Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics

Editor/Author Nestle, Marion
Publication Year: 2012
Publisher: University of California Press

Single-User Purchase Price: $45.00
Unlimited-User Purchase Price: $67.50
ISBN: 978-0-52-026288-1
Category: Food, Drink, Nutrition
Image Count: 24
Book Status: Available
Table of Contents

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.

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Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Part One. Understanding Calories: It All Starts with the Science
  • 1. What Is a Calorie?
  • 2. The History: From Ancient Greece to Modern Calorie Science
  • 3. Foods: How Scientists Count the Calories
  • 4. Bodies: How Scientists Measure the Use of Calories
  • Part Two. Why You Need Calories: Survival, Warmth, and Work
  • 5. Metabolism: How the Body Turns Food into Energy
  • 6. The First Use of Calories: Basic Life Functions
  • 7. The Second Use: Heat Losses while Metabolizing Food
  • 8. The Third Use: Physical Activity
  • Part Three. Calorie Intake and Its Regulation
  • 9. How Many Calories Do You Need?
  • 10. Calorie Confusion: The Struggle to Estimate Intake
  • 11. Secret Calories: Alcohol
  • 12. Calorie Regulation: The Body’s Complex Weight Management System
  • Part Four. Too Few Calories
  • 13. Starvation and Its Effects on the Body
  • 14. Individuals, Communities, Nations: Calories and Global Hunger
  • 15. Could Restricting Calories Prolong Human Life?
  • Part Five. Too Many Calories
  • 16. An Introduction to Obesity
  • 17. Calories and Weight Gain: Another Complex Relationship
  • 18. Do Excess Calories Make Some People Gain Weight Faster than Others?
  • 19. Are All Calories Created Equal?
  • 20. Do Some Kinds of Diets Work Better than Others?
  • Part Six. The Politics of Calories: A Closer Look
  • 21. Today’s “Eat More” Environment: The Role of the Food Industry
  • 22. More Calorie Confusion: Portion Distortion, Health Halos, and Wishful Thinking
  • 23. Calorie Labeling: Science and Politics
  • 24. Alcohol Labels: Industry vs. Consumers
  • 25. Will Calorie Labels Help Fight Obesity?
  • Conclusion: How to Cope with the Calorie Environment
  • Appendix One. Selected Events in the History of Calories, 1614–1919
  • Appendix Two. The Respiratory Quotient (RQ)
  • Appendix Three. Frequently Asked Questions
  • Notes
  • List of Tables
  • List of Figures
  • Acknowledgments