The Way We Eat Now

How the Food Revolution Has Transformed Our Lives, Our Bodies, and Our World

By: Bee Wilson

Narrated by: Bee Wilson

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

An award-winning food writer takes us on a global tour of what the world eats - and shows us how we can change it for the better

Food is one of life's great joys. So why has eating become such a source of anxiety and confusion?

Bee Wilson shows that in two generations the world has undergone a massive shift from traditional, limited diets to more globalized ways of eating, from bubble tea to quinoa, from Soylent to meal kits.

Paradoxically, our diets are getting healthier and less healthy at the same time. For some, there has never been a happier food era than today: a time of unusual herbs, farmers' markets, and internet recipe swaps. Yet modern food also kills - diabetes and heart disease are on the rise everywhere on earth.

This is a book about the good, the terrible, and the avocado toast. A riveting exploration of the hidden forces behind what we eat, The Way We Eat Now explains how this food revolution has transformed our bodies, our social lives, and the world we live in.

©2019 Bee Wilson (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Given our current position, The Way We Eat Now could serve as a warning, even as a threat about what could happen if we don't buck up our ideas. But it doesn't read that way. Wilson's desire to preserve the pleasure around eating shines out of this book even when grappling with the stickiest of issues." (The Spectator (UK))

"Bee Wilson's fascinating book is a guide to the future of food and how we eat and will be eating. Meticulously researched and yet written brilliantly for the layman, her book will be often consulted on my bookshelf!" (Ken Hom OBE, chef, author, and TV presenter)

"This book is an entertaining choice for naturalists, foodies, and health-conscious readers." (Kirkus)

Overall very good

I always enjoy Wilson’s articles in the Wall Street Journal and I read Consider the Fork, her previous book. She writes well and her intermittent descriptions of the varied pleasures of food are a treat. Extensive as this book is it still doesn’t touch on all the reasons for our ill health and poor eating habits today. She strives to take the emphasis off of personal responsibility in what we eat, and it's true it can feel in America like the culture is working against eating well, but personal responsibility is still important, as we see in her Epilogue where she provides some tips for turning the tide and eating well again.

Helped Me Eat Much Better

Very good. Love it! Started to change the way I ate. I always had this gnawing hunger yet was spending way too much on groceries. Motivated me to do further reading. If you want to know HOW to eat, read Food by Dr. Hyman. It will blow you away!

Worth your patience

I had a tough time at first getting into this book, but am so glad for determination; this is wonderful
Much of the info available via Micheal Pollan, Dr Gregor, and others, but this contextualizes how we got here, and where we are going.
Really great

Important Perspective

A wonderful perspective looking at how our food customs have changed over the years. Where we have been and where we need to go are important insights that Bee discusses in the book. A must-read for those who value the quality and diversity of our food.

Fantastic Read

I loved this audio book. I learned so much about food and how it is distributed in our society. How it affects our lives. I am trying to eat better and this material helped me to better understand myself and my relation to food. A very fascinating book. Thank you Bee Wilson.

Great story teller, engaging writer and narrator

Bee Wilson is a great story teller. I've listened to the three books of hers available on Audible and they are all really engaging -- she uses all kinds of sources to build her arguments, weaves stories and data very effectively, and focuses on very interesting issues about food and our relationship to food. Discusses recent changes in food production and consumption patterns around the world. I found the information about Latin American food consumption changes since the 90s really interesting. The narration is also very good and very clear. Highly recommend.

Concerned about health at all? This book is a MUST for you!

Extremely engaging and interesting. Excellent narration. A real eye-opener as to why so much of the world is becoming overfed and undernourished. This book is full of facts and figures but is actually intensely interesting to listen to even if you are not a statistics person. Give it a try!

I listen to this and miss being a sociologist.

Bees research, delivery and lively entertaining presentation of the materials is fantastic. Highly recommend this book! Can’t wait to hear her next

Slow, doesn't get to the point-20% info, 80% fluff

Unimpressed. Good concept, slow writing. Filling pages with fluff and rhetorical questions. Short on strong information. Feels like reading a BuzzFeed, click-bait article.

Opinions without science

Pleasant to listen to, but lacking all but the most casual effort at scientific support for the author's view.