"There is no one better to ask than Marion, who is the leading guide in intelligent, unbiased, independent advice on eating, and has been for decades."––Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything
Let’s Ask Marion is a savvy and insightful question-and-answer collection that showcases the expertise of food politics powerhouse Marion Nestle in exchanges with environmental advocate Kerry Trueman. These informative essays show us how to advocate for food systems that are healthier for people and the planet, moving from the politics of personal dietary choices, to community food issues, and finally to matters that affect global food systems. Nestle has been thinking, writing, and teaching about food systems for decades, and her impact is unparalleled. Let’s Ask Marion provides an accessible survey of her opinions and conclusions for anyone curious about the individual, social, and global politics of food.
Let's Ask Marion What You Need to Know about the Politics of Food, Nutrition, and Health
About the Book
Reviews
"Informative, pragmatic responses about what, why, and how we eat."—Kirkus Reviews
“An easily digestible series of Q&A-format chapters, the book explores questions of what personal nutrition looks like in our complicated food world, and how both flawed policy and corporate interests can make sustainable and healthy eating challenging. . . . Nestle deftly threads many of the nutritional issues facing the country.”?—FoodPrint
"There is no one who knows more about food politics and policy and its effects on health in this country than Marion Nestle. . . . Years of research on various aspects of our systems have made her the go-to, for many of us, when we can't make sense of something that should be very straightforward but is anything but. . . . Her perspective is expansive and her opinions direct."—KCRW/Good Food
“[Addresses] some of the most pressing issues around consumers’ diets, local and global food systems, and the environment. . . . Offers readers an accessible introduction to these complex topics. It also shows readers how they can fight for a better food system and a healthier planet.”—Food Tank"Marion Nestle has emerged as one of the sanest, most knowledgeable, and independent voices in the current debate over the health and safety of the American food system."––Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
"When it comes to making sense of the unclean politics of national and international food policy, exposing the motives of corporate food giants, and helping us make the right choices about what we eat, Marion Nestle is a fierce and reliable voice of reason, and her new book is approachable, focused, and hopeful."––Alice Waters, chef, author, food activist, and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant
"There is no one better to ask than Marion, who is the leading guide in intelligent, unbiased, independent advice on eating, and has been for decades."––Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything
Praise for Marion Nestle
"When journalists need to understand how an agricultural policy or nutrition guideline will affect public health, they call Marion Nestle. . . . Nestle has an unparalleled ability to parse USDA reports and cut through the hype to deliver sane, informed nutritional information."––Time
"One of the most dogged chroniclers of the U.S. food industry and its politics."––NPR/The Salt
"Nestle is a well-respected nutrition expert with degrees in molecular biology and public health nutrition, whose writing is smart and accessible."––New York Magazine/The Cut
"Don’t be put off by the fact that she’s an academic; Nestle writes in simple and informative language."––Vice
"Nestle has had a hand in changing how food is studied, understood, and even—many would argue—produced."––Civil Eats
"[A] longtime crusader on conflicts of interest in food science."––Vox
"Nestle has made a career of letting people know things the food industry often does its best to obscure. She decodes the gobbledygook on labels and sorts out the good food-health studies from the spin. She documents the many ways the food industry drives government food policy. And she exposes the enormous amounts of money spent to market junk food to kids. . . . Nestle is simply one of the nation's smartest and most influential authorities on nutrition and food policy."––San Francisco Chronicle/SF Gate
"One of the key voices in food policy, nutrition, and food education in this country."––Village Voice
"Nestle has been an extraordinary force in shaping the way we think and talk about food."–– James Beard Foundation in the Huffington Post
"Nestle may be America's foremost public nutrition warrior. The scientist, activist, and author has been advocating for clarity in food research and marketing for years, and has been highly critical of the food industry."––Undark
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"There is no one better to ask than Marion, who is the leading guide in intelligent, unbiased, independent advice on eating, and has been for decades."––Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything
Praise for Marion Nestle
"When journalists need to understand how an agricultural policy or nutrition guideline will affect public health, they call Marion Nestle. . . . Nestle has an unparalleled ability to parse USDA reports and cut through the hype to deliver sane, informed nutritional information."––Time
"One of the most dogged chroniclers of the U.S. food industry and its politics."––NPR/The Salt
"Nestle is a well-respected nutrition expert with degrees in molecular biology and public health nutrition, whose writing is smart and accessible."––New York Magazine/The Cut
"Don’t be put off by the fact that she’s an academic; Nestle writes in simple and informative language."––Vice
"Nestle has had a hand in changing how food is studied, understood, and even—many would argue—produced."––Civil Eats
"[A] longtime crusader on conflicts of interest in food science."––Vox
"Nestle has made a career of letting people know things the food industry often does its best to obscure. She decodes the gobbledygook on labels and sorts out the good food-health studies from the spin. She documents the many ways the food industry drives government food policy. And she exposes the enormous amounts of money spent to market junk food to kids. . . . Nestle is simply one of the nation's smartest and most influential authorities on nutrition and food policy."––San Francisco Chronicle/SF Gate
"One of the key voices in food policy, nutrition, and food education in this country."––Village Voice
"Nestle has been an extraordinary force in shaping the way we think and talk about food."–– James Beard Foundation in the Huffington Post
"Nestle may be America's foremost public nutrition warrior. The scientist, activist, and author has been advocating for clarity in food research and marketing for years, and has been highly critical of the food industry."––Undark
Table of Contents
Introduction
I. THE POLITICS OF PERSONAL DIETS AND HEALTH
1. What is a healthy diet?
2. Why does nutrition advice always seem to be changing?
3. Are low-carb diets really better for us?
4. Can food be addictive?
5. Is fake meat better for us—and the planet—than the real thing?
6. Is it a good idea to self-medicate with supplements or superfoods?
II. THE COMMUNITY POLITICS OF FOOD CHOICE
7. Why should anyone go hungry, ever?
8. Is obesity really only a matter of personal responsibility?
9. Why isn’t healthy school food a no-brainer?
10. Why don’t we demand a higher standard of food safety?
11. Why can’t we stop wasting food?
12. Do we need a national food policy agency?
III. THE GLOBAL POLITICS OF DIETS, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
13. Can we feed the world well?
14. Is the “free” market the path to a stable global food supply?
15. Can we stop agriculture from contributing to global warming?
16. Will technology fix our food system?
17. What are Sustainable Development Goals, and why should we care?
18. Is there a road map to the future of food?
Conclusion: Take Action
Abbreviations
Sources and Further Reading
Index
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