Eat More Meat! A positive review.

Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
My rating: 4 of 6

This book is both brilliant and somewhat hard to read. It is not a nonfiction novel, but a scientific paper written for the layperson to understand.
Sometimes it's dry. Like, really dry, and goes way into listing references and studies and whatnot, even after the author has made his point.
There's a reason for this, you see: This book is powerful. And powerful things beget enemies, and the only defense this book can muster is Science! So many times, I have a discussion with someone about why I eat the way I do, and they whip out some arbitrary "common sense" "fact." I ask them for a source, and they don't have it. Then I skip the fries.

So let's get into the meat of it:

What's this book about? It's a very long-winded study of the idea that refined carbohydrates (and their affect on hormones [insulin]) that make us fat and give us diseases. That's all that it's about, and it's still a huge book. Why? See above.

What's good? I lost ten pounds (180 to 170) following this basic plan: no sugars or flour if I can help it. None at all. Also, my chronic upset stomach mysteriously vanished.

What's bad? Well, after I lost ten pounds, I kind of hovered there, unable to go down. But I cheat on the diet a lot, because CHOCOLATE. But I'm buckling down, trying to lost that last 10-15 pounds, get that six-pack (currently hovering at almost 2), and rule the world. Results on the latter may vary.
The damned book is long. It's sometimes hard to read. For a while there, I averaged a page a day. To put that into perspective, I read Jurassic Park in a single day. Fun book. Geoff Goldblum dies.
Also, Gary Taubes tends to take his own word as gospel. Yes, he's right about a lot of stuff. Yes, sugar and flour are bad for us. But he makes some dodgy assumptions, like maybe insulin causes anorexia. Um... citation needed.

All in all, I've seen two camps on this one: Absolutely Right and Absolutely Bullshit. I'm in the former, for the most part.

But I still can't live without chocolate.

Read this book if you just can't seem to lose that weight.
Book changed my life, changed my eating, partially cured me of a chronic ailment, and might help me avoid dying at 40 like my grandfather. 4 out of 6.

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