Good Calories, Bad Calories? (broadcast Friday, November 2nd, 2007)

A tasty selection of vegetables. Scott Bauer, USDA.

How much do we really know about how our bodies react to the food we eat? Conventional medical wisdom says that eating foods high in cholesterol is bad for you, and has links to the development of heart disease. In a new book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories," science writer Gary Taubes suggests that perhaps the emphasis on dietary fat and cholesterol is misplaced, and other factors, such as carbohydrate consumption, should be targeted instead. Join Ira in this segment for a conversation with Taubes about his book, and how it fits into the nutritional big picture. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests

Gary Taubes
Author, "Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease" (Knopf, 2007) Contributing Correspondent Science Magazine New York, New York

Ronald Krauss
Senior Scientist
Director, Atherosclerosis Research
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute
Oakland, California