Food and Nutrition

From gluten-free to all-Paleo, GMOs to grass-fed beef, our newsfeeds abound with nutrition advice. Whether sensational headlines from the latest study or anecdotes from celebrities and food bloggers, we're bombarded with "superfoods" and "best ever" diets promising to help us lose weight, fight disease, and live longer. At the same time, we live in an over-crowded food environment that makes it easy to eat, all the time. The result is an epidemic of chronic disease amidst a culture of nutrition confusion-and copious food choices that challenge everyday eaters just trying to get a healthy meal on the table.
But the exhilarating truth is that scientists know an astounding amount about the power of food. A staggering 80% of chronic diseases are preventable through modifiable lifestyle changes, and diet is the single largest contributing factor. And we also know the secrets to eating sustainably to protect our planet.
In Food & Nutrition, Harvard- and Columbia-trained nutrition scientist Dr. P.K. Newby examines 134 stand-alone questions addressing "need to know" topics, including how what we eat affects our health and environment, from farm to fork, and why, when it comes to diet, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts-and one size doesn't fit all. At the same time, Newby debunks popular myths and food folklore, encouraging readers to "learn, unlearn, and relearn" the fundamentals of nutrition at the heart of a health-giving diet. Her passion for all things food shines through it all, as does her love of the power of science, technology, and engineering to help create healthier diets for ourselves, and a more sustainable future for the planet we share.

P.K. Newby, ScD, MPH, MS, is a nutrition scientist and gastronome whose multidisciplinary training spans the biological, social, and public health sciences, creating a unique and refreshing perspective when thinking about today's food problems and their potential solutions. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Harvard, where she is an award-winning educator. Her mission is to help people live their healthiest, most delicious lives.

- PREFACE: WHY IS NUTRITION CONFUSING, AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?
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- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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- Part I Why What We Eat Matters: Farm to Fork
- 1. Framing Today's Food and Nutrition Issues
- 2. Global Food and Nutrition Challenges: People and Planet
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- Part II Dining Throughout Human History: Science, Technology, Eater, Environment
- 3. How Revolutions, Discoveries, and Inventions Shape Our Diet: Paleo to Present
- 4. Contemporary Food Production, Buzzwords, and Pop Nutrition: Fact or Fiction?
- 5. Diets and Food Environments Today: Why We Eat the Way We Do
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- Part III Essential Food and Nutrition: Separating Science from Junk Science
- 6. A Brief History of Nutrition: Scientific Discoveries and Applications
- 7. Small and Mighty: Vitamins, Minerals, and Phytonutrients
- 8. The Foundation of Nutrition: Carbohydrate, Fat, and Protein
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- Part IV Food, Glorious Food
- 9. Creating a Colorful Plate: Vegetables and Fruits
- 10. Whole Grains, Refined Grains, and Gluten
- 11. Plant Protein Power: Beans and Peas, Legumes and Pulses, Nuts and Seeds
- 12. Land Animals and Animal-Based Foods
- 13. Water Dwellers: Fish and Seafood
- 14. Water, Coffee, and Tea: Impacts on Health and Environment
- 15. Alcohol and Health: Cheers!?
- 16. Sweet Drinks: Fruit Juice, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, and Diet Soda (Pop)
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- Part V Diets for Optimal Health, Longevity, and Sustainability: Today and Tomorrow
- 17. Putting It All Together: Creating a Health-Giving Diet that Works for You, for Life
- 18. The Future of Food and Nutrition
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- NOTES SELECTED REFERENCES
- INDEX