I can eat more, but still eventually I get bored. Chocolate cake? I can literally eat that all day (yes, I have eaten a half a cake in a sitting.) So I avoid chocolate cake. Bread? Ditto.
Heh, to meanliving. Sign me up for the blood and milk diet.
I think at the end of the day, if you feel like crap, it makes sense to look at the things you eat. I’ve actually been meaning to get more mindful about my carb intake. Not make it zero, but to cut back on portions and stick to whole grains and beans rather than my delicious pastas and rices. (YUM) But in my case I have PCOS and was told that PCOS folks can have insulin resistance and that a lower carb diet could help with some of the other symptoms. I’m not really so interested in weight loss, but would love to feel less sluggish, etc.
That said, if you’re a size whatever, and are eating things that make you feel good and you feel good, then tada! you might be where you’re supposed to be.
Meanliving- RIGHT! This is more like “the heart-healthy diet” or smoking-cessation programs or alcohol addiction programs or whatever: it’s supposed to be applied to the people who are having the problem and want to try something to be rid of it—with no reason to believe that so many people will successfully prevent heart attacks or quit smoking or quit drinking to make us have to worry about the effect on our economy of the entire cardiac medical profession or cigarette industry or liquor industry going out of business.
I watched a documentary called “Fat Head” yesterday, which basically debunks Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me.” This gentleman ate fast food for a month (staying in a 2,000 calorie, 100 carb range) and actually managed to lose weight AND lower his cholesterol. His doctor was flummoxed. It has a very interesting take on nutritional guidelines and the food pyramid and the myth of the “low fat” diet. I recommend it! It’s even available for streaming on Netflix. I always went along with the fat=DEATH camp, but this has caused me to re-think a lot of my assumptions.
Blood and milk, huh? I bet there is some celebrity out there somewhere doing it.
I haven’t read much on this subject and “diet” books generally tend to make me irritable. That said, many years ago I was dating someone whose dad died of a heart attack rather young while we were dating. His heart doctor recommended The Zone to the son, so I read it too. Although I didn’t follow it completely, it was a good reminder to me to eat more protein and less processed carbs because at that point (in my mid-20s) I hardly ever ate enough protein in any form and ate tons of crap food. Today (many many years later) I still try to eat more protein than I’m naturally inclined to do as well as more veggies. However, the entire food preclusion concept has never worked for me mentally or physically.
You may find “rethinking thin” an interesting read as well: http://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Thin-Science-Loss-Realities/dp/0374103984
I think it was actually in one of your comment threads where someone really convinced me that there is no one “right” way to eat/diet/whatever – much like how one learns, what is most effective is going to be totally dependent on the individual person.
Shortly after reading that comment, I read this quote: “Do What You Always Do, Get What You’ve Always Gotten”
I think what I’m trying to say is, while I’m really (REALLY) sick of hearing about miracle eating plans and exercises (and I say this as a gluten free crossfitter, so I mean, I get that my kettle is quite black), it seems like maybe one of the nicest things we can do for ourselves – provided we are looking to change, not that anyone HAS to and I’m not saying anyone SHOULD -is try try try and keep trying to see what works for us, personally. And that means reading books that have annoying titles, or seeing how we feel eating bread vs not eating bread… I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know what we get fat, or why some people lose weight easily and others not … but I’m starting to know what works for me, and I got there by reading and trying and hoping and just recognizing that what I was doing consistently wasn’t giving me what I wanted, and if I wanted to change something overall, I had to change some contributing elements.
ANYWAY, I guess I’m trying to say I like the thoughtfulness you apply to this (and most things, really), because it’s real, and it makes sense, and frankly, on the Internet, that’s rather refreshing.
Find a Registered Dietitian if you want sound nutrition advice. Taubes has degrees in applied physics, aerospace engineering, and journalism. While obviously very smart, he has ABSOLUTELY NO training in nutrition.
If I need help building a rocket, I’ll call him up, but for diet advice I’ll consult with an actual expert.
Ooooo, I like LizScott’s comment.
For me, it’s worth slogging through a lot of diet/fitness stuff, because I’m interested in finding new things to try, and in hearing what smart people have to say about the latest thinking and about the preponderance of the evidence.
I guess that applies to ANY area of interest, but it’s particularly important when it comes to a subject we don’t yet know much about, like endocrinology.
Ah, I know something about this topic! Taubes is a pioneer in revamping our broken “food guide pyramid”, but removing all carbs isn’t necessarily the answer and you shouldn’t have to do that unless you have serious metabolic derangement caused by decades of OVEREATING carbs (like type 2 diabetes). People eating traditional diets, even if they are high in carbohydrates, never experience the diabetes, heart disease and obesity we have in our society. The Kitavans are an often cited example – they eat lots of sweet potatoes. The problem is that the majority of carbs we eat in our society are processed. That and we eat to damn many of them. Carbs fuel your activities, but if you’re just not that active they start to cause problems. Anyway, I just want to say you don’t have to remove all carbs from your diet. If I may steer your towards a wonderful website called Mark’s Daily Apple – start here:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-to-the-primal-eating-plan/
and it will explain what I am talking about! Also, I’m not saying that *knowing* this makes it easier. I struggle too. Those “bad” foods are so ubiquitous and think of all the marketing people who spend millions to make you want to eat that food! But information about what is the healthiest diet for humans is growing, it’s out there, and it can’t hurt to give it a try and see how you like it. You can always go back any time. I hope this sounds helpful and not preachy! You wouldn’t feed a tiger hay just like you wouldn’t feed a horse a steak. So what should a human animal eat? We are beginning to know the answer to that question and it’s not Triscuits or pop tarts.
So I normally hate when people post links to their own blogs in comments because it feels self promotey and lame but I just wrote a series on my experience with weight loss/body image/the search for the right way to eat FOR ME and I think it might interest you, so I’m going to link it even though the internet might think I’m a douche. It starts here:
http://hollywouldifshecould.blogspot.com/2011/02/secret-to-my-success-prologue.html
That said, as much judgment as there is in “being fat” I think there is also a ton of judgment about where to find sound nutrition advice. Liz’s comments hit the nail on the head, I think. You have to find what works for you. But as someone who has read a lot of Taubes and other similar nutrition advice, I can tell you it has been a life change for me.
I’m so glad I was open minded enough to get more information and try something new even though all of this information wasn’t coming from where it should be coming from (ie: nutritionists, or the people who make the food pyramid) Being open minded has changed my blood work, my health markers, the way I feel, the way my body performs, the way I store fat — and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
I would hope that anyone struggling with weight or not feeling their best or health problems would be kind enough to themselves to do the same.
I saw an ad for some diet that said it “prevents death.” Um.
I feel like these books on nutrition are a bit like what Michael Pollan says: nutrition is a young science, like surgery in the 1600s. We’re all just guessing.
I have to say, when I started making a concerted effort to eat more protien and very few carbs (which, nutrionally, really are just sugar…but the fruit type of carbs have vitamins and minerals in them) I honestly felt better. And after a few months (I didn’t totally cut out carbs, just made an effort not to eat bread, rice or pasta) I found I wasn’t craving sweets like I have my whole life. You should get the cookbook “saving dinner the low carb way”. The author gives you a years worth of healthy low carb menus with carb options for the carb eaters. Really, it’s the best cookbook I’ve ever bought. And the food is easy and really good (and my hubs is picky).
I have a cousin who is just a total whack job, and he postulates that calories and exercise have nothing – NOTHING – to do with it, but it is all the toxins in our system and environment, so the only thing to do is to take his herbal detox medication that he sells at $2 a pill. Isn’t that convenient?
I am a vegetarian, I LIKE grains. I LOVE dairy. So I kind of hate the premise of a diet that sweepingly says no to those things.
I live in a climate where winter would be late October to late April, so not sure how seasonal divisions would be here.
Nicole- I think it only sweepingly says no to it in the same way vegetarianism does: that is, if you choose to participate in vegetarianism, vegetarianism sweepingly says no to meat, and if you choose to participate in this other program, it sweepingly says no to carbs. But just as some vegetarians eat fish and others won’t eat eggs, some people eat certain carbs and others eat even fewer than are allowed.
You might be interested in checking out AndreAnna’s blog at lifeasaplate.com. I’m not giving up any food group that includes cookies, but I read her anyway because she’s a gifted writer. She’s very enhusiastic about Paleo/Primal eating and has lost a bunch of weight because of it.
I read his book, too. As a diabetic who struggles with her weight constantly…Taubes book brought me back to the Atkins diet. The NEW Atkins Diet espouses Taubes claims and really makes sense… I got the ok from my doctor to do Atkins. Atkins has changed and there is more research behind it. Pick up a new copy of Atkins… you will be able to eat carbs…but at a healthy level. I wish I had heard about this when I first developed insulin resistance… I wouldn’t be mired down with all my issues now. Taubes described me to a T.
I’m so glad you read this book and wrote about it because it caught my eye, but when it comes to nutrition books I am L-A-Z-Y. I still have The Omnivore’s Dilemma sitting around somewhere.
So when he says no carbs, is he including, like, Quinoa and all those whole grains that Weight Watchers likes? And how much protein are we talking? Like, a serving at every meal?
Frondly- It’s like fatty protein plus approved vegetable. So, like, breakfast is bacon and eggs, lunch is chicken and spinach, dinner is pork and broccoli.
Frondly- I can’t believe I forgot the cheese! Up to four ounces daily.
I agree wholeheartedly about the seasons. Who do we talk to to get that changed?
Wow, that sounds . . . hard for me to imagine doing.
I have been waiting an entire day for someone to market meanliving’s blood and milk diet. I’m thinking it should have a vampire tie-in.
Slim- TOTALLY. Me too. I think they should make the milk creepier, though. It can’t just be regular old cow milk. Ooo, it could be Vampire Breastmilk!
Thanks for reviewing this book, Swistle. I usually skip over book reviews, but I read this one with much interest. I also love the comment thread, too.
I am one of those people who has a hard time losing weight, even with much effort. So I guess it might be prudent for me to start educating myself in very different ways of eating, if I ever want to change myself. Although I don’t think I’ll be an early adopter of meanliving’s blood and milk diet. Ha!
I am now interested in this book, which I have never seen before. Like someone said above, science is fairly new in the scheme of things, and nutrional science is even more recent. I am someone who does much better on a higher protein, lower carb diet-not just for weight loss. I notice I become much more even keeled emotionally, which is nice. I have a friend who is the opposite, she feels awful when she restricts carbs. Everyone is different, and needs to find what feels right for them. I have to say, after reading what some of the meals are, I could really go for a pork chop right about now!
I’m glad you guys have had such a healthy winter… maybe you’re getting to your threshold of exposure because your kids are older, have been bringing home germs longer?
For most of the families I know around here – mostly with younger oldests – it has been a HORRIBLE winter for germs. Or maybe we are just sickly in Ohio because we eat too many carbs? :-)
I am catching up on your last few posts, so I realize I am a few days behind here. Also, I did not read through all the comments, so this may have been mentioned, but…
Have you seen/read anything about a diabetic meal plan? I had mild gestational diabetes with my twins and had to go to a class on meal planning. Though at the time, my head was screaming, “But pregnant ladies are SUPPOSED to eat entire plates of brownies!!”, the plan actually makes a lot of sense. It’s based on limiting servings of carbs (1 serving=15 carbohydrates) and balancing your carbs with proteins (and vegetables, many of which don’t have substantial carbohydrates and are “free”).
Basically, the plan looks something like this: Breakfast should contain two servings of protein (7 grams/serving…I do a lot of eggs and peanut butter at breakfast) and two servings of carbohydrates. Snack: 1 protein and 1 carb. Lunch: 2 proteins, 2 carbs. And so on, with some variation based on your personal needs. I felt like most foods were allowed, just in moderation and balance.
Anyway…my point in all this rambling is that even though I have never been far overweight, I do carry some extra, and this plan worked wonders for me while I was pregnant. I stuck to it for the first couple of months or so after my twins and was at a lower weight than I have been in the last five years. There is no magic solution that works for everyone, but if you’d like to try something like this, I would be glad to pass on any information I have. (I am currently working on my own motivation to go back to this type of meal planning, as the scale has been creeping up lately!)