This book offers a much-needed reframing of food discourse by presenting alternative ways of thinking about the changing politics of food, eating, and nutrition. It examines critical epistemological questions of how food knowledge comes to be shaped and why we see pendulum swings when it comes to the question of what to eat. As food facts peak and peril in the face of conflicting dietary advice and nutritional evidence, this book situates shifting food truths through a critical analysis of how healthy eating is framed and contested, particularly amid fluctuating truth claims of a “post-truth” culture. It explores what a post-truth epistemological framework can offer critical food and health studies, considers the type of questions this may enable, and looks at what can be gained by relinquishing rigid empirical pursuits of singular dietary truths. In focusing too intently on the separation between food fact and food fiction, the book argues that politically dangerous and epistemically narrow ideas of one way to eat “healthy” or “right” are perpetuated. Drawing on a range of archival materials related to food and health and interviews with registered dietitians, this book offers various examples of shifting food truths, from macro-historical genealogies to contemporary case studies of dairy, wheat, and meat. Providing a rich and innovative analysis, this book offers news ways to think about, and act upon, our increasingly complex food landscapes. It does so by loosening our empirical Western reliance on singular food facts in favour of an articulation of contextual food truths that situate the problems of health as problems of living, not as individualistic problems of eating. It will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners working in food studies, food politics, sociology, environmental geography, health, nutrition, and cultural studies.

The bestselling author of "The End of Oil" turns his attention to food and finds that the system entrusted with meeting one of the most basic needs is dramatically failing us. With his trademark comprehensive global approach, Roberts investigates the startling truth about the modern food system.

It has never been so difficult to raise a healthy eater in America.Along with the picky eating and public tantrums that have forever tested the limits of parental patience, today's parents also fend off sophisticated assaults from outside their kitchens: unhealthy food-marketing campaigns aimed at kids; misleading product labels aimed at parents; and a school-foodprogram so starved for cash that it sells name-brand junk food to grade school students.In Kid Food, nationally recognized food writer Bettina Elias Siegel (New York Times, The Lunch Tray) explores the cultural delusions and industry deceptions that have made it all but impossible to raise a healthy eater in America. Combining first-person reporting with the hard-won understanding of afood advocate and parent, it presents a startling portrayal of the current food landscape for children - and the role of parents in navigating it.Siegel also lifts the curtain on shadowy food industry front-groups, including clever marketing techniques that intentionally confuse parents about a product's nutritional value. (Did you know that "made with real fruit" may mean a product is less healthy?) What emerges is the industry'sdivide-and-conquer strategy, one that stokes kids' desire for junk food while breaking down parents' ability to act as responsible gatekeepers.For anyone who frets over what their child is eating, Kid Food offers both essential reading and a deeper understanding of the factors at play in their child's food environment. Written in the same engaging and relatable voice that has made The Lunch Tray a trusted resource for parents for almost adecade, Kid Food offers a well of compassion - and expertise - for those fighting the good fight at home.

Overeating and obesity are on the rise. Despite public health warnings, availability of diet books and programs, and the stigma associated with obesity, many people find it difficult to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. While there are many books on the topic of caloric or need-based eating, obesity and overeating can also result from eating that is not driven by hunger. Recent research found that excess food intake is largely driven by the palatability of food and the pleasure derived from eating. Hedonic Eating: How the Pleasure of Food Affects Our Brains and Behavior discusses the pleasurable aspects of food intake that may cause and perpetuate overconsumption. Broad in its scope, this book examines the various behavioral, biological, and social rewards of food. The comprehensive chapters cover topics ranging from the neurochemistry of food reward to the hotly debated concept of 'food addiction,' while providing relevant and up-to-date information from the current body of scientific literature regarding food reward.

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." With these seven words, Michael Pollan—brother of Lori, Dana, and Tracy Pollan, and son of Corky—started a national conversation about how to eat for optimal health. Over a decade later, the idea of eating mostly plants has become ubiquitous. But what does choosing "mostly plants" look like in real life? For the Pollans, it means eating more of the things that nourish us, and less of the things that don’t. It means cutting down on the amount of animal protein we consume, rather than eliminating it completely, and focusing on vegetables as the building blocks of our meals. This approach to eating—also known as a flexitarian lifestyle—allows for flavor and pleasure as well as nutrition and sustainability. In Mostly Plants, readers will find inventive and unexpected ways to focus on cooking with vegetables—dishes such as Ratatouille Gratin with Chicken or Vegetarian Sausage; Crispy Kale and Potato Hash with Fried Eggs; Linguine with Spinach and Golden Garlic Breadcrumbs; and Roasted Tomato Soup with Gruyere Chickpea "Croutons". Like any family, the Pollans each have different needs and priorities: two are vegetarian; several are cooking for a crowd every night. In Mostly Plants, readers will find recipes that satisfy all of these dietary needs, and can also be made vegan. And the best part: many of these dishes can be on the table in 35 minutes or less! With skillet-to-oven recipes, sheet pan suppers, one pot meals and more, this is real cooking for real life: meals that are wholesome, flavorful, and mostly plant based.