Is Our Food Killing Us? A Primer for the 21st Century

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This thought-provoking exploration examines how food production and consumption negatively impact personal, societal, and environmental health. Despite unprecedented food production for a global population, the costs to health and the planet raise critical questions. What role does Big Food play in the rise of chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease? The allure of junk food is scrutinized, alongside the dangers of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that, while boosting crop yields, pose toxicity risks. Factory farming has fostered an unhealthy, meat-heavy diet rich in saturated fats, contributing to environmental degradation. Many of today’s ultra-processed foods offer little nutritional value. This comprehensive volume challenges our eating habits, probing why we choose harmful foods and exploring potential transformations in our food industry and culture. The contents include an introduction, chapters on the epidemic's evolution, health hazards of processed food, the dark side of industrial food, and a conclusion. Joy Manning, the author, is a writer and editor focused on healthful eating, with experience as a nutrition editor and restaurant critic, and has authored several notable works. She also co-hosts a podcast dedicated to food and home cooking.