Gary Taubes book now at 14 in Amazon bestsellers all-categories

[amergin]

"Good Calories, Bad calories" is presently rated at number 14 on the Amazon All-categories bestseller list.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/

This is updated every hour so it hops about a bit.

The rise has been dramatic. It was jumping around the seventies on Monday night. Last night, Tuesday, it was 53/54. about four hours ago it was 23, then 16 , now all the way to 14.

This means the book will likely move higher and could well become a "phenomenon". Quite surprising for a book with a strong technical bias.

This has serious implications for those supposedly "newspapers of record" who allowed scientifically illiterate reviewers to denigrate the book based on nothing more than their familiar and uninformed prejudices.

These may well be exposed as not just uninformed and incompetent, but best of all, irrelevant.

[mike_d]

What? The low-fat recommendations by or government agencies and the educated dietitians just can't possibly be all wrong. Oh, what are we ever to do?

[Angeline]

I wish there was more controversy over the book. You can't beat controversy to generate more sales. We need more indignation from the low-fatters! Where is Ornish when you need him?

[kaypeeoh]

I think it's mainly those people who buy every 'diet' book that comes out. I predict 95% won't read more than the first 20 pages, while munching Snackwells.

[Pipistrel]

well mine arrived today. wowee its some tome! read the prologue in my lunchbreak (tuna mayo and some olives!). looking forward to the rest. i know it will help me in my moments of weakness that the woe i am trying to get on is truely the only way i'm going to be the size i want and be healthy too.

[Nancy LC]

I just made it to the third chapter and it has gotten a lot more interesting. He first dealt with how Keys clobbered everyone into submission with his unproven fat hypothesis. Then a guy named Cleave compiled a lot of data that pretty clearly pointed to carbohydrates causing cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, based on his work in third world countries that were eating native diets, then shifting to western diets. Then Burket comes along and thinks he's really got something. But he takes his data and decides it isn't the carbohydrates but the lack of fiber and comes up with a Fiber hypothesis. Everyone enthusiastically leaps onto that band wagon. Once again policies are set, the media enthuses over every epidemiological study that "proves" that fiber, or the lack thereof, is the answer. But... the studies don't bear it out.

Meanwhile Reaven from Stanford discovers Syndrome X, hyperinsulinism, and the effect of triglycerides on heart disease. And this was... what, 20-30 years ago? But basically his findings haven't been promoted at all. I remember when I first heard about his work, even he was being very cautious about recommending a low-carbohydrate diet, despite his finding.

The next part of the book promises to explain why the carbohydrate hypothesis has been so overlooked. But I think I already know the answer... everyone is so incredibly addicted they don't want to have to find out they should give it up.

[Judynyc]

I want to see Taubes interviewed by Oprah!! :agree:

[Kristine]

... But I think I already know the answer... everyone is so incredibly addicted they don't want to have to find out they should give it up.

No one more so than Kraft, General Mills, Pepsico, McDonalds, etc. Cheap carbohydrates generate so much pure profit, it's practically a license to print money. Meat, eggs and non-potato produce? Not so much so.

[Nancy LC]

I want to see Taubes interviewed by Oprah!! :agree:
I don't. I hate seeing these Taubes interviews where the idiotic, uninformed, unread ask incredibly stupid questions and don't let him answer fully. I'm sure Oprah is very bright but she's probably as much a part of the misinformation cascade as the interviewers from various other shows are. There's just too much information in that book than can be presented in a 5 minute interview geared towards people who have been brainwashed for the last 30 years.

[renie]

I don't. I hate seeing these Taubes interviews where the idiotic, uninformed, unread ask incredibly stupid questions and don't let him answer fully. I'm sure Oprah is very bright but she's probably as much a part of the misinformation cascade as the interviewers from various other shows are. There's just too much information in that book than can be presented in a 5 minute interview geared towards people who have been brainwashed for the last 30 years.

atleast her fave Dr. Oz actually said to lose fat you need to eat fat. Now my mother-in-law feels better abour our 'way of life'

[mike_d]

I wish there was more controversy over the book. You can't beat controversy to generate more sales. We need more indignation from the low-fatters! Where is Ornish when you need him?I donno-- some of those Amazon reviewers are scathing:Gary Taubes has eloquently shown a critical problem in our nation, the terrible, confusing, misleading, and disorganized information about diet health and nutrition in this country. Unfortunately, his conclusions, after wading through the murky literature are completely and totally wrong. What saddens me the most is that there are many people who are proclaiming this book as wonderful news. The high fat, high protein diet has been shown to case cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Why do people still believe in it? Because it frees them from the guilt of their horrible eating habits, and tells them it isn't their fault for eating so much junk food!
People in many countries have lived on diets consisting of almost 100% starches, rice, potatoes, corn. None of these populations ever had a high incidence of cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. Every major population that eats a western diet of high fat and high protein lists cancer and heart disease as #1 killer diseases. The math here is simple. I applaud Taubes for trying, but he should have had the common sense to consult people with PhDs in biochemistry who weren't paid off by the Food industry. Read Dean Ornish's book, Read The China Study. a very Low Fat, whole foods diet is healthy. High fat, High protein will hasten your death. I love steak as much as the next guy, but it isn't good you, how could anyone honestly believe that it is?The Asians eat carbs argument isn't valid, researchers have shown they have the genetics to handle carbohydrate better than Westerners-- they also eat less and are more active (at least they were). Diabetes is a big problem over there now.

[confession]

I love the book. It is loaded with research info.
I know it won't change everyone's minds. It could, however, get a few more people asking questions, and (gasp) considering if what we were taught is healthy truly is so.
So far I have not been very impressed with those that have interviewed Gary. Do they read the book? I am guessing....no.

[confession]

No one more so than Kraft, General Mills, Pepsico, McDonalds, etc. Cheap carbohydrates generate so much pure profit, it's practically a license to print money. Meat, eggs and non-potato produce? Not so much so.

Oh so true. I am sure the big moneymakers will not want to mess with the status quo.

[Wifezilla]

I did my part. I ordered a copy of his book and a copy of Natural Health and Weight Loss by Barry Groves.

I look forward to a total low-carb geek out when they arrive :D

[confession]

I did my part. I ordered a copy of his book and a copy of Natural Health and Weight Loss by Barry Groves.

I look forward to a total low-carb geek out when they arrive :D

You crack me up. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[amergin]

I donno-- some of those Amazon reviewers are scathing:

The ones who are scathing are not reviewers.
They are merely coming on to unload their own polemic or cut and paste links to their own favorite sites.
Three of the five "1" reviews make no attempt whatever to deal with anything in the book. Of the two who claim to have read it, neither can cite a single fault in any fact or study in the book to which they can show actual contrary evidence. They merely make ex-cathedra announcements that IT IS WRONG, or EVERYONE KNOWS.
Reminds me of the pantomime,
Oh No It Isn't!!
....Oh Yes It Is!!!
.
In fact the reaction from these types is a confirmation of one of Taubes central points.
Low-Carb never lost the debate.
............. There was no debate!

[K Walt]

I donno-- some of those Amazon reviewers are scathing:The Asians eat carbs argument isn't valid, researchers have shown they have the genetics to handle carbohydrate better than Westerners-- they also eat less and are more active (at least they were). Diabetes is a big problem over there now.


Yeah, that rice business doesn't add up either.

In China, per capita consumption of rice is 90kg per person per year. From this UN reference site (http://www.unctad.org/infocomm/anglais/rice/market.htm) . (I'm assuming that's uncooked.)

Doing the math, that comes to about about 8 oz, per person per day. Equaling some 192 grams of carbs.

Not LOW carb. But certainly not the 300 grams the USDA is telling us to eat.

They don't eat HUGE amounts of carbs. That's a myth.

They are also the world's largest consumers of pork. (http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:U29DtUYD4AwJ:www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/China/6pork.pdf+Pork+consumption+China&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us&client=firefox-a)

[teaser]

Chinese office workers whose parents were farmers have become both inactive and consumers of sugar, flour, and probably different amounts of meat and other kinds of foods than traditional, all at the same time. And now they have more diabetes. People are rushing over to study them, I'm sure, but can you imagine a more poorly designed experiment? Let's change everything at once and see what happens.

I loved the part of the book where type one diabetic bunnies did not develop artheriosclerotic lesions when fed cholesterol unless also injected with insulin. It almost leaves room for the Eades' and Ornish, as long as they don't sample off each other's plates. At least regarding heart disease. Given a choice of limiting cholesterol or insulin, though, in most people insulin is the far easier of the two to manipulate.

[Angeline]

I donno-- some of those Amazon reviewers are scathing:The Asians eat carbs argument isn't valid, researchers have shown they have the genetics to handle carbohydrate better than Westerners-- they also eat less and are more active (at least they were). Diabetes is a big problem over there now.

All the negative reviews have also been voted down and have gathered tons of comments, the vast majority being critical of the bad review.

Overall though the book is still well rated. Amazon is funny though. People have an all or nothing tendency of either giving 5 stars or 1 star. When I read reviews, which I almost always do, I tend to give little weight to both. The 5 stars are often gushing fanboy type reviews, and the one star are from disgruntled people. I read the mid range comments which are often more carefully though out. But this is for ordinary novels, not controversial books. A book like Good Calorie, Bad Calorie, is a different species altogether.

My earlier comment of more "controversy please!", was a little tongue-in-cheek. But I was thinking more of reviews in the media, not from individuals. The more controversy a book generate the more exposure it gets. Look at what happened with Taube's New York Times article. It launched a low carb craze.

[Locarb4mee]

I did my part. I ordered a copy of his book and a copy of Natural Health and Weight Loss by Barry Groves.

I look forward to a total low-carb geek out when they arrive :D

You got that right!! The Groves book is a bit lighter reading than Taubes. Reading Taubes is like a medical textbook...yikes!! It's fascinating though, and the research is well-documented.

I personally believe it should be REQUIRED READING for every doctor and medical professional in the US. **yeah like that's gonna happen** :lol:

[Wifezilla]

That's why they wont put us in charge....

"Read this or I will beat you over the head with it!!!"

(I am so subtle)

[HowdyFolks]

A lot of vegans/PETA folks actively attack anything that might increase meat consumption, though they do so under the guise of nutritional concern.

Any post or Amazon review that includes the words "China Study" is likely to be from one of these folks.

[bike2work]

Hey look! Taubes has another book out, due to be released in 3 months: Diet Delusion.

http://www.amazon.com/Diet-Delusion-Gary-Taubes/dp/0091891418/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-9932771-5905642?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192324684&sr=8-2

[Legeon]

It's the same book, UK version.

[mike_d]

Hey look! Taubes has another book out, due to be released in 3 months: Diet DelusionI think that might have been a better title; since so many people believe deep down there are no bad foods [calories] on Earth, only bad portions of these foods-- "all things in moderation" I hear that so much even from the educated I tire of it.

[LarryAJ]

"all things in moderation" I hear that so much even from the educated I tire of it. I wonder what they would say if you came back with, "Even arsenic?" :D

Would prefer something even more poisonous, but am having brain lockup. :rolleyes:

[manger]

I wonder what they would say if you came back with, "Even arsenic?" :D

:

I have to remember this :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[confession]

That's why they wont put us in charge....

"Read this or I will beat you over the head with it!!!"

(I am so subtle)

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[RobinB]

Have to order this one.