The Indefatigable Marion Nestle Dishes Out the Unsavory Truth
Marion Nestle at NYU Fales Library
Yesterday marked the official publication date of our beloved, inspiring, and tenacious NYU Food Studies professor and mentor Marion Nestle’s book The Unsavory Truth. The new book is a groundbreaking look at how the food industry influences scientific research, and thereby nutrition journalism and guidance. We were privileged to attend her standing-room-only book party at NYU Fales Library. False alarm/emergency evacuation aside (yes, really) we had a blast!
Marion has always been a beacon of light in a murky food landscape fraught with hype, confusion, and, as food maven Clark Wolf aptly calls it, “nutritionism.” Her latest, meticulously researched work is guaranteed to exponentially boost your media literacy quotient and is well-worth a permanent spot on your bookshelf.
The New York Times’ Jane Brody gave it a (well-deserved) glowing review.
Here’s the most memorable Marion quote from the review:
“Whenever I see studies claiming benefits for a single food, I want to know three things: whether the results are biologically plausible; whether the study controlled for other dietary, behavioral, or lifestyle factors that could have influenced its result; and who sponsored it.”
Yet again, Marion implores us to look beyond the glitzy headlines, and take a prismatic, nuanced view on food.
As you know, Vicky and I strive to bring us back to the basics- quality ingredients, good preparation, no hype, just delicious food, shared with family and friends.
We’d love to hear from you! What do you think of the book, and has it changed the way you understand nutrition guidance?
