Fed Up - by Daniel E Lieberman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A brilliant, no-nonsense look at two questions we never evolved to ask but now must consider several times a day: what should we eat, and why?

Daniel E. Lieberman--bestselling author of The Story of the Human Body and Exercised, and founding chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University--cuts through all the confusing and contradictory advice on diet and wellness to ar­gue that there can be no simple, definitive answer. Drawing from evolutionary biol­ogy, physiology, anthropology, anatomy, medical science, and history, Lieberman examines, with brio and wit, the history and health effects of food from before the invention of cooking up to today's industrially produced diets. He shows how we evolved to eat almost anything, and by evalu­ating and trying many of these diets (raw food, Paleo, Mediterranean, Blue Zone, intermittent fasting, Atkins, DASH), he helps you understand why none is flawless though some are better than others.

Lieberman explores the costs and benefits of cheap, energy-rich, tempting, and often unhealthy ultra-processed foods; the tangled roots of weight gain; how diet influences obesity, heart disease, and cancer; and the claims of benefits offered by high- and low-fat diets, meal replacements, inter­mittent fasting, carnivorism, vegetarianism, and veganism--while also showing how over centu­ries most cultures evolved ingenious ways to grow and cook healthy, delicious food.

This fascinating and entertaining sci­ence-based book on nutrition, digestion, and health will teach you how to be well fed instead of fed up with dietary hucksterism.

Review Quotes

"Wonderful: wise, witty, and full of unexpected insights."
--Bill Bryson, bestselling author of The Body

"One of the country's foremost evolutionary biologists gives us a terrific book that cuts through the noise of fad diets and nutrition advice by turning to the most reliable guide we have: the deep history of the human body. A wise, accessible, and evidence-based framework for eating well in a world that has made eating badly all too easy."
--Michael Moss, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Salt Sugar Fat

"What is the most 'natural' human diet? Like all searches for the supposed nature of humans, this question has spawned unsupported dogmatism, crackpot ideology, and fraudulent fads. Renowned Harvard paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman offers fascinating, accessible science concerning human biology and behavior, showing that there is no singular natural diet, where reality is far more interesting. Rare is the book that is this wise and sensible while also being this fun to read." --Robert M. Sapolsky, New York Times bestselling author of Determined

"We've long heard the phrase, 'We are what we eat, ' but where does our desire to eat originate? In Fed Up, acclaimed Harvard evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman examines the evolutionary roots of human eating behavior. Why are we drawn to certain foods? Why do we make the choices we do? And can we exert more control over those instincts for our own health? Insightful and engaging, this book provides a fascinating look at the forces that shape our diets and, ultimately, our healthy longevity. It is a valuable read for anyone seeking to better understand their eating habits and how to improve them."
--Jordan M. Metzl, MD, author of Push

"What kind of food should we eat to maintain good health? It's a surprisingly complicated
question. Paleoanthropologist Lieberman relies on nutritional science and the lens of evolutionary biology to investigate the hoopla of eating fads and demystify popular diet programs. . . . [Lieberman's] commentary is thoughtful, fact-filled, and frequently humorous. . . . Ultimately, there is no simple, one-size-fits-all diet that improves health and extends longevity. But for all who are hungry for reliable information about nutrition and would like to cut through the confusion about overhyped or fearmongering diets, Fed Up is a satiating read."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A game ... exploration of diet fads and the quest for the perfect plate. . . . A book that neatly punctures food myths while encouraging a splendid, healthful diversity at table."
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

DANIEL E. LIEBERMAN is a paleoanthropologist at Harvard University, where he is the Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences and former chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. He is best known for his research on the evolution of the human body and its relevance to health.