This post is back-dated. Here's the deal. I moved in July and had a lot to do related to that. Frankly, I did not read much in the second half of 2017 (the move, football season, coaching basketball). Excuses excuses. I did read a few books, but I never got around to writing posts about them. It is now early January and I am finally writing on the blog. I think it is worth back-dating them because I like to know when I read books, and writing these posts won't be too hard because I actually jotted down notes in the Note app on my phone (dorky I know). Without further ado...
I stumbled upon Good Calories, Bad Calories when I was searching for books on Amazon. It seemed controversial but very interesting. I have always been interested in nutrition so this was clearly right up my alley. The author attacks many common notions in nutrition - fats are bad, carbs are better, eat less, exercise more. Yet despite all this, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases are more prevalent than ever. The author's opinion is that refined carbs (think white bread) and sugar are to blame, and that it is the kind of calories you consume rather than the amount.
He goes very in depth about the history of nutrition and where many common "facts" come from. He points out inconsistencies and controversies. Things like how Ancel Keys wiggled his way into the American Heart Association to push his theory that low-fat, low-cholesterol would reduce the risk for heart disease. His studies were inconclusive, but he was able to persuade the country. The author also points out many islands that had no diabetes, obesity, cancer, appendicitis, or other "western" diseases until those countries met traders who brought them sugars and refined carbs.
You can see how this can be controversial. I can see some bias as he tries to prove his point. That being said, this is probably the best nutrition book I have ever read. Very enlightening. However, it gets too detailed at times and is very technical later in the book. In fact, I could only read 15-20 pages at a time and I did not make it all the way to the end. This is not a book for the casual reader. For those in the nutrition field or who are genuinely interested, it is a worthwhile read. I wish he wrote this book in a more casual way.
My rating for Good Calories, Bad Calories: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!