Skip to main content

Gary Taubes Lecture in Denver

"One of the five worst scientists I've ever met." That's how Gary Taubes described a doctor he talked to several years ago--a doctor who took credit for getting Americans to eat less fat and consume fewer eggs. And poor science, said Taubes, is typical of the field of nutrition.

Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, gave a talk at the Tattered Cover book store last night on his new book, Why We Get Fat. Taubes, whose education is in engineering and physics, is a science writer who has, as he put it, "recreated [or compiled] the history of obesity" through his research. His talk mostly covered what's in Why We Get Fat, an accessible book. Having only 45 minutes, he covered mostly why we don't get fat; he said he'd never given a 45-minute lecture in his life.

For those who favor brevity, here's a highly condensed version of Taubes's message.

Why we get fat: too many carbs.
Why we don't get fat: too much fat, too little exercise and McDonald's are NOT to blame.
How does he know? too many examples of hardworking, undernourished, overweight people with no access to McDonald's. Too much good science that points to insulin.
What to do? Lay off the carbs.
What about calories? You have to reconcile this concept with the animal kingdom. Do lean dairy cows graze less than fatter beef cows and run around the pasture when nobody's looking? Do wild animals eat less because their belt is getting tight?

After his talk, Taubes answered some questions from the audience.

Q: Is chocolate a carbohydrate?
A: Chocolate is mostly fat, but has some sugar in it. (Ed: there's a fantastic recipe for no hidden carb fudge, courtesy of the Blood Sugar 101 site. Quickly, easily made on the stove top.)

Q: Are there particular kinds of carbohydrates to avoid?
A: Sugary, starchy carbohydrates. Lettuce is fine.

Q: Why do Asians, who eat a lot of rice, generally not have weight problems?
A: Possibly because they eat very little sugar.

If you'd like to hear Taubes lecture, there are several of his talks and interviews on Youtube:
Labels:

Comments

jeff said…
Hi Lori,
I was also at the book signing and enjoyed meeting Gary
I posted his channel 2 news interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juGUw7KNvBo
Dr Jeff Gerber
http://denversdietdoctor.com
Please see my web site.
More of us should network here in Denver
February 21, 2011
Lori Miller said…
Jeff, thanks for the link to the interview--I hadn't seen it.

A few months ago, my mother mentioned the work you were doing here in Denver to promote better health through limiting carbs. Keep up the good work!
February 22, 2011
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dana Carpender's Podcast; Dr. Davis on YouTube; Labor Day Sales

Dana Carpender, who's written several recipe books and other works on low-carb, has a podcast and is still writing articles at carbsmart.com. She's a terrific writer and amateur researcher (otherwise known as reading , as Jimmy Dore jokes ). I use her book 500 Low-Carb Recipes all the time and I'm looking forward to hearing more from her. I've embedded her podcast on my blog (click on the three lines at the top right if you don't see it, or go to Spotify or other podcast source if you're getting this by email). Carbsmart.com doesn't seem to have a blog feed, so if you want to see the latest posts there, you can sign up for notifications at their site. Dr. Davis has been putting a lot more videos on YouTube, so I've added his channel to the lineup. Click on the three lines on my blog if you don't see it, or go to his channel here .  * * * * * Primal Kitchen is having a Labor Day sale-- 20% off everything. They sell high quality collagen powder, con...
1 comment
Read more

Fermented bread and butter pickle recipe ft. L. Plantarum

After Dr. Davis said the other night that  L. plantarum  may reduce some of the effects of the herbicide glyphosate (which is everywhere), I'm re-running my recipe for fermented bread and butter pickles. Pickling cucumbers naturally have  L. plantarum  bacteria on them, and fermenting them with some brown sugar multiplies these bacteria. (Just don't use chlorinated water to wash them.) And if you're growing your own cucumbers, avoid spraying the fruits with  Bacillus thuringiensis , or Bt (leaves and vines are OK). It's unclear what effect a big dose of Bt would have on humans. Another benefit of DIY pickles: no emulsifiers like polysorbate 80, which is a common ingredient in pickles. If you have GI problems, it could be from emulsifiers. These sweet-and-sour pickles are the tastiest I've ever made. There's just a little added sugar (some of which the bacteria will consume) and turmeric that gives the pickles their bright color.  Special equipment Quar...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lousy Mood? It Could be the Food

Here's a funny AMV(1) on what it's like to be depressed, apathetic and overly sensitive. Note: explicit (but funny) lyrics in the video. Hearing this song brought a startling realization: I used to be emo, but with normal clothes. Sulking, sobbing and writing poetry were my hobbies. When I was a kid, my mother said that she wouldn't know what to do to punish me if I had done something wrong. And yet things got worse. Over a two-week period in 1996, my best friend moved away, I lost my job and broke up with my boyfriend. I lost my appetite and lived on a daily bagel, cream cheese and a Coke for the next few months. I had tried counseling, and didn't find it helpful; in fact, I found reviving painful memories was pointless. Not thinking about them, on the other hand, worked wonders. Later on, so did studying philosophy and learning to think through emotions instead of just riding through them. But what's blown away all the techniques is diet. Since I s...
6 comments
Read more