Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics: 33 (California Studies in Food and Culture) - Hardcover

"A feast for the mind." Nature 20120314 "The most succinct diet book ever written." The Scientist 20120201 "People should read this book. They should read it if they are obsessive weight-watchers or serial dieters, or just concerned about what their children eat. They should read it if they work in public health, the food industry, catering, or education." Times Higher Education 20120330 "Along with offering a fascinating history, they show how an understanding of calorie needs saved lives in the global fight against hunger." -- Emily Kaiser Thelin The Wall Street Journal 20120420 "Takes the science of calories and breaks it down for the rest of us." San Francisco Chronicle 20120325 "This book will help dispel many of the commonly held myths we have about eating. An informative and interesting read for those who want to know the science behind calories, food and weight." Huffington Post Books 20120425 "Does the seemingly impossible: it takes calories from the abstract to the concrete. Nestle and Nesheim explain the significance of the calorie not only in understandable scientific terms, but also in social terms with the explicit aim of helping their reader navigate the convoluted world of food labels and diet fads." Civil Eats 20120321 "Whether you're interested in the twin public health crises of obesity and malnutrition, curious about the process of digestion, or just looking for a scientifically supported path to a beach body, you should find Why Calories Count an enlightening read." Science 20130726

Calories - too few or too many - are the source of health problems affecting billions of people in today's globalized world. Although calories are essential to human health and survival, they cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted. They are also hard to understand. In "Why Calories Count", Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim explain in clear and accessible language what calories are and how they work, both biologically and politically. As they take readers through the issues that are fundamental to our understanding of diet and food, weight gain, loss, and obesity, Nestle and Nesheim sort through a great deal of the misinformation put forth by food manufacturers and diet program promoters. They elucidate the political stakes and show how federal and corporate policies have come together to create an "eat more" environment. Finally, having armed readers with the necessary information to interpret food labels, evaluate diet claims, and understand evidence as presented in popular media, the authors offer some candid advice: Get organized. Eat less. Eat better. Move more. Get political.