Nutrition Perspectives
I chose to do my project on the book "Why We Get Fat and What to do about it" by Gary Taubes. In all honesty I choose this book by narrowing the list down to what looked interesting and finding which one was readily available at the library. That said, I am always interested in new perspectives on weight and weight loss. I enjoy learning what other views are in regards to this topic.
Gary Taubes is an investigative science and health journalist and co-founder of the non-profit Nutrition Science Initiative. He has authored three nutrition books: The Case Against Sugar (2016), Why We Get Fat (2011), and Good Calories, Bad Calories(2007). He has won multiple awards for his work in health and science journalism. (garytaubes.com) …show more content…
Energy input=Energy output. Theoretically, if we have Energy balance (equal calories in and calories out), we should maintain our current weight. If we have Positive energy balance (fewer calories out than calories in), we will gain weight. And if we have a Negative energy balance (fewer calories in than out), we will lose weight.(Wardlaw, page 235) This is a belief that we have been taught for most of our teen and adult lives and the majority of society follows that belief. And many end up banging their heads against the wall questioning why it doesn’t work for them. In Why We Get Fat, the author points out that it is impossible to increase our energy output without also increasing our appetite and needing to take in more calories.(Taubes, page 47) And if we reduce our calorie intake then we also reduce our ability to expend the energy. "In short, the energy we consume and the energy we expend are dependent on each other." (Taubes, page78) If we change one, then the other changes to compensate. He cites a 2007 article by Jeffrey Flier, dean of Harvard Medical School, and his wife Terry Maratos-Flier in Scientific American called "What Fuels Fat." They describe the link between appetite and energy expenditure and why they are "not simply variables that an individual can consciously decide to change with the only effect being that his or her fat tissue will get smaller or larger to compensate." (Taubes, page 78) The article states
I chose to do my project on the book "Why We Get Fat and What to do about it" by Gary Taubes. In all honesty I choose this book by narrowing the list down to what looked interesting and finding which one was readily available at the library. That said, I am always interested in new perspectives on weight and weight loss. I enjoy learning what other views are in regards to this topic.
Gary Taubes is an investigative science and health journalist and co-founder of the non-profit Nutrition Science Initiative. He has authored three nutrition books: The Case Against Sugar (2016), Why We Get Fat (2011), and Good Calories, Bad Calories(2007). He has won multiple awards for his work in health and science journalism. (garytaubes.com) …show more content…
Energy input=Energy output. Theoretically, if we have Energy balance (equal calories in and calories out), we should maintain our current weight. If we have Positive energy balance (fewer calories out than calories in), we will gain weight. And if we have a Negative energy balance (fewer calories in than out), we will lose weight.(Wardlaw, page 235) This is a belief that we have been taught for most of our teen and adult lives and the majority of society follows that belief. And many end up banging their heads against the wall questioning why it doesn’t work for them. In Why We Get Fat, the author points out that it is impossible to increase our energy output without also increasing our appetite and needing to take in more calories.(Taubes, page 47) And if we reduce our calorie intake then we also reduce our ability to expend the energy. "In short, the energy we consume and the energy we expend are dependent on each other." (Taubes, page78) If we change one, then the other changes to compensate. He cites a 2007 article by Jeffrey Flier, dean of Harvard Medical School, and his wife Terry Maratos-Flier in Scientific American called "What Fuels Fat." They describe the link between appetite and energy expenditure and why they are "not simply variables that an individual can consciously decide to change with the only effect being that his or her fat tissue will get smaller or larger to compensate." (Taubes, page 78) The article states