Gary Taubes returns to update us on his “crazy year”
In 2008, the focus of my podcast shifted from an audio version of my blog into a regular interview-focused show featuring the top voices in the diet, health, and fitness community who are advocating healthy living–mostly from a controlled-carbohydrate perspective. I’ve been honored to be able to speak with some of the most fascinating people in this industry who are making a difference in the lives of their patients, readers, and fans. This formula has turned into the trademark of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore” now which is likely the reason why it has catapulted into the Top 20 of Nutrition and Fitness podcasts on iTunes in the latter part of last year.
A couple of months ago, I decided to give my listeners a chance to share with me who they thought were the best podcast guests of 2008 and bring them back for a BRAND NEW INTERVIEW to kick off 2009. After tabulating the results of the e-mails I received from YOU, I narrowed it down to five stellar interview guests to conduct another interview to share with you this year. That’s exactly what I’m doing this week with my special “Encore Week” featuring FIVE one-hour interviews with Gary Taubes, Dr. William Davis, Dr. James E. Carlson, Dr. Mary C. Vernon, and Dr. James LaValle sponsored by Atkins Nutritionals.
In Episode 213 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we kick off “Encore Week” with Gary Taubes, the author of Good Calories, Bad Calories who did a fantastic job in my original May 2008 podcast interview with him. Since then, so much has happened with the book, including numerous speaking opportunities at places like UC-Berkeley, at Andrew Weil’s health conference, and an upcoming visit to the NIH. New projects are on the horizon for Taubes, including the much-awaited “lite” version of Good Calories, Bad Calories that so many people have been clamoring for. You can always count on Gary Taubes to be an entertaining and educational interview and he doesn’t disappoint.
There are FOUR ways you can listen to Episode 213:
1. Listen and comment about the show at iTunes:
2. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site:
3. Download the MP3 file of Episode 213 [59:14m]:
4. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via Podlinez
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Did you like what Gary Taubes had to share in this special “Encore Week” podcast? Do you agree he was one of the best of the best interviews in 2008? Talk about it in the show notes section of Episode 213. If you’re one of the handful of people who HASN’T read Good Calories, Bad Calories, by all means get a copy for yourself and READ IT! You won’t be disappointed. Read Gary’s original New York Times column from 2002 entitled “What if It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie?” that basically put Atkins low-carb on the map again and check out this 2007 blog interview I conducted with him when his book was released.
We’re only just getting started with “Encore Week” and can’t wait to share follow-up interviews with your favorite guests of 2008:
TUESDAY–Dr. William Davis
WEDNESDAY–Dr. James E. Carlson
THURSDAY–Dr. Mary C. Vernon
FRIDAY–Dr. James LaValle
THANKS for supporting my podcast and show your appreciation to Atkins Nutritionals for making this week’s special podcasts possible!
Just awesome! We are fortunate that Gary Taubes has been so willing to share his wisdom. I’m in the midst of reading his book and it is phenomenal. I’m hoping my doctor is willing to read it. Thanks to you too Jimmy for sharing your knowledge and understanding as well. I am learning much from your site(s). I hope neither of you end up demented and insane.
I can’t speak for Gary, but I try to stay grounded in other things besides low-carb. Prioritizing life is important to me so I doubt I will fall into the trap that GT described.
–Jimmy
Jimmy thanks as always.
If you get to casting about for ideas, how about the so called comfort foods and the odd substitutions we can make to quell the cravings us sugar and flour addicts get from time to time.
Recently I was having some sweets cravings and rather giving in went another direction with some bad food choices yet better than some sugared up flour concoction.
Had breakfast of a couple scrambled eggs and a slice of Spam. When my mother was sick or away that was my Dad’s speciality breakfast.
Another time had a lunch of vienna sausage (chicken variety) and sesame melba toast rounds along with a small serving of nuts. Similar to the lunches of vienna sausage, crackers, and peanuts we’d have when working out in the field.
Much more processed than I normally would ever dream of eating but the memories it triggered provided me with psychological lift a recovering sugar addict normally seeks from doughnuts or other garbage. Certainly not food I’d eat any more than maybe once a month but it kept me on track.
Gary can say exercise doesn’t help you lose weight, but he’s dead wrong. Exercising burns lots of extra Calories that I have already shown does not increase overall appetite. It is a fundamental truth that weight loss is nothing more than Calories in vs. Calories out, and if you burn extra Calories via exercise then you dramatically improve your chances of creating a consistent caloric deficit and thereby lose weight. This is the First Law of Thermodynamics. No matter what Taubes says, a Calorie is a Calorie is a Calorie.
Further, all of his information about insulin is completely wrong. This hormone gets lots of attention, both from legitimate researchers and scamming, self-styled diet gurus. I’m just going to stick to the basics: insulin is made by the pancreas and allows the body’s cells to use glucose for energy. The biggest concern regarding insulin is resistance to it, which leads to type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a preventable disease. Despite all the hype over its possible role in weight management, insulin is an innocent bystander. If you have such a lousy lifestyle that you become overweight and develop insulin resistance and later type 2 diabetes this is not the hormone’s fault. Although there are conflicting results, there are suggestions that insulin resistance actually helps protect against further weight gain (1); it could be a defense mechanism that is your body telling you that you have plenty of fat stores to survive the next lean period, so enough already.
Some low-carb diet advocates would have you believe that it is the fact that carbohydrates are made of sugars which results in insulin reacting to a high-carb intake and thereby causing obesity because it creates a situation where Calories are more easily converted to fat, and prevents fat being mobilized as an energy source. Further, they state that the insulin spike from high glycemic index (GI) carbs is followed by a “low blood sugar attack” that makes us crave more high GI carbs within a short period of time.
The first allegation is easily refuted through referencing the First Law of Thermodynamics that I already mentioned. It doesn’t matter what kind of Calories you ingest, but the total number you ingest. However, the type of Calories you consume does have a considerable impact in appetite regulation and overall health.
THANKS for your comments, Ronnie. While we may partially agree about the weight loss benefit/detriment from cardiovascular exercise, the whole “a calorie is a calorie is a calorie” argument doesn’t hold water (and research has shown the “calories in, calories out” mantra is unfounded). The QUALITY of the calorie certainly counts much more than the quantity. Eating 1500 calories made up of all chocolate chip cookies is MUCH worse for your insulin levels than consuming 1500 calories consisting of beef, spinach, eggs, cheese, cauliflower, and butter. Taubes argues using historical science as his proof that carbohydrates stimulate the production of insulin which drives hunger, leads to stored body fat, and causes disease. Have you read GOOD CALORIES, BAD CALORIES? You should take a closer look at the studies he references and see why he comes to the conclusions he does. Thank you again for your feedback!
–Jimmy
AWESOME INTERVIEW, Jimmy!!
I am tickled to pieces that great minds like Gary Taubes take the time to share their knowledge us via your podcasts. He definitely has enough going on to maintain an active, informative blog of his own. I was in awe listening to him tell you what’s been going on with him the past year.
He presents a unique perspective that we don’t find anywhere else. He’s not treating patients or losing 100 lbs. on Atkins. He brings an expertise and balanced view of the data that we don’t always get. I like his dogged determination to hold the diet researchers to the same standards as other fields.
It is disheartening to hear how much flack and resistance he and other movers and shakers in the low carb world have to face and, like he said, it will probably be generations beyond us that finally accept the validity of what Gary, Drs. Eades and other experts have been saying. Nevertheless, there are millions of people who would not be healthier, happier and lighter if it weren’t for their tireless crusade.
I am so glad that they (and you) continue on despite the obstacles. I do what little I can in my corner of the world by sharing what I’m learning – including Gary’s articles and book with as many people as I can. I can’t wait for the other books that he’s working on to be completed. I know they will be full of great, honest, clear information.
THANK YOU!!!
[quote]
The first allegation is easily refuted through referencing the First Law of Thermodynamics that I already mentioned. It doesn’t matter what kind of Calories you ingest, but the total number you ingest. [/quote]
Wrong. When it comes to thermodynamics it does matter where the calories come from.
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/3/1/9
“”A calorie is a calorie” violates the second law of thermodynamics”
Richard D Feinman
I just listened to this podcast. Great interview! However, I notice a tone of frustration and maybe depression in Gary Taubes’ voice. He seemed more optimistic at the beginning, when the book first came out; he hoped to change the world. He has run into a lot of blank stares and silence from the scientists he’s talked to, who treat patients and influence policy. The status quo is very hard to change. Gary’s uses the analogy of a huge ocean liner, with the lowcarb people in a dingy trying to change the big ship’s direction.
Back the 1960, Thomas Kuhn wrote a book called “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”, a very influential book at the time, which talked about how scientific communities are very conservative and strongly resist changing their theories, even if evidence runs in the face of them. One of the points Kuhn makes is that previous generation of influential scientists has to DIE before any change is possible.
So either we’re going to have to wait 20 to 30 years for the old guard to die, or we’re going to have to come up with a lot of money for some hit men
Alejo
Shhhh, don’t tell anybody our grand plot, Alejo.
Taubes agrees the old guard must die off first and then REAL progress can be made.
–Jimmy
How do I get access to the interview.
All of the links above to download the mp3 don’t work.
Please help.
Thanks,
Steve
Hey Steve! Thanks for your comments. Click here to access this interview. All of the old interviews are now available in the Archives section at http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes. Check it out!
–Jimmy