Calories - too few or too many - are the source of health problems affecting billions of people in today's globalized world. This title explains in clear and accessible language what calories are and how they work, both biologically and politically.

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  Index

"If you want to understand what's wrong with our eating habits, you must understand the central role that calories play. Nestle and Nesheim are two of the America's finest nutritionists–and this book explains, clearly and succinctly, why calories count. It is essential reading not only for people interested in food policy, but for everyone who wants to eat well and be well." –Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal"This superbly well-researched and scientifically sound book makes it clear how today’s food environment often overrides physiological regulatory controls of body weight. Why Calories Count is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why so much about food choice lies in the hands of food marketers whose goal is to sell more products, not necessarily in the interests of public health." –Dr. David Kessler, author of The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite“We need to understand what ‘empty calories’ are, so that we can feed our children food that is truly nourishing. On this topic, there is no better teacher than Marion Nestle, who writes with meticulousness, clarity and grace.” –Alice Waters, author of The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution"Thank god authorities like Nestle and Nesheim have teamed up to give us an epic view of a calorie: what it is, where it came from, what it means, how and why we count them. Thank god they’ve managed to decode nutritional science into a commonsense language we can all understand. And thank god they’ve put calories in their place in a wider cultural and political context to help us think meaningfully about the food our lives depend upon. I’m grateful." –Betty Fussell, author of Raising Steaks: The Life & Times of American Beef“Calories. We all talk about them—many are even obsessed with them—but what do we really know about them? Not much. Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim’s latest book changes all that, pulling back the curtain on calories and helping us understand them in a whole new light. You’ll never look at a 100-calorie pack of corporate cookies the same way again.” –Anna Lappé, author of Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It

"A feast for the mind." Nature "The most succinct diet book ever written." The Scientist "People should read this book. They should read it if they are obsessive weight-watchers or serial dieters, or just concerned about what their children eat. They should read it if they work in public health, the food industry, catering, or education." Times Higher Education "Along with offering a fascinating history, they show how an understanding of calorie needs saved lives in the global fight against hunger." -- Emily Kaiser Thelin The Wall Street Journal "Takes the science of calories and breaks it down for the rest of us." San Francisco Chronicle "This book will help dispel many of the commonly held myths we have about eating. An informative and interesting read for those who want to know the science behind calories, food and weight." Huffington Post Books "Does the seemingly impossible: it takes calories from the abstract to the concrete. Nestle and Nesheim explain the significance of the calorie not only in understandable scientific terms, but also in social terms with the explicit aim of helping their reader navigate the convoluted world of food labels and diet fads." Civil Eats "Presents an interesting series of opinions and overviews that are deserving of a wider audience." yum.fi