Taubes Essay in Newsweek

[studiesinlight]

much_madness just let me know that science journalist and historian Gary Taubes has an engaging new essay in Newsweek magazine this week, which we can read online at The Daily Beast: "Why the Campaign to Stop America's Obesity Crisis Keeps FailingIt's inspired by a new HBO documentary pushing the same old advice.  For those of us who are already fans of

Comments

[studiesinlight]

One of the things I love about reading Taubes is his historical orientation. I'm confident that you'll enjoy that in him, too!

Another thing I love about him is his clear-eyed understanding (and advocacy) that it's this very bad conventional wisdom that causes so much suffering, not the supposed "gluttony and sloth" that many people mistakenly prefer to blame.

(And, yep, I am most sincerely and thoroughly convinced that controlling carbohydrates is the answer to so much. It's been unbelievable for me... which builds strong belief! ~g~)

[chelseagirl]

Can I just ask what you do eat -- I assume all breads, pastas, etc. are out -- is it essentially like "doing paleo" where you're mostly eating meat/poultry/fish and vegetables/fruits?

What I Eat

[studiesinlight]

Yes. I eat lots of vegetables of every kind (except potatoes, which are just too starchy); moderate quantities of fish, flesh, fowl, eggs, nuts and dairy; and small quantities of fruits (except grapes and bananas, which are just too sugary). Plus olive oil, safflower oil, coconut oil, real mayonnaise, caesar dressing, blu cheese dressing, mustard, etc. And tea! And diet cola! :-)

From outside, all controlled-carbohydrate ways of eating must look very similar, I imagine. They all approve vegetables and animal products, and all avoid grains. However, in the "tyranny of small differences" that you know so well from academia and fandom alike, you'll recognize the kind of bitter disagreements afloat about dairy products, legumes, sweeteners, etc. among followers of Atkins, Paleo, Primal, South Beach, Carbohydrate Addicts, Protein Power, and the rest.

Personally, I'm an Atkins girl... or a Banting girl, for the Victorian angle! ;-) (Do you know this story?) So asking me whether what I do is like Paleo is somewhat akin to asking a