Food Intelligence

The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us

De: Julia Belluz, Kevin Hall PhD

Narrado por: Barrie Kreinik

“Food Intelligence dispels many popular myths we have about weight loss and breaks down the real drivers of the obesity crisis based on decades of research. I really hope everyone gets a chance to read this book." —Sanjay Gupta, MD, Chief Medical Correspondent at CNN and host of Chasing Life

The essential guide for understanding what you’re eating, and the forces that are driving you to eat it.

**AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR**

Nutrition isn’t rocket science; it’s harder.

There are new diet fads, bold claims about superfoods and articles promising the secrets to lasting weight-loss and longevity. The more ‘expert’ advice we hear about diet, the less clarity we have about what to eat.

In Food Intelligence, award-winning health journalist, Julia Belluz, and internationally renowned nutrition and metabolism scientist, Kevin Hall, cut through the myths about nutrition to deliver a comprehensive book on food, diet, metabolism and healthy eating.

Breaking food down into its constituent parts, Food Intelligence reveals:

• The real science behind how protein, fat, carbs and vitamins impact our bodies
• The wonders of metabolism
• The latest ‘theories’ about blood sugar trackers and ultra-processed foods
• How our food environment shapes our eating behaviors and the food choices we make every day
• How diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes are not a result of a failure of will power; they are consequences of food systems working as designed

Humane and deeply reported, this journey into the science of what we eat will equip you with the food intelligence you need to better understand what’s on your dinner plate, how it got there, and why you eat it.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“If there were ever two people to turn to understand the complexities of our diet, metabolism, and nutrition—and their role in promoting our health—it would be the noted science journalist Julia Belluz and leading nutritional scientist Kevin Hall. Their landmark book Food Intelligence will make us all smarter about what we eat.” —Eric Topol, MD, author of the New York Times bestseller Super Agers

“This is not just one of the best science books I have read, but one of the best books full stop. It's funny, scholarly, and extremely important. Full of piercing observations, it ruthlessly cuts a path through the wilderness of nutritional nonsense that we have been lost in for so long. It is the first and last book anyone really needs to read on this subject.”-- Christoffer van Tulleken, MD, PhD, author of the New York Times bestseller Ultra-Processed People

“A must-read breath of sanity, written with great expertise that can improve the health of all of us.” —David Kessler, MD, author of the New York Times bestseller Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine

“If you are going to read one book about nutrition and health, then make it this one. Food Intelligence is so insightful, so beautifully researched, so fascinating in the telling, that you will finish it—as I did—feeling smarter about what you eat and about yourself as well.” —Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Poison Squad

“If you want to understand how nutrition became so contentious and why we are still arguing about whether it’s better to eat more or less fat, carbohydrates, protein, or vitamins, you must read Food Intelligence. Well-written, historically accurate, and scientifically rigorous, this book brings you up to the moment on contemporary dietary issues.” —Marion Nestle, PhD, NYU professor and author of What to Eat Now

“Food and nutrition are fascinating, complex, and important to every person on earth. This book brings it all alive into a compelling, valuable story of why, what, and how we eat, and how to do better.” —Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, Dean Emeritus of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University

“Junk-food giants hijack your biology. Wellness hucksters sell you false hope. In a food environment rigged against you, this is your guide to fighting back.”
—Henry Dimbleby, author of Ravenous and architect of the UK’s National Food Strategy

Just the facts…no wonder story

The non-glamorous truth, great breakdown of the micronutrient and macronutrients…again, just the facts.

Now what?

This book was interesting at first. There’s an abundance of science regarding nutrition and how the body works. However, well into the boook I realized it was becoming depressing. At the point the authors said even if we want to do something about not putting harmful chemicals into our bodies, there’s really nothing we can do because the chemicals now permiate every aspect of our lives, water, containers…. There was alot of detail about the government and industry. Like, they have a “secret handshake” and the deck is very much stacked against us. I got to the point where I felt “what’s the use even trying”. I also felt that the book was used to publically bring grievances into the spot light, naming people who have challenged his science. The names meant nothing to me, but it did feel petty.

Best book since The Omnivore’s Dilemma

I have been following the subject of human nutrition for 20 years. I’ve read most of the mainstream books. I’ve read from the vegan community and the keto community. I’ve seen so much of the literature. This book was an amazing distillation of dietary history, the diet wars, public health policy, trends, food science, and more.

While I do think it imposes a little too heavily the notion that the food environment is responsible for our public health crisis, potentially leaving the reader with increased justification to externalize their circumstances, they do acknowledge at the end that we cannot ascribe everything to environment.

Telling readers too strongly that it’s OK, it’s the environment, is ultimately disempowering. There are too many examples of people who do successfully alter their environment and get the health outcomes they are seeking.

Eye opening information

I am blown away by the information read in this book. While some are likely to disagree with the statements, I personally believe that the information presented here is direct contradiction to what we have been taught about habits and nutrition.

Boring book with little to learn and a left wing bent

No real takeaways here if you want to learn how you might improve your diet and health. Authors seem to have a left wing POV that the external “food environment” is the big problem and their answer, predictably, is that we need to do much more regulation and pursue technocratic solutions. They have a moral and environmental problem with animal protein and also gloss over the ubiquitous problem of diabetes and insulin resistance which is reversible with (low sugar/processed starch) diet and intermittent fasting. I have read a ton about food, diets, fasting, obesity, and diabetes, and this was the least helpful book, at least if you are looking for ways to understand and improve your own health.

The book is useful if you are interested in looking at external causes for all of the problems with our diets.