What drives us to eat and accounts for different appetites? Why is breathing at high altitudes easy for birds and difficult for humans? Why do animals have two sets of sensory organs--eyes, ears, nostrils, etc...? In Why Geese Don't Get Obese, physiologist Eric Widmaier describes the astonishing ways humans and other creatures have adapted to their environmental challenges in order to survive. Surprising examples, a sense of humor, and some insightful science make this book a delightful and lively read.

The brain resists dramatic behavioral shifts. Recognizing this and developing a strategy around it made the original Mini Habits the #1 selling self-help book in a number of countries. In Mini Habits for Weight Loss, you’ll discover that we also biologically resist such changes, which explains why most dieters and smoothie-cleanse aficionados lose weight in the short term, only to gain it all back (and more). Mini Habits for Weight Loss will show you how to make dietary changes in a sustainable, permanent way that doesn’t trigger biological or neurological resistance. It’s an advanced version of the method that made the original book a hit in 14 languages. The mini habits remain easy to implement, but the reasoning and supporting strategies are more sophisticated. This is by necessity, as weight loss factors are many and varied. All the suggestions in the book are rooted in extensive biological and neuroscience research.

The acclaimed debut short story collection that introduced the world to an arresting and unforgettable new voice in fiction, from multi-award winning author ZZ Packer Her impressive range and talent are abundantly evident: Packer dazzles with her command of language, surprising and delighting us with unexpected turns and indelible images, as she takes us into the lives of characters on the periphery, unsure of where they belong. We meet a Brownie troop of black girls who are confronted with a troop of white girls; a young man who goes with his father to the Million Man March and must decide where his allegiance lies; an international group of drifters in Japan, who are starving, unable to find work; a girl in a Baltimore ghetto who has dreams of the larger world she has seen only on the screens in the television store nearby, where the Lithuanian shopkeeper holds out hope for attaining his own American Dream. With penetrating insight, ZZ Packer helps us see the world with a clearer vision. Fresh, versatile, and captivating, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is a striking and unforgettable collection, sure to stand out among the contemporary canon of fiction.

Showcases articles written by a variety of journalists judged as finalists or winners in a contest sponsored by the American Society of Magazine Editors, and addresses topics ranging from reporting to feature writing.

There is now enough basic work to sketch out the principal systems at all levels of the brain, from prefrontal cortex to lower brainstem, which are orchestrated to provide control of food selection, preference and consumption. At the same time, the complex interplay between central systems and signals generated from peripheral systems include the gut, liver and fat stores, as well as the interactions with the neuroendocrine system can be described in some detail. A continuing theme throughout the book is that the functional analysis of appetite and food intake cannot be limited to a single focus, e.g. hypothalamic neuropeptides and their interactions, but must be based on a fully integrated view of the several contributing systems. Appetite and Body Weight: Integrative Systems and the Development of Anti-Obesity Drugs provides an expert guide to the neural, neurochemical, autonomic and endocrine interrelations which underpin appetite and the controls of food intake and body weight. The book covers many of the neurochemical entities that are currently under investigation, including: neuropeptides, leptin, insulin, monoamines and endogenous cannabinoids in relation to appetite and body-weight control. In addition to the neuroscience analysis, there are also chapters that provide an expert guide to some of the key psychological concepts that the researchers believe are essential in trying to understand the phenomena under investigation. The volume will also serve as an authoritative guide to the current emphasis on the development of novel, efficacious anti-obesity medication. - Provides an integrative view of the many systems involved in appetite how they interact to effect food intake (i.e. the brain, endocrine, gut, liver etc.) - Considers psychological aspects such as incentive, preference, liking and palatability, and sets these concepts in their behavioural, pharmacological and neural contexts - Examines the development of novel anti-obesity drugs, drawing on experience of pharmacological development work, pre-clinical tests for anti-obesity efficacy, and clinical trials of candidate anti-obesity compounds

Taking a comparative approach, this book investigates the ways in which obesity and its susceptibilities are framed in science and policy and how they might work better. Providing a clear, authoritative voice on the debate, the author builds on early work to engage further in ecological and complexity thinking in obesity. Many of the models that have emerged since obesity became a population-level issue are examined, including the energy balance model, and models used to examine human body fatness from a range of perspectives including evolutionary, anthropological, environmental, and political viewpoints. The book is ideal for those working on, or interested in, obesity science, health policy, health economics, evolutionary medicine, medical sociology, nutrition and public health who want to understand the shifts that have taken place in obesity science, policy, and intervention in the past forty years.

Updated annually to include all the vital details of the latest admissions procedures, Getting into Oxford & Cambridge tells you everything you need to know to get onto the course of your choice. With invaluable information and step-by-step guidance, the book will lead you through every step of the process.

“An in-depth, well-researched, and thoughtful exploration of the ‘fat boom’ in America.” —TheBoston Globe Low carb, high protein, raw foods . . . despite our seemingly endless obsession with fad diets, the startling truth is that six out of ten Americans are overweight or obese. In Fat Land, award-winning nutrition and health journalist Greg Critser examines the facts and societal factors behind the sensational headlines, taking on everything from supersize to Super Mario, high-fructose corn syrup to the high costs of physical education. With a sharp eye and even sharper tongue, Critser examines why pediatricians are now treating conditions rarely seen in children before; why type 2 diabetes is on the rise; the personal struggles of those with weight problems—especially among the poor—and how agribusiness has altered our waistlines. Praised by the New York Times as “absorbing” and by Newsday as “riveting,” this disarmingly funny, yet truly alarming, exposé stands as an important examination of one of the most pressing medical and social issues in the United States. “One scary book and a good companion to Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"I like to go out for walks, but it's a little awkward to push the baby stroller and carry a shotgun at the same time." -- housewife from Churchill, Manitoba Yes, welcome to Churchill, Manitoba. Year-round human population: 943. Yet despite the isolation and the searing cold here at the arctic's edge, visitors from around the globe flock to the town every fall, driven by a single purpose: to see polar bears in the wild. Churchill is "The Polar Bear Capital of the World," and for one unforgettable "bear season," Zac Unger, his wife, and his three children moved from Oakland, California, to make it their temporary home. But they soon discovered that it's really the polar bears who are at home in Churchill, roaming past the coffee shop on the main drag, peering into garbage cans, languorously scratching their backs against fence posts and front doorways. Where kids in other towns receive admonitions about talking to strangers, Churchill schoolchildren get "Let's All Be Bear Aware" booklets to bring home. (Lesson number 8: Never explore bad-smelling areas.) Zac Unger takes readers on a spirited and often wildly funny journey to a place as unique as it is remote, a place where natives, tourists, scientists, conservationists, and the most ferocious predators on the planet converge. In the process he becomes embroiled in the controversy surrounding "polar bear science" -- and finds out that some of what we've been led to believe about the bears' imminent extinction may not be quite the case. But mostly what he learns is about human behavior in extreme situations . . . and also why you should never even think of looking a polar bear in the eye.

Customize Your Diet to Your Own Unique Body Chemistry For hereditary reasons, your metabolism is unique. Cutting-edge research shows that no single diet works well for everyone–the very same foods that keep your best friend slim may keep you overweight and feeling unhealthy and fatigued. Now, William Wolcott, a pioneer in the field of metabolic research, has developed a revolutionary weight-loss program that allows you to identify your "metabolic type" and create a diet that suits your individual nutritional needs. In The Metabolic Typing Diet, Wolcott and acclaimed science writer Trish Fahey provide simple self-tests that you can use to discover your own metabolic type and determine what kind of diet will work best for you. It might be a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet filled with pasta and grains, or a high-fat, high-protein diet focused on meat and seafood, or anything in between. By detailing exactly which foods and food combinations are right for you, The Metabolic Typing Diet at last reveals the secret to shedding unwanted pounds and achieving optimum vitality with lasting results. The Metabolic Typing Diet will enable you to: - Achieve and maintain your ideal weight - Eliminate sugar cravings - Enjoy sustained energy and endurance - Conquer indigestion, fatigue, and allergies - Bolster your immune system - Overcome anxiety, depression, and mood swings