The Way We Eat Now: How the Food Revolution Has Transformed Our Lives, Our Bodies, and Our World

Bee Wilson

May 2019 · Sold by Basic Books

About this ebook

An award-winning food writer takes us on a global tour of what the world eats--and shows us how we can change it for the better
Food is one of life's great joys. So why has eating become such a source of anxiety and confusion?
Bee Wilson shows that in two generations the world has undergone a massive shift from traditional, limited diets to more globalized ways of eating, from bubble tea to quinoa, from Soylent to meal kits.
Paradoxically, our diets are getting healthier and less healthy at the same time. For some, there has never been a happier food era than today: a time of unusual herbs, farmers' markets, and internet recipe swaps. Yet modern food also kills--diabetes and heart disease are on the rise everywhere on earth.
This is a book about the good, the terrible, and the avocado toast. A riveting exploration of the hidden forces behind what we eat, The Way We Eat Now explains how this food revolution has transformed our bodies, our social lives, and the world we live in.

Ratings and reviews

Changing Food, Changing Bodies Modern-day food is complex, from the sourcing of it from all around the globe to the gazillion packaged and processed possibilities available to us at our local grocery stores. This author does a magnificent job looking at the history of food production and consumption and how it has all changed in very modern times. The globalization of food is looked at as well as the corporations that only care about profit and not the health of their customers. While she backs up what she says with a lot of facts and figures, the book is written in an easily accessible conversational tone. The topics are grouped almost like essays, making it easy to dip in when you have a spare moment or two. This is perfect, as I certainly wouldn't recommend trying to read this in just a few sittings because the author gives us much—pun intended—food for thought. I like how she gives a broader context for how we may or may not make our food choices. I appreciated how she did not demonize the obese, as many in society do; rather, she sees it within the context of a cultural environment that is surrounded by plenty, especially an abundance of unhealthy, cheap choices. The author doesn't come across as blaming or shaming individuals at all, though she does have strong words for those who would benefit from our poor eating choices. She certainly gives you much to think about what you should and should not do in terms of your own food choices. Highly recommended, because we all need to eat! I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

About the author

Bee Wilson is a celebrated food writer, food historian, and author of five books, including First Bite: How We Learn to Eat and Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat. She has been named BBC Radio's food writer of the year and is a three-time Guild of Food Writers food journalist of the year. She writes a monthly column on food in the Wall Street Journal. She lives in Cambridge, England.