Formerly Known as Food

How the Industrial Food System Is Changing Our Minds, Bodies, and Culture

By: Kristin Lawless

Narrated by: Jennywren Walker

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

From the voice of a new generation of food activists, a passionate and deeply-researched call for a new food movement.

If you think buying organic from Whole Foods is protecting you, you're wrong. Our food - even what we're told is good for us - has changed for the worse in the past 100 years, its nutritional content deteriorating due to industrial farming and its composition altered due to the addition of thousands of chemicals from pesticides to packaging. We simply no longer know what we’re eating.

In Formerly Known as Food, Kristin Lawless argues that, because of the degradation of our diet, our bodies are literally changing from the inside out. The billion-dollar food industry is reshaping our food preferences, altering our brains, changing the composition of our microbiota, and even affecting the expression of our genes. Lawless chronicles how this is happening and what it means for our bodies, health, and survival.

An independent journalist and nutrition expert, Lawless is emerging as the voice of a new generation of food thinkers. After years of "eat this, not that" advice from doctors, journalists, and food faddists, she offers something completely different. Lawless presents a comprehensive explanation of the problem - going beyond nutrition to issues of food choice, class, race, and gender - and provides a sound and simple philosophy of eating, which she calls the "Whole Egg Theory".

Destined to set the debate over food politics for the next decade, Formerly Known as Food speaks to a new generation looking for a different conversation about the food on our plates.

©2018 Kristin Lawless (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Unless you make it yourself, you have no idea what you are eating and Kristin Lawless explains why. You better read this book before you put another bite of food in your or your kids mouths!” (Laurie David, Academy Award winning producer of An Inconvenient Truth and Fed Up)

Expected more science and less hyperbole

Highlights nutritional studies but fails to explain the limitations of these studies. Undercuts its own argument. Not recommended.

A MUST READ!! WOW!

If you are wondering about the industrialization of our food system, it’s history & consequences— this book lays it out beautifully! It will change the way you eat & think!

Healthcare Reform = Food Reform

The author builds a solid case on why significant changes are needed in the food supply for the United States. Although I find myself with a few views that I differ with her politically and policy wise, I’m grateful the author was fearless in her attacks all which are credible and deserving of recognition and argument for best solutions. I have low marks for the audio quality and reading. These could have been better.

EVERYONE who EATS needs to read THIS BOOK!

Wow! Just terrifying. Big ag doesn't need to exist. we were better off before. There are solutions out there. we need to demand them. NOW. This f'd up capitalism doesn't belong in food systems. We need real farms and gardens and living wages to buy and cook REAL beyond organic food.

Very informative

I found the book very interesting. The narrator was excellent. I have to admit hearing her point out the problems with our food is very disheartening. In order for change to occur we must know what must change .

The hidden truth

I would recommend it to everyone. it's telling the truth about how we have been fouled.

Wow!

An incredibly informative book that provides a roadmap for Americans to address the major issues in our food system and environment that have been caused by our industrial agriculture and food systems.

Woa how easily we fall prey in this day of age.

Its an eye opener for us that have been trained to believe that we are doing everything right when its obvious we are still children learning from our mistakes.

Very informative

I would recommend this book. It it’s a necessary read for many. The only negative is that this book leans in a direction that seems to portray the Democrat party as the only answer to a healthy country. Otherwise this is an easy read.

Don't waste a credit here

This book appears to be a nonstop rant about all the things that are wrong with our food system. If you believe this author, there is nothing you can do except join a revolution where we must all be involved in bringing food into our communities. Sorry. I have no time to join a revolution or contribute to a coop. I barely have time to spend with my friends doing what I'd like to do. I don't accept the rant that the only thing that is worth doing is to join a revolution. And this author's histrionic talk about various aspects of our food supply is over the top. The narrator really adds to it with her over the top emotion. If you thought you would learn something about how to eat in a more healthy way, you'll be disappointed. If you want a non-stop rant about Gosh Aint It Awful--then maybe this is the book for you.