Nutrition isn’t rocket science; it’s harder.Food Intelligence
In Food Intelligence, Julia Belluz and leading metabolism scientist Kevin Hall dismantle diet myths and bring clarity to one of the most confusing topics of our time: what to eat, and why.
Drawing on decades of research, the book explains how protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and metabolism actually work — and why many popular narratives about food collapse under scrutiny. It also examines how modern food systems turned eating—something humans have done forever—into a cognitively and emotionally demanding task.
The book’s central insight is both sobering and liberating: our struggle with food is not a personal failure of willpower, but the predictable result of a distorted food environment.
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“Food Intelligence dispels many popular myths we have about weight loss and breaks down the real drivers of the obesity crisis based on decades of research. I really hope everyone gets a chance to read this book." —Sanjay Gupta, MD, Chief Medical Correspondent at CNN and host of Chasing Life
The essential guide for understanding what you’re eating, and the forces that are driving you to eat it.
**AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR**
Nutrition isn’t rocket science; it’s harder.
There are new diet fads, bold claims about superfoods and articles promising the secrets to lasting weight-loss and longevity. The more ‘expert’ advice we hear about diet, the less clarity we have about what to eat.
In Food Intelligence, award-winning health journalist, Julia Belluz, and internationally renowned nutrition and metabolism scientist, Kevin Hall, cut through the myths about nutrition to deliver a comprehensive book on food, diet, metabolism and healthy eating.
Breaking food down into its constituent parts, Food Intelligence reveals:The real science behind how protein, fat, carbs and vitamins impact our bodies
The wonders of metabolism
The latest ‘theories’ about blood sugar trackers and ultra-processed foods
How our food environment shapes our eating behaviors and the food choices we make every day
How diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes are not a result of a failure of will power; they are consequences of food systems working as designed
Humane and deeply reported, this journey into the science of food will equip you with the food intelligence you need to better understand what’s on your dinner plate, how it got there, and why you eat it.
A widely acclaimed book on how our food can both nourish and harm usPraise for Food Intelligence
‘This is not just one of the best science books I have read, but one of the best books full stop. It’s funny, scholarly, and extremely important. Full of piercing observations, it ruthlessly cuts a path through the wilderness of nutritional nonsense that we have been lost in for so long. It is the first and last book anyone really needs to read on this subject. A spectacular piece of writing that manages to be both fascinating and entertaining in equal measure.’
— Chris van Tulleken, MD, author of the Sunday Times bestseller Ultra-Processed People
‘If you want to understand how nutrition became so contentious and why we are still arguing about whether it’s better to eat more or less fat, carbohydrates, protein, or vitamins, you must read Food Intelligence. Well- written, historically accurate, and scientifi cally rigorous, this book brings you up to the moment on contemporary dietary issues.’
— Marion Nestle, PhD, NYU professor and author of What to Eat Now
‘If you are going to read one book about nutrition and health, then make it this one. Food Intelligence is so insightful, so beautifully researched, so fascinating in the telling, that you will fi nish it – as I did – feeling smarter about what you eat and about yourself as well.’
— Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Poison Squad
‘Food Intelligence dispels many popular myths we have about weight loss and breaks down the real drivers of the obesity crisis based on decades of research. I really hope everyone gets a chance to read this book.’
—Sanjay Gupta, MD, Chief Medical Correspondent at CNN and host of Chasing Life
‘Junk-food giants hijack your biology. Wellness hucksters sell you false hope. In a food environment rigged against you, this is your guide to fighting back.’
— Henry Dimbleby, author of Ravenous and architect of the UK’s National Food Strategy
‘If there were ever two people to turn to understand the complexities of our diet, metabolism, and nutrition – and their role in promoting our health – it would be the noted science journalist Julia Belluz and leading nutritional scientist Kevin Hall. Their landmark book will make us all smarter about what we eat.’
— Eric Topol, MD, author of New York Times bestseller Super Agers
‘[An] extremely valuable contribution to the debate on nutrition and policy. The book’s major strength is how comfortable the authors are with ambiguity and nuance.’
— Talha Burki, The Lancet
‘Food and nutrition are fascinating, complex, and important to every person on earth. This book brings it all alive into a compelling, valuable story of why, what, and how we eat, and how to d o better.’
— Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, Dean Emeritus of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University
media coverageThe Wall street journal "Ms. Belluz and Mr. Hall rightly observe that today’s food system undermines human health, but they are nonetheless optimistic about the future… I hope they are right."
lancet"[An] extremely valuable contribution to the debate on nutrition and policy. The book’s major strength is how comfortable the authors are with ambiguity and nuance."
the economist The magazine selected Food Intelligence as of the best books of 2025, for “pars[ing] the biology of human metabolism as well as the gimmicks of the junk-food industry, nutrition hype and ultra-processed foods.”
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