Food and Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know(r)

An eye-opening examination of food and nutrition that reveals the truth about what we eat and why it matters, while helping readers distinguish between science and disinformation and inspiring eaters to create healthy and sustainable diets for all.

From plant-based meat to ultra-processed foods, GMOs to grass-fed beef, our newsfeeds abound with food and nutrition advice--and a lot of it just isn’t true. From sensational headlines to social media anecdotes, misinformation doesn’t make it easy for eaters just trying to get a healthy meal on the table. Meanwhile, congested food environments fuel incessant consumption, making everyday diets more like an all-you-can-eat buffet--and not in a good way.

There is an urgent need for evidence-based guidance that nurtures good health, well-being, and green eating, and Harvard- and Columbia-trained scientist and food lover Dr. P.K. Newby heeds the call. In Food and Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know(R), Newby cuts through the confusion, addressing 158 standalone questions on why what we eat matters, farm to fork and far beyond. With wisdom and wit, Newby shines a spotlight on today’s food challenges while showing that the whole diet is greater than the sum of its parts, and one size doesn’t fit all. The book applies an ecological lens, delving into the interconnected aspects of health, environment, economy, and society, reminding that food isn’t just medicine, nor is individual nutrition its only offering. This second edition dives deeper into the global agrifood system, revealing striking new data on plant-based diets, longevity, and sustainability; food and mental health; diet, COVID-19, and immunity; megafactory farming and climate change; and ultra-processed foods and chronic disease.

Newby’s passion for all things food shines through it all, as does her belief in the power of the human spirit, science, and technology to create healthy and sustainable diets for ourselves, our future, and for the planet we share. The time for the next food revolution is now.

P.K. Newby, ScD, MPH, MS, is a Harvard- and Columbia-trained scientist and thought-leader whose multidisciplinary background creates a richly textured view on why what we eat matters, farm to fork and far beyond. Dr. Newby is an expert on diet, chronic disease prevention, and sustainability, bringing deep knowledge and sound scientific evidence into today’s critical conversations--and fights misinformation in all the ways she can. Dr. Newby has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications as well as multiple books and e-books, including National Geographic’s Superfoods (2015) and Foods for Health (2014). She previously served on the faculties at Tufts, Boston University, and Harvard, where she won multiple research, teaching, and leadership awards.

Newby’s passion for nutrition stems from a life-long love affair with food, from cooking, baking, and gardening to working in the restaurant industry. She was one of the ＂best undiscovered cooks＂ on ABC’s The Taste (2015), where she created plant-based, globally-inspired cuisine rooted in her Healthy Hedonism philosophy. In 2019, Dr. Newby launched her second company, Food Matters Media, with the mission to build a kinder and more just food system that promotes health, longevity, and sustainability while protecting people and the planet and all its inhabitants.