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Carbophobia: The Scary Truth About America's Low-carb Craze
Everywhere you go these days, it seems, the Atkins "A" can be found. In the first six months of 2004, no fewer than 1,864 new "low-carb" products were launched—everything from low-carb pasta to low-carb gummy bears. Yet warnings from medical authorities continue to pour in. The American Dietetic Association—the largest organization of food and nutrition professionals in the world—calls the Atkins Diet "a nightmare of a diet," and the American Medical Association has published an official scathing critique. The National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins University, the American Kidney Fund, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health all oppose the Atkins Diet. In fact, there does not seem to be a single major governmental or nonprofit medical, nutrition, or science-based organization in the world that supports it. How then has the Atkins Corporation managed to mislead millions of people onto its diet? In the first book of its kind, Dr. Michael Greger draws together decades of research exposing the dangerous truth behind the low-carb lies. Carbophobia decisively debunks the purported "science" behind the low-carb claims, documents just how ineffective the Atkins Diet and other low-carb plans have been in producing sustainable weight loss, and lists the known hazards inherent to the diet. This is not a case of academic "he said/she said." This is a case of a multibillion-dollar corporation with a financial stake in ignoring all the current evidence-based dietary recommendations no matter what the human cost.
162 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2004
28 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Michael Greger
136 books2,066 followersDr. Greger is a physician, New York Times Best-Selling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues.
A graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Greger is licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition. He is a founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He was honored with the ACLM Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award in 2017 and became a diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.
His books How Not to Die, The How Not to Die Cookbook, How Not to Diet, and How Not to Age became instant New York Times Best Sellers. One hundred percent of all proceeds Dr. Greger receives from his books and speaking engagements have always been and will always be donated to charity.
Dr. Greger has appeared in such documentaries as What the Health and You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment, and served as an advisor for The Game Changers. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and was an expert witness in defense of Oprah Winfrey in the infamous “meat defamation trial.” He often speaks at engagements across the United States and abroad, and has delivered presentations at TEDx, Google, The World Bank, and the Conference on World Affairs. He has been featured on countless media outlets to deliver life-saving nutrition research to the public. See more on our Press page.
A graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Greger is licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition. He is a founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He was honored with the ACLM Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award in 2017 and became a diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.
His books How Not to Die, The How Not to Die Cookbook, How Not to Diet, and How Not to Age became instant New York Times Best Sellers. One hundred percent of all proceeds Dr. Greger receives from his books and speaking engagements have always been and will always be donated to charity.
Dr. Greger has appeared in such documentaries as What the Health and You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment, and served as an advisor for The Game Changers. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and was an expert witness in defense of Oprah Winfrey in the infamous “meat defamation trial.” He often speaks at engagements across the United States and abroad, and has delivered presentations at TEDx, Google, The World Bank, and the Conference on World Affairs. He has been featured on countless media outlets to deliver life-saving nutrition research to the public. See more on our Press page.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 25, 2013
Carbophobia was a quick and informative read. It was also surprisingly entertaining--at least during the last section in which Greger deliciously dissects the Atkins Corporation's "cease-and-desist" letter. There's nothing more fun than a devastating point-by-point teardown of a weak argument.
This book focuses upon the Atkins Diet and all of its faddish low-carb offshoots that so dominated the cultural food landscape at the beginning of the 21st century. If you don't recall this madness, it involved adopting a diet that relied mostly on meat and animal foods and shunned grains as "poison"--a fine diet indeed for the family cat, but physically disastrous for human beings.
Most sensible people intuitively know that bacon isn’t a healthier food choice than an orange, but Atkins preyed upon American’s desperation for quick weight loss with minimal investment. “Quick” was the operative word here. Once low-carb dieters stopped eating like tigers at the city zoo, they normally gained back all of their weight—with interest. As this book details, many dieters discovered that they had in fact damaged their health, in some cases seriously, while on Atkins. This book taught me quite a bit about the Atkins diet and what it entails—such as the metric ton of vitamins prescribed—that low-carb evangelists failed to mention.
For those who care about the treatment of animals on factory farms, the low-carb diet fad revealed another dark facet. It is chilling to contemplate how many more animals were born into a world of inexcusable cruelty in order to supply the increased demands of an Atkins-crazed populace.
While the Atkins empire is a shadow of its former self, this book remains important. There’s reason to be concerned that the meat industry will start lining the right pockets in order to start another low-carb diet fad. No doubt it is of great concern to the industry that both meat consumption and demand continue to fall in the US. In addition, the industry has been embarrassed by a steady stream of recalls of products infected with dangerous bacteria, and the leaks of undercover footage that shows shocking cruelty as par for the course on factory farms. In addition, enough time has passed that former Atkins dieters may have forgotten the negative effects of the diet and a new group of young adults have never tried it to begin with.
There are already some versions of low-carb diets that are once again leaking into the mainstream press. In a nod to the Pollan-inspired omnivore, today’s low-carb diets champion “happy meat” over the conventional stuff, but we all know how that goes once people realize the inconvenience and extra expense it entails. Atkins’ last book, too, suggested his dieters eat grass-fed, free-range meat—which of course to most Americans meant a Hardee’s cheeseburger wrapped in a single leaf of iceburg lettuce.
This book focuses upon the Atkins Diet and all of its faddish low-carb offshoots that so dominated the cultural food landscape at the beginning of the 21st century. If you don't recall this madness, it involved adopting a diet that relied mostly on meat and animal foods and shunned grains as "poison"--a fine diet indeed for the family cat, but physically disastrous for human beings.
Most sensible people intuitively know that bacon isn’t a healthier food choice than an orange, but Atkins preyed upon American’s desperation for quick weight loss with minimal investment. “Quick” was the operative word here. Once low-carb dieters stopped eating like tigers at the city zoo, they normally gained back all of their weight—with interest. As this book details, many dieters discovered that they had in fact damaged their health, in some cases seriously, while on Atkins. This book taught me quite a bit about the Atkins diet and what it entails—such as the metric ton of vitamins prescribed—that low-carb evangelists failed to mention.
For those who care about the treatment of animals on factory farms, the low-carb diet fad revealed another dark facet. It is chilling to contemplate how many more animals were born into a world of inexcusable cruelty in order to supply the increased demands of an Atkins-crazed populace.
While the Atkins empire is a shadow of its former self, this book remains important. There’s reason to be concerned that the meat industry will start lining the right pockets in order to start another low-carb diet fad. No doubt it is of great concern to the industry that both meat consumption and demand continue to fall in the US. In addition, the industry has been embarrassed by a steady stream of recalls of products infected with dangerous bacteria, and the leaks of undercover footage that shows shocking cruelty as par for the course on factory farms. In addition, enough time has passed that former Atkins dieters may have forgotten the negative effects of the diet and a new group of young adults have never tried it to begin with.
There are already some versions of low-carb diets that are once again leaking into the mainstream press. In a nod to the Pollan-inspired omnivore, today’s low-carb diets champion “happy meat” over the conventional stuff, but we all know how that goes once people realize the inconvenience and extra expense it entails. Atkins’ last book, too, suggested his dieters eat grass-fed, free-range meat—which of course to most Americans meant a Hardee’s cheeseburger wrapped in a single leaf of iceburg lettuce.
May 29, 2010
Anyone familiar with Dr.Greger knows he's on top of nutritional information and the most recent data available. That being said, his main focus of the book is the 'Atkins' diet though he makes it clear he is referring to all 'low carb' diets as the craze continues.
In a nutshell, a low carb diet often means eating more meat, less whole grains, fruit, and even some vegetables. The drop in fiber and nutrients coupled with the added stress to kidneys, an acidic body which robs us of calcium, and increasing (not decreasing) LDL levels, America has the wrong idea about dieting. Dr.Greger was so disturbed by all the misinformation, that he started a website www.atkinsexposed.org to debunk the lies coming from the Atkins organization. Though Dr.Atkins is now dead, his corporation continues to fight against the truth.
In the end, a full fat diet (meaning healthy fats as in avacados & nuts) along with whole grains and an array of vegetables and fruit, is the way to go. Our muscles need carbs to burn the fat! Don't cut out the good carbs! Sadly, thanks to Atkins and other 'low carb' diet promoters since Atkins, America seems to think all carbs are bad, when in fact it's the sugar and white flour and excess fat they should be cutting.
Dr.Atkins himself, who denied having high cholesterol, was shown by an autopsy performed after death, to have 30-40% arterial blockage.
In a nutshell, a low carb diet often means eating more meat, less whole grains, fruit, and even some vegetables. The drop in fiber and nutrients coupled with the added stress to kidneys, an acidic body which robs us of calcium, and increasing (not decreasing) LDL levels, America has the wrong idea about dieting. Dr.Greger was so disturbed by all the misinformation, that he started a website www.atkinsexposed.org to debunk the lies coming from the Atkins organization. Though Dr.Atkins is now dead, his corporation continues to fight against the truth.
In the end, a full fat diet (meaning healthy fats as in avacados & nuts) along with whole grains and an array of vegetables and fruit, is the way to go. Our muscles need carbs to burn the fat! Don't cut out the good carbs! Sadly, thanks to Atkins and other 'low carb' diet promoters since Atkins, America seems to think all carbs are bad, when in fact it's the sugar and white flour and excess fat they should be cutting.
Dr.Atkins himself, who denied having high cholesterol, was shown by an autopsy performed after death, to have 30-40% arterial blockage.
May 17, 2013
Dr. Greger was ahead of his time on this one. I read this back in 2005 when low carb was all the rage. I knew lots of people on South Beach then. Since then, lots of research (big studies over time published by major researchers in leading, peer-reviewed journals) has come out linking meat with illness and premature death. But this GIGANTIC 2010 study on low carb diets in particular really hit home for me how right Dr. Greger had been:
A study of over 100,000 people followed from the 1980s to 2006 (20+ years!) by researchers at Harvard and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2010 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20...) concluded: "A low-carbohydrate diet based on animal sources was associated with higher all-cause mortality in both men and women, whereas a vegetable-based low-carbohydrate diet was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality rates."
This is a good read to see why low carb was pushed so much and why it is such an inferior approach to plant-based, whole food diets.
A study of over 100,000 people followed from the 1980s to 2006 (20+ years!) by researchers at Harvard and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2010 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20...) concluded: "A low-carbohydrate diet based on animal sources was associated with higher all-cause mortality in both men and women, whereas a vegetable-based low-carbohydrate diet was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality rates."
This is a good read to see why low carb was pushed so much and why it is such an inferior approach to plant-based, whole food diets.
March 16, 2025
I enjoyed this book, however, the main focus seems to debunk the Atkins diet. I was hoping for a more broad range debunking of all high protein / low carb diets. The final chapter that’s a tit for tat from the letter from the Atkins corp and the author and his website got cumbersome and confusing to read. I truly just have a friend who is frying cheeseburgers and eggs in butter and thinks it’s a healthy meal because there is no bun, and I was hoping to help him. His defense to this book is he doesn’t call what he’s doing “Atkins” as he’s still enjoying fruit and certain veggies. Simply showing how Atkins (similar to Trump, in my opinion) in absurd claims isn’t going to do the trick. I realize there are other books that promote vegan diets, and I wasn’t hoping for that in this book, just maybe less de-facting of Atkins and more overall disproving of the continually popular extra-protein mentality.
May 21, 2023
Corporations have a long history of misrepresenting science.
November 29, 2008
truth: i read this one day while i was doing my shift at the lucy parsons center & had left the book i was actually reading at home. it's ridiculous, because i obviously had an entire bookstore worth of stuff to choose from, & i picked THIS? but it was short enough that i finished within three hours, & it provided much nutritional information regarding the importance of carbohydrates to a person's diet. not that i give a rip about that stuff. i ate candy & chocolate chip cookies for breakfast this morning. & yesterday morning. & every morning this week, actually. the only reason i chose this book is because i came in to a book order, so i was pricing the books & putting them away & this was in the box, & i was like, wait, what? the lucy parsons center ordered a book about CARBS? i don't understand. so i read it in an effort to understand what this book had to do with an anarchist bookstore. i can't say that my question was answered. the book was kind of dumb.
October 18, 2017
This book was basically a rebuttal of the Atkins / ketogenic diet. It is a very thorough rebuttal, with dozens of pages of references, but it was so very thorough that I lost interest eventually.
I was hoping that the book would go more into why people have vilified carbs and the societal avoidance of them, as the title implied, but we never really got beyond attacking Atkins.
Conclusion: he's right, but Dr. Greger's other book How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease is ten times more interesting (and just as well researched). No need to seek this one out unless you're a huge fan of Dr. Greger (as I am), or unless you want to learn specifically about the Atkins diet.
I was hoping that the book would go more into why people have vilified carbs and the societal avoidance of them, as the title implied, but we never really got beyond attacking Atkins.
Conclusion: he's right, but Dr. Greger's other book How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease is ten times more interesting (and just as well researched). No need to seek this one out unless you're a huge fan of Dr. Greger (as I am), or unless you want to learn specifically about the Atkins diet.
January 14, 2015
Lots of medical language involved and citations, enjoyed it anyway because of its rigorosity.
Recommended for: Doctors, Nutritionist, Vegetarians and Fans of Doctor McDougall.
Recommended for: Doctors, Nutritionist, Vegetarians and Fans of Doctor McDougall.
April 13, 2017
A lot of information, packed into a short book. If you are curious about the dangers of low-carb diets you should definitely give this a read. I found the book very informative.
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January 3, 2019Entertaining and informative, relying on solid scientific research.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews