Thursday, February 24, 2011

Gary Taubes in the media again! Woo! And my interview with Jimmy Moore.

The beginning of this year Gary Taubes released his book "Why we Get Fat and What to do about it." Because of that, so far in this year he's had dozens of interviews, some of them poking out into more mainstream audiences. I'm a self-proclaimed Gary Taubes "Fangirl," to the point where I get excited and tell my friends about his interviews, and they look at me like I'm speaking Chinese. Nonetheless I'm glad he's getting some recognition in places other than the "already converted" who would look to websites like Jimmy Moore's Livin' Low Carb Show, or the Underground Wellness online podcasts anyway. when Gary Taubes gets to be interviewed by media such as Reader's Digest and the Dr. Oz show, I keep getting the creeping feeling that a "nutrition revolution" is coming, then I imagine a painting of the French Revolution. Not really the same thing, but I can dream, can't I?

The February issue of Reader's Digest caught my eye when I saw the cover, consisting of two fried eggs and a bacon slice forming a smiley face, with the caption "EAT THIS, LOSE WEIGHT." It also made me flashback to the similar bacon and egg frown face of the TIME magazine cover telling us cholesterol would kill us. I flipped to the page while waiting in the checkout line at Wal-Mart, to find "Gary Taubes" in the headline. I proceeded to have a small freakout as if it was an interview with Justin Bieber, and pleaded that my Mom buy the issue for me. Once I got home and put the groceries away, I locked myself in my room and absorbed the article.

I was very pleased to not find any significant bias in the article, as well as the size of it.8 whole pages of text with a few pictures of random foods like steak and bread for accessories. They dedicated a whole page to 5 commandment-like guidelines to a low-carb diet, written by Dr Westman, who wrote "The New Atkins for a New You" book.

They basically boil down to "1, don't try to limit fat [Insert pat of butter with a checkmark on it.] 2, say goodbye to pasta, bread, and rice [Insert bowtie noodle with an X on it.] 3, be picky about vegetables [Brussel sprout and checkmark.] 4, say no to hidden sugars [Orange slice and X.] And 5, eat as much as you want [Plate of bacon and checkmark.]"

I honestly get a slight twinge whenever Gary Taubes and Atkins are mention in the same interview, but honestly in the past 60 years he's the poster child for it, even though William Banting wrote "Letters of Corpulence" following the same type of diet way back in 1869. But not a lot of people know that. -Adjusts glasses like a nerd-

Other paragraph headlines include "The obesity experts are wrong," "Diets don't work," "It's impossible to count calories," "Exercising won't keep you thin," "High fat is better for your heart," and "If you have a weight problem, it's not your fault."

Over all I'm really happy that Lisa Davis, the interviewer, gave Gary Taubes a chance to put out a thorough article on his views about obesity and nutrition science. It was long enough to cover everything, but short enough to fit into a magazine. Pretty awesome.

Also, on March 7, Dr. Oz is going to have Taubes on his show! Set your Tivo! Hopefully it'll go better than his last interview with him on Larry King Live, which was frankly uncomfortable to watch, and Oz will let him speak as well as RD has.

My interview with Jimmy Moore was posted today, so I guess I can expect a bit more traffic on the blog than normal. To be honest the interview was recorded about, 4 months ago I believe? Also it's my first interview. So please excuse me if I sound nervous or don't answer as directly as I should. I'm not one to enjoy myself talking, and as a female, I tend to ramble.

P.S. Green and Black's organic dark chocolate 85% is amazing. It's so creamy and delicious, it's definitely in the top 3 now along with Lindt and Ghirardelli.

7 comments:

  1. Very good job with the podcast! Your knowledge is exceptional for someone your age and you presented it very well. My daughter is close to your age and I can barely get her attention on health and nutrition concepts. She really isn't interested - like her dad. I am very discouraged. Your parents are very lucky to have you!

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  2. I listened to your interview with Jimmy. BTW why do you feel you need to feed your dog "dog food"? You should have a read of "Raw Meaty Bones" by British vet Tom Lonsdale (his website is http://www.rawmeatybones.com/). Much better to give our pets as close as possible as we can to the real thing.

    If the pet food industry has had a revelation about what is good food it isn't mainstream going by the amount of rice and other cheap fillers in a lot of their preparations.

    Anyway, good going. All the best to you.

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  3. @CarrollJ16

    I feel the need to feed my dog "dog food" because both human and dog food is always bought by my parents, hence they have to approve of the price before we buy it. I know feeding raw is the healthiest way to feed a dog, but even asking for organic milk in my house is like asking for designer shoes, it just doesn't fly. In the mean time I feel like I'm doing my dog a favor just by feeding her a kibble that is free from corn, soy, wheat, and artificial preservatives and fillers.

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  4. Hi!

    I heard your podcast the other day. It was great! I'm really interested in nutrition and I love it when there are other kids who care. (I'm 12.) I've got a blog, http://veggiesgocrunch.blogspot.com/, too. Thanks!

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  5. Bravo, Chikyuu! You make me feel terribly guilty for not homeschooling my children! You're brillant! You've also given me hope for the future of real food: your generation will handle all this silly putty when we're done....and it looks like you've got it covered. What a mess our food supply is in, but with bright bloggers like yourself spreading the word, there's no telling how far we'll come. Looking forward to reading your future posts!

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  6. http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.0020012#box2

    Just listened to your Jimmy Moore interview. At your age, you shouldn't need to worry too much about the politics of working. You should learn how to deal with people, but as far as a career goes, if you're interested in it, you should pursue it. Study subjects that will help you solve problems.

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  7. Dear Sarah, We LOVED your interview! It is very encouraging to hear such enthusiasm and knowledge in a young person. Wish we could ignite our friends with your fire. Most of them are too steeped in the dogma to listen. Keep up the great work!

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