19/75 in 2022 Mama Reading Goals

The Way We Eat Now is exactly what you expect it to be: an expansive book about food in the modern world. Wilson takes an empathetic and rational stance when it comes to obesity, food disorders, or people having difficulty with cooking and/or eating healthy food. She refuses to blame the individual for ''choices'' which are in fact made for us by companies and governments. The other side of the spectrum, like the clean eating movement, is also analysed and laid bare. I can't think of any subtopic about eating that Wilson has not mentioned in this book.

I was surprised and happy to find that Wilson tried to describe food cultures from all over the world: from South Korea's love of vegetables to Chile's struggle with ultra-processed food. I also enjoyed her personal views on things - this book is meant for the layman, after all, and only very rarely does her personal taste (pun intended) mar the strength of her message. But this is easily forgotten when you contrast it with the research of all the scientists and other experts Wilson has interviewed.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this topic. Unless your level of expertise is high enough that you could be in the book's bibliography, I can assure you that this book offers many fascinating insights.

I discovered Bee Wilson through Consider the Fork,⁠1 an excellent ‘history of how we cook and eat’⁠2 that draws heavily on Kranzberg’s Laws.⁠3 Recently, I came across The Way We Eat Now, first published in 2019. While Consider the Fork examines the evolution of kitchen technology, this book explores how our relationship with food—and related cultural practices—has changed over time.

How we think about food is often a confusing mix of fad diets and scientific-sounding advice. Advice is confidently stated, yet we know much less about food than we think. For example, it is true that food consumption involves thermodynamics: consuming more energy than we expend will, over time, lead to weight gain. However, this relationship is highly non-linear, influenced by genetics and the physical context of our upbringing, so eating less does not always lead to weight loss.

The Way We Eat Now addresses these complexities by tracing how our relationship with food has evolved, offering engaging cultural comparisons along the way. One compelling example early in the book involves animal studies showing that not just what we eat, but how we eat it, can make a difference. Animals fed identical food—but prepared differently—had markedly different outcomes, with one group gaining weight and the other not. Similarly, Wilson discusses ultraprocessed foods, highlighting that while modern food processing brings both benefits and drawbacks, we lack a clear framework to fully understand the problem. Other changes are more straightforward, such as the growth in serving sizes over time due to economic pressures, which has led to increased consumption and more frequent eating (snacking).

Towards the end, Wilson shifts focus to the present, offering a nuanced perspective on possible solutions. These include improved food education, policies promoting healthier eating, and a renewed appreciation for home cooking. She avoids oversimplified prescriptions, instead presenting thoughtful suggestions to address the unintended consequences of our modern food systems, which themselves arose as solutions to earlier challenges.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Way We Eat Now. Wilson’s training as a historian shines through, creating a compelling narrative rich in anecdotes and observations. She resists the temptation to present an oversimplified—and ultimately flawed—narrative, instead offering an insightful and balanced exploration.

Highly recommended.

https://buff.ly/3ZVu1VT

This is a difficult book for me to review. I read Wilson´s previous book about eating some years ago and found it an interesting read, so I decided I would give this one a try and I enjoyed it. The author has a way of making a non-fiction book about food an interesting and entertaining read.

Generally I´m very interested in food and eating. I definitely describe myself as a foodie and like learning about food, ingredients, nutrition and I enjoy cooking, so a lot of the ground covered in the book is familiar to me. However, a few of the topics were new to me.

While I was aware of supermarket bread having little nutritional value, I had no idea that there was a very different type of quality control for bread in the past, I thought that was super interesting. I know that ancient grains have gained in popularity recently and I know of several bakeries in Germany that returning to quality bread. Interestingly, these bakeries are incredibly popular and always full/sold out despite the higher prices compared to other breads etc. (which obviously leads to the question of accessibility for people who can´t afford anything other than cheap, low-quality supermarket toast).

I also agree with Wilson that there isn´t enough education related to food and healthy eating in schools. Hearing about the Lincolnshire primary school that grows food and teaches cooking gave me hope, I would love for my children to go to there (although I am fairly certain my children will do just fine without it too because to me it´s such an important part of life, family life in particular).

Some things surprised me, for example the research that shows: the bigger the supermarket, the greater the prevalence of obesity among its regular shoppers! This one really got me thinking. I´m not sure I fully understand the correlation. Yes, my shopping in large supermarkets tends to be bigger than when I shop in smaller shops, but I usually visit the bigger supermarkets when planning a big shop anyway so that´s no surprise. I also buy larger amounts of fruit and vegetables in bigger supermarkets and those aisles are usually where I get carried away, buying things I didn´t plan to buy, much more so than in the sweets or snack aisles. But I guess that might be a personal thing.

I also wasn´t aware that where quinoa used to be a cheap staple, people are no longer able to afford it because it is shipped and sold overseas. This is awful and clearly one of the biggest downsides of globalisation. I recently found a company who grows and sells British quinoa and many other seeds, pulses and grains and I wish more places would sell it. It took me months to find them and I think more people would buy them if they had the opportunity. Instead, all large supermarkets and even many small independent shops ship them in. I know there is a price difference and I appreciate that not everyone will be able to buy the more expensive local product but I know many people will, decreasing the demand for products grown elsewhere (and supporting local businesses at the same time).

At some point Wilson says that food eaten out is mostly less nutritious than food cooked at home but I´m not sure I agree with her statement. I´m sure this is true in some cases but I also think it assumes that those people eating out know how to cook. If a family eats oven chips and breaded chicken nuggets (or whatever other beige food can be put in the oven), I´m pretty sure that, other than fast food joints obviously, meals eaten out might have a higher nutritional value.

What I didn´t like about the book was the emphasis on eating meat (albeit little) and fish to have a healthy diet. Wilson completely neglects the large amount of research that shows that a vegan/plant based diet, if well planned, is considered to be the most supportive in fighting the nations´ food related health issues. She addresses issues such as obesity, cardio-vascular disease and diabetes but completely ignores the work of various physicians who have been successful in reversing heart diseases and diabetes through a plant based, whole foods diet.

Other than that, I completely agree with Wilson on the influence that corporations have on what we eat, which is one of the reason I try to eat and cook mostly whole foods and don´t buy into the whole "eggs and dairy are important sources of nutrients" argument that stems from research funded by the egg & dairy industry.

I think she´s right in highlighting that bad diet is often blamed on the individual and while, to some extent, I think this can be the case and people should take responsibility for their own diet, I completely agree that the system is making it incredibly hard for people to do so. In many countries there is money to be made from people who rely on medicine and surgeries and in others it is simply cheaper to buy a burger than a salad and coke instead of water. Additionally, in a world where people are struggling to make ends meet, despite working horrendous hours, there is so much going on that individuals have neither capacity, nor energy to think much about food and cooking.

So all in all I think this is a great book for anyone who is interested in food and food systems. I won't give it more than 3 stars simply because I think times are changing and she should have focused on the recent rise in veganism and its benefits, especially considering the topic of food related ill health and the fact that she spoke about ethical food choices. Maybe she will in her next book?

Important but also an enjoyable read. The graphs were mainly incomprehensible though.

This was very interesting and comprehensive. As many other reviewers pointed out it is also not accusatory or shaming (unless you're a company trying to sell us unhealthy processed food), but helpful and respectful of different context. In my opinion, it could perhaps do with a little extra editing as it was very long and things tended to repeat themselves. But I highly recommend it if you're interested in food: it will make you want to cook and eat (better).

There were some sections I REALLY enjoyed, but others kind of dragged on a bit. I listened to the audio version, read by the author. It was nice to SLOWLY make my way through (it took me over a year to listen). :)

Here are some of my favorite excerpts:
Humans are capable of altering everything about their eating in a single generation.

As of 2002, 40% of the world's population owed their existence to the Haber-Bosch process.

The average eater gets the bulk of their daily calories from just six sources, animal foods, wheat, rice, sugar, maize, soybeans (mainly as soy oil).

The cavendish banana is the tenth most consumed food of any kind.

Our intake of oil has increased dramatically.

4.2 L of waste cooking oil are generated each year, per person in the UK.

64% of American men and 35% of women (21-64) that they spend zero time on daily food prep.

1/3 of all calories consumed by American adults are from snacks.

The rise of expensive, trendy foods widens the gap between affluent eaters and everyone else, because it reinforces the idea that good food is an exclusive pursuit.

A healthy diet need not include a single fashionable ingredient.

Half of us cook and half don't.

A lot of valuable insights, but nothing new if you have read books on this topic before.
The epilogue:
1. Eat new food on old plates,
2.Don't drink anything that is "like water" unless it is water,
3.Devote less attention to snacks and more to meals,
4. Change your appetites (learn to appreciate new foods, not just high sugar+fat+salt processed foods),
5. Shift the balance (i.e. don't aim for extreme exculsions, but gentle shifts),
6. Try to eat in ratios, not in absolutes,
7. Eat proteins and vegetables first, and carbohydrates last,
8. Vary what you eat,
9. Find time for food,
10. Learn to cook the foods that you want yourself to eat,
11. Know what you are eating,
12. Use your senses.

Thank you for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a well written book on the history and future of food consumption. I liked that this author emphasized that it is not often the individual who is at fault for obesity but the corporations that are presenting poor quality food and targeting the most vulnerable. It surprised me to know that even the healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are no longer packed with the high amount of nutrients that it used to. Most produce is factory made and packed with so much sugar to entice the unaware consumer. Its alarmingly compelling.