Full Description
An eye-opening examination of food and nutrition that reveals the truth about what we eat and why it matters, while helping readers distinguish between science and disinformation and inspiring eaters to create healthy and sustainable diets for all.
From plant-based meat to ultra-processed foods, GMOs to grass-fed beef, our newsfeeds abound with food and nutrition advice—and a lot of it just isn't true. From sensational headlines to social media anecdotes, misinformation doesn't make it easy for eaters just trying to get a healthy meal on the table. Meanwhile, congested food environments fuel incessant consumption, making everyday diets more like an all-you-can-eat buffet—and not in a good way.
There is an urgent need for evidence-based guidance that nurtures good health, well-being, and green eating, and Harvard- and Columbia-trained scientist and food lover Dr. P.K. Newby heeds the call. In Food and Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Newby cuts through the confusion, addressing 158 standalone questions on why what we eat matters, farm to fork and far beyond. With wisdom and wit, Newby shines a spotlight on today's food challenges while showing that the whole diet is greater than the sum of its parts, and one size doesn't fit all. The book applies an ecological lens, delving into the interconnected aspects of health, environment, economy, and society, reminding that food isn't just medicine, nor is individual nutrition its only offering. This second edition dives deeper into the global agrifood system, revealing striking new data on plant-based diets, longevity, and sustainability; food and mental health; diet, COVID-19, and immunity; megafactory farming and climate change; and ultra-processed foods and chronic disease.
Newby's passion for all things food shines through it all, as does her belief in the power of the human spirit, science, and technology to create healthy and sustainable diets for ourselves, our future, and for the planet we share. The time for the next food revolution is now.
Contents
Preface: Confused About What to Eat for Good Health and a Green Planet? The Truth Is Out There
Acknowledgments
Part I. Introduction: The State of Food, Nutrition, and Our Environment
1. Setting the Stage: Who Grows Food, What Are We Eating, and Why Is Science So Important?
2. Diet and Disease: New and Continuing Public Health Threats
3. Big Food Costs: Environmental Damage, Resource Depletion, and Climate Change
Part II. Dining Throughout Human History: Science, Technology, Eater, Environment
4. How Revolutions, Discoveries, and Inventions Shape Our Diets: Paleo to Present
5. Contemporary Food Production: Eating Local to Ultra-Processed Foods
6. Pop Nutrition and Buzzwords: Sorting Science-Based Evidence from Misinformation
7. Taste, Cost, and Culture: Cooking and Eating in Today's Food Environment
Part III. Nutrition 101: Essential Chemical Building Blocks, Ecological Context
8. Water: Hydration, Fluoridation, and Plastic Contamination
9. Vitamins, Minerals, and Phytonutrients: Are You Getting Enough?
10. Crash Course on Carbohydrates, Sugar, and Fiber
11. On Fats: Fiction, Facts, and Environmental Impacts
12. All About Protein: Animal, Plant, and Are You Sure You Need More?
13 Alcohol and Drinking: Heart-Healthy or Cancer Risk Factor?
Part IV. Food, Glorious Food: The Powers and Pleasures of Plant-Based Diets
14. Spilling the Beans on Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate
15. Vegetables and Fruits: Devour the Rainbow
16. Whole Grains, Refined Grains, and Gluten-Free Diets
17. Nuts, Beans, and a Shout-Out to Soy
Part V. All About Animal Foods: Megafactory Farm to Fork and Beyond
18. Making the Meat You Eat: There's Nothing Natural About It
19. Meat and Eggs: Are Some Choices Better than Others?
20. Milk, Dairy, and Yogurt: Nutritional Benefits and Risks
21. Fishy Matters: Wild-Caught, Farmed, and Health Considerations
Part VI. The Food Revolution: Creating Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All
22. Solving Food and Nutrition Problems: Strategies, Goals, and Gaps
23. Best Evidence for Losing Weight and Living Longer
24. Step Up Your Food Game and Stay in the Know
25. The Intertwined Future of Food and Nutrition
Notes
Selected References
Index
