Page 1 of 1

Big Fat Surprise

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 11:32 am
by colorado4
http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Fat-Surpr ... 1451624425

Read this after seeing it on the Economist's top book of the year list.  Food for thought. 

Re: Big Fat Surprise

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 12:54 pm
by Mark Leavy
Breakfast this morning.
Four eggs sunny side up. Two pots of coffee with copious amounts of heavy cream.

Lunch today.
Giant bowl of guacamole and some tequila shots.

Dinner (coming up)
Full rack of ribs, dry. And bourbon.

Too many meals, but this is a social time of the year...

Re: Big Fat Surprise

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 1:02 pm
by Benko
PUG,

I'll let others who know the fat data better than I deal with that, but :

"and also suffered from very high rates of osteoporosis"

If you're trying to state that high animal protein diets are bad for bone density, the data doesn't support that:

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/90/6/1674.full
[note: study is on the benefits of a higher protein diet in increasing bone density, which doesn't turn out to be significant, but looking at all published studies from

The MEDLINE (January 1966 to September 2007) and EMBASE (1974 to July 2008) databases 

there was certainly no harm. 

Re: Big Fat Surprise

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 1:48 pm
by colorado4
Pug, have you read the book?  I felt it was a thorough, thoughtful look at our food history.  If anything, the low-fat studies and data (Ancel Keys) should be revisited and questioned.  My guess is that any traditional diet (low or high fat and limited processed foods) would be better than what the average American is eating today. 

Re: Big Fat Surprise

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 2:15 pm
by flyingpylon
I read the book shortly after it was first published. Aside from the debate about which type of diet is "right" vs "wrong", it should make people question the validity of "settled science" and how that combined with politics and big business impacts millions of lives for many decades into the future.  I didn't find it very reassuring, personally.

Re: Big Fat Surprise

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 4:26 pm
by Mark Leavy
Desert wrote: I think I'm going to adopt the Mark diet next year.  What kind of tequila are you drinking?  I've been having a bit of tequila now and then, in Monterrey, and wow, high quality tequila is some good stuff.
I like a nice reposado.  Chamucos, Milagro, Cabo Wabo, Don Julio...
Good sipping tequila is a fine thing to go with some fatty braised cabeza and chiles.