Hyman does a great job giving equal focus to the economic, human health, and planetary health issues associated with our current food industry. Everything he presents is evidence-based, and he evaluates where the funding and motivation for studies comes from. The book does not just spell out all of the problems - many solutions are proposed as well. My only complaint was it got very repetitive. Here are some things that stood out to me: With the science suspect, it's hard to know what to eat or drink. The nutrition guidelines are one of the most confusing ones to follow anywhere. Eggs are good, then they're bad, then they're good again, and now you have to know how they're raised. Government support should help farmers convert to regenerative agriculture (which is actually more profitable, better for the land, and better for environment). Fruit/veggie producers are almost completely left out of government subsidies Another callout is for schools to begin teaching kids how to garden and cook as part of the curriculum. We have raised a generation of kids who do not understand how food is grown or cooked. I fully support that cooking classes and having a school garden be in the curriculum. And then finally there is climate change. Agriculture creates more carbon emissions than all of transportation according to this book. Carbon is released from the soils when it is tilled. Methane comes from cattle and landfills full of food waste. And Nitrogen dioxide comes from fertilizers that are used to boost crops. Getting a handle on global warming will also require dealing with the huge agriculture industry. Handling fossil fuels is just a part of it.

of our food comes from just 12 plants. This is not in the book, but in a separate study, it's been shown that those with the healthiest gut microbiomes consume at least 30 different plants/week I’ve summarized those Big Ideas in a video review that you can watch here: https://youtu.be/B0u-UrrNaPA?feature=... Pairing the latest developments in nutritional and environmental science with an unflinching look at the dark realities of the global food system and the policies that make it possible, Food Fix is a hard-hitting manifesto that will change the way you think about—and eat—food forever, and will provide solutions for citizens, businesses, and policy makers to create a healthier world, society, and planet. This is a great, detailed indictment of sugar, junk food, Big Ag and Big Food. If anyone you know harbors any illusions about 1. the putrid, pesticide-soaked US diet; or 2. corruption and collusion between Big Ag, government and science, tell them to read this book. However, the subtitle belies the book's fundamental flaw: you can't save the planet one bite at a time. What we eat has tremendous implications not just for our waistlines, but also for the planet, society, and the global economy. What we do to our bodies, we do to the planet; and what we do to the planet, we do to our bodies.Helena is a sought-after speaker and commentator on food issues, appearing on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, BBC and NPR, among others. Her work is widely cited in the media and has also been published in the Columbia Journalism Review and on NBC News. What is it about workers in the food industry that allows consumers to care so little about their health and safety? From farm to table, the people who make our food possible mostly work in hazardous and low-paid jobs with no safety net. Farm workers are often immigrants from other countries who are treated badly and exposed to harsh working conditions and toxic chemicals. Workers in meat processing plants are subject to a different type of dangerous work environment. And even the restaurant and fast-food workers that serve us food are paid at below-minimum wages with no benefits or health insurance. If food was so important, wouldn't those who produce it be treated better?

And the most depressing part is where Hyman explains how structural the corruption is, with nutritionists being paid off (essentially), Congress being paid off, the FDA completely biased with individuals coming from the companies that it is supposed to police, etc. He claims that change is needed at that structural level, such as congressmen and women rejecting or ignoring the vast sums of campaign contributions and lobbying from companies like Coca-Cola and actually revamping the Farm Bill to encourage farmers to actually grow real food for people instead of subsidizing them to grow cheap corn and soybean oil for junk food and cattle. Who really counts on Congress to do ANYTHING these days, much less something so huge and fraught with very rich and partisan special interests? Depressing. What might be less obvious is that the food system we have in place—ranging from the subsidies and other public policies—affect EVERYTHING from our physical health to our psychological health to our cultural well-being to the health of our economies and our environment. Food Fix is a manifesto against America's current food system. Dr. Mark Hyman has written several books on nutrition and a leader in the field of integrative medicine, an up-and-coming field that focuses on the whole patient and their environment.I was already familiar with the fact that our agriculture strategies were not ideal and that they were a large contributor to the emissions, but at the same time I'm aware that globally people are looking for innovations to improve that, so I didn't perceive it in such a dramatic way. The chapter on foods in school is equally disheartening. Nearly one third of today's youth are overweight or obese, and those who grow up fatter are much more likely to struggle all their lives. Junk foods like sugary cereals and candies are marketed exclusively to children during kid's television and online programming and it works. The author also have a PODCAST called Doctor's Farmacy where he dives deep into the topics and share his insights with us.

The book literally is an eye opener for you, if you haven't realised how this economically driven world has got us to the point where we are facing different global problems related to our personal health as human and global crisises as a society. This book has shown me that fixings your diet to look good, stay healthier, feel better are far less important than to do it for saving the world. And then, even the story of food and health aside, there is the story of just how corrupted humans can be in the pursuit of money, especially trampling on and even targeting those that are the most vulnerable. Again, even if you only believe a quarter of it, it is still enough to turn your stomach. Depressing. Finally, the author's callout of the treatment of farm workers and food workers is an excellent callout we should always remember whenever we buy food or eat food prepared by someone else. Doing so is not only upholding the dignity of the individuals who grow, cook, and serve our food, but it lays bare the need for environmental justice measures. We cannot wait to prioritize the planet, specifically with environmentally sustainable farming measures. At the end of every chapter the author writes a section as FOOD FIX : which is a kind of general solution of that problem. Or What can be done about that issue. These solutions are not very specific and ready to apply, but kind of give a point to start thinking about them. The overall solution looks like, take control on your plate and try to convince other to do so as it's not just about you,me and us. It's about the whole planet.(If you don't believe aliens then might be for your whole universe). Dr. Hyman is a practicing family physician, an eleven-time New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field. He is the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a medical editor of The Huffington Post, and was a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, Today Show, CNN, and The View, Katie, and The Dr. Oz Show.The food stamp program is funded every year by the Farm Bill, a huge appropriation bill from congress that flies under the political radar. This bill routinely hands out billion dollar subsidies to big farmers in the form of crop insurance, price guarantees, and outright gifts. Because of this market manipulation, some crops like wheat and corn become much more profitable to grow while others suffer by comparison. An indispensable guide to food, our most powerful tool to reverse the global epidemic of chronic disease, heal the environment, reform politics, and revive economies, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Mark Hyman, MD—"Read this book if you're ready to change the world" (Tim Ryan, US Representative).