Marshaling an encyclopedic body of evolutionary and anthropological evidence, Mr. Lieberman, a paleoanthropologist at Harvard University, aims to dispel the monolithic thinking that dominates our approach to diet ... Examines a number of popular diet programs that advance a big idea to address obesity ... His prudent approach is to avoid a single grand plan and embrace a multifaceted strategy that borrows pertinent insights from a variety of approaches.
The fulcrum of Lieberman’s analysis is the very simple formula that drove early man: 'food in, babies out'. From there, he draws on his extensive background in evolutionary biology to explain why our dietary habits evolved into what they are today, and what different foods do for and to our bodies ... The science can sometimes be dizzying; readers may find their brains skidding over the textbook-style diagrams. But Lieberman’s attempts to make it all comprehensible are mostly a success. If nothing else, Fed Up will inspire readers to put their own fridge under deeper scrutiny.
This could — should — be the last diet book you will need. It’s colourful, readable, personable, richly informed, expert and just, well… right .... Lieberman is not a nutritionist, which is one of many reasons to like him ... He is a Harvard professor who has written books on the science of exercise and the evolution of the human body ... It can be a funny book as well as a trenchant one. But what is its answer? It is almost disappointingly sensible. Eat more plants and more fibre. Eat less sugar, less fat, less saturated fat and fewer refined carbohydrates. Avoid highly processed foods. Exercise.
