Who Should Eat Keto and Why? with Gary Taubes

Apr 14, 2021

Gary Taubes, an award-winning science and health journalist, dives into the intricacies of the ketogenic diet and its suitability for different individuals. He critiques traditional dietary guidelines and emphasizes the necessity of personalized nutrition to combat obesity and diabetes. Taubes debunks myths around moderation, arguing that one-size-fits-all approaches often fail. He also highlights the benefits of keto for metabolic health, especially for those with insulin sensitivity issues, and encourages a nuanced understanding of dietary choices.

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INSIGHT

Hormonal Weight Gain

Weight gain is a hormonal issue, similar to other medical conditions.
The German and Austrian clinicians argued this, but their views were dismissed.

ANECDOTE

Calorie Restriction Ineffective

Gary Taubes tried calorie restriction in the 1990s and still gained weight.
Many people eat healthy and moderately but remain overweight due to incorrect advice.

INSIGHT

Insulin Sensitivity

Lean people tend to be insulin sensitive, efficiently using low insulin levels.
Insulin resistance leads to increased insulin production, weight gain, and metabolic issues.

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Who Should Eat Keto and Why? | This episode is brought to you by Paleovalley, Joovv, and TrueDark

Chances are, you’ve heard a lot of buzz about the ketogenic (or keto) diet. This high-fat, low-carb approach to eating has become extremely popular in recent years for helping with everything from weight loss to cognition. So is it worth the hype? Like any diet, keto is great for some people and not-so-great for others. Genetics, family history, personal health goals, and so many other factors tie into what type of diet will work for an individual. The one-size-fits-all approach to diet has led way too many people down the wrong path.

Today, I’m excited to chat with Gary Taubes all about the keto diet, it’s complexities and benefits, and who might want to consider it. Gary is an award-winning science and health journalist, and co-founder and director of the Nutrition Science Initiative. He is the author of The Case Against Sugar, Why We Get Fat, Good Calories, Bad Calories, and, most recently, The Case for Keto. Gary is a former staff writer for Discover and correspondent for Science. He has written three cover articles on nutrition and health for The New York Times Magazine, and his writing has also appeared in The Atlantic, Esquire, and numerous "best of" anthologies, including The Best of the Best American Science Writing (2010). He has received three Science in Society Journalism Awards from the National Association of Science Writers, and is also the recipient of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award in Health Policy Research.

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Here are more of the details from our interview:

How an investigative journalism piece on salt and blood pressure led to Gary’s ongoing inquiry into the obesity epidemic (9:11)

Why we get fat (13:58)

Why science mistakenly began focusing on calories, instead of hormones, to understand obesity (17:58)

The origin and perpetuation of fat shaming and obesity stigma (21:45)

There is no one-size-fits-all diet (29:02)

Using a keto (or low-carb, high-fat) diet to decrease insulin levels (37:20)

How ultra-processed, starchy refined carbohydrates are driving most of our global issues (50:15)

Would humans and the planet be healthier if we all stopped eating meat and became vegan? (52:34)

Connecting what you eat with how you feel (57:57)

Research on treating and reversing type 2 diabetes using a ketogenic diet (1:04:41)

Using a ketogenic diet to treat cancer, heart disease, heart failure, dementia, epilepsy, and more (1:17:05)

Learn more about Gary Taubes at http://garytaubes.com/ and get a copy of his book, The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb/High-Fat Eating at http://garytaubes.com/works/books/the-case-for-keto-2020/.

Follow Gary on Facebook @GaryTaubesAuthor, and on Twitter @garytaubes.