Page 52 - Winter2010

All Thumbs Book Reviews

eat starch often. With advice like that, what could this hypothesis are not particularly compelling.” Our exercise hypothesis
possibly go wrong? is not off to a good start. One study cited in the book indicated that the
Why are we getting so much bad advice? activity level of the average American went up in the period from the 1970s
Harcombe takes a hard look at conflict of interest. to early 2000s. Weight also went up during that same period. One more
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) is a bullet: obesity in six-month-old babies is also increasing. Do we have an
dominant force on the American nutrition scene. epidemic of laziness in babies?
It has succeeded in making it illegal in many In thirty seconds you can consume the same amount of calories as
states to give out nutrition advice unless you you would burn by running for hours. Doing the stairclimber while watch-
are certified by the ADA. A look at the partners ing TV will most likely result in more weight loss between the ears than
and sponsors of the ADA and how much money anyplace else, especially if it is daytime TV.
they put up is very interesting. A very partial Harcombe doesn’t go into tremendous detail about solutions but
list includes Coca-Cola ($31.4 billion), PepsiCo nicely sums up the best solution, the solution that worked 99 percent of
($44.3 billion), GlaxoSmithKline ($45.2 billion), the time at least until 1980. Get off the grain-based, fat-building regimen
General Mills ($14.9 billion), SoyJoy ($9.2 bil- and eat real food. Real food is the food that doesn’t have ingredients on
lion), Mars ($30 billion) and many others. Even the labels. You will also need to make those politically incorrect animal
I don’t want to do the math to add up all those foods a significant part of your diet to get the nutrition you need. Another
billions. Maybe on the planet Pollyanna that is contradiction Harcombe points out in the USDA food pyramid advice is
not a problem, but on this planet it is. the impossibility of getting all of the recommended nutrition in a grain-
Many people believe exercise is the path to based diet without far exceeding the recommended calories.
freedom from obesity. How does this belief mea- Our obsession with calories is a monumental waste of time. Zoë Har-
sure up to the facts? According to the American combe is logically, mathematically and scientifically ruthless in blasting
College of Sports Medicine, “It is reasonable to through the fog of urban legends that surround the subject of obesity. Yet
assume that persons with relatively high daily her book is not at all hysterical in tone. With almost dispassionate aplomb
energy expenditures would be less likely to gain she shreds, slices, dices and purées the expert advice, the equations and
weight over time, compared to those who have the superstitions. That’ll get my thumb up any day.
low energy expenditures. So far, data to support Review by Tim Boyd

Lunatic Farmer, Continued from page 49 get. The idea that farming is for idiots is deadly for any culture. Industrial
that is to read, it is even more fun to hear him farming is failing in multiple ways as I write this. Food production is not
say it in person. scalable. Big factory food is destroying valuable resources and making
Joel Salatin gives away huge secrets to people sick. That obviously can’t go on much longer. Producers know that,
big success. Isn’t he worried about helping the and they also know that if people in general ever taste a real chicken like
competition? Well, there are a few reasons why the ones you find at Polyface, the game will be over even sooner. If there
the answer is no. He knows you can never get aren’t more Polyfaces, everybody is going to get very hungry. If you want
ahead by being a copycat. Another key point in to be a smart farmer, reading this book would be a smart start.
the book: people who don’t ever let their minds Does his crazy environmentalism work? If you visit Polyface (and
out of their little Greco-Roman-western-linear I have several times) you will see happy, contented animals. The people
reductionist systematized fragmented discon- who live and work there are also look happy. There are no nasty odors
nected-parts-oriented-individualized box will even from the pigs. The grass really is greener on the Polyface side of the
think he is howling at the moon. fence.
Mr. Salatin also knows that he can’t save the And then. . . taste the food. Oh, yes. It’s working. The thumb is way
world by himself. He makes a very powerful case UP for this book. Available from Acres USA, Amazon or Chelsea Green
for why we need as many smart farmers as we can Publishing. Review by Tim Boyd
52 Wise Traditions WINTER 2010

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