The Modern Conversation – The Storyteller

Historical Perspectives on Diet and Modern Mismatches

Wrangham, R. W. (2009). Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Basic Books.
Examines the evolutionary leap provided by cooking and contrasts it with modern dietary practices.

Cordain, L., Eaton, S. B., Sebastian, A., et al. (2005). “Origins and evolution of the Western diet: Health implications for the 21st century.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 81(2), 341–354.
Highlights the significant dietary shift from ancestral whole-food diets to modern processed foods, emphasising the resulting implications for health and chronic disease risk.

Eaton, S. B., & Konner, M. (1985). “Paleolithic nutrition: A consideration of its nature and current implications.” The New England Journal of Medicine, 312(5), 283–289.
Explores the mismatch between modern dietary habits and ancestral nutritional adaptations, emphasising the health consequences arising from this evolutionary misalignment.

Pontzer, H. (2021). Burn: The Misunderstood Science of Metabolism. Penguin Press.
Discusses human metabolism from an evolutionary perspective, explaining how modern sedentary lifestyles and calorie-dense diets disrupt energy balance.

Modern Processed Foods and Health Implications

Monteiro, C. A., Cannon, G., Lawrence, M., et al. (2019). “Ultra-processed foods: What they are and how to identify them.” Public Health Nutrition, 22(5), 936–941.
Clearly defines ultra-processed foods, providing guidance on their identification and assessing their negative implications for public health.

Ludwig, D. S. (2002). “The glycemic index: Physiological mechanisms relating to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.” JAMA, 287(18), 2414–2423.
Examines how high-glycemic, processed foods disrupt metabolic pathways, contributing to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., et al. (2019). “Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: An inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake.” Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67–77.
Demonstrates how ultra-processed diets disrupt normal appetite regulation, leading to increased calorie intake and weight gain.

Gut Microbiota and Modern Diets

Turnbaugh, P. J., Ley, R. E., Hamady, M., et al. (2007). “The human microbiome project: Exploring the microbial part of ourselves.” Nature, 449(7164), 804–810.
Examines the impact of dietary patterns, particularly the shift toward processed foods, on gut microbiota composition and the resulting implications for human health.

Sonnenburg, E. D., & Sonnenburg, J. L. (2014). “Starving our microbial self: The deleterious consequences of a diet deficient in fibre.” Nature Reviews Microbiology, 12(4), 259–269.
Explores how diets deficient in fibre negatively impact gut microbial ecosystems, causing disruptions to digestion, immunity, and systemic health.

O’Keefe, S. J., Li, J. V., Lahti, L., et al. (2015). “Fat, fibre, and cancer risk in African Americans and rural Africans.” Nature Communications, 6, 6342.
Illustrates how Western-style diets, deficient in dietary fibre, exacerbate gut dysbiosis, thereby increasing risks of colorectal cancer and other chronic diseases.

Chronic Disease and Dietary Mismatches

Malik, V. S., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2013). “Global obesity: Trends, risk factors and policy implications.” Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 9(1), 13–27.
Examines the global increase in obesity, linking it to dietary trends characterised by high consumption of ultra-processed, energy-dense foods rich in fats and sugars, and discusses implications for public health policy.

Micha, R., Peñalvo, J. L., Cudhea, F., et al. (2017). “Association between dietary factors and mortality from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.” JAMA, 317(9), 912–924.
Evaluates how contemporary dietary patterns, particularly those high in processed foods and low in fibre, contribute significantly to mortality from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Kahleova, H., Levin, S., & Barnard, N. D. (2018). “Vegetarian dietary patterns and cardiovascular disease.” Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 61(1), 54–61.
Examines how vegetarian diets, rich in fibre and plant-based nutrients, reduce systemic inflammation and lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Milte, C. M., Parletta, N., Buckley, J. D., Coates, A. M., Young, R. M., & Howe, P. R. C. (2021). “Dietary patterns and associations with biomarkers of inflammation in adults: A systematic review.” Nutrition Journal, 20(1), 24.
Systematically reviews evidence linking various dietary patterns, including processed and plant-based diets, with inflammation levels and related chronic disease risk

The Role of Fibre in Rebalancing Modern Health

Slavin, J. L. (2005). “Dietary fibre and body weight.” Nutrition, 21(3), 411–418.
Highlights dietary fibre’s critical role in regulating metabolism and appetite, counteracting the negative effects of processed foods and supporting healthy body weight.

Anderson, J. W., Baird, P., Davis, R. H., et al. (2009). “Health benefits of dietary fibre.” Nutrition Reviews, 67(4), 188–205.
Explores dietary fibre’s capacity to restore gut microbiota balance, improve digestive health, and reduce the risk of modern chronic diseases.

Reynolds, A., Mann, J., Cummings, J., et al. (2019). “Carbohydrate quality and human health: A series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.” The Lancet, 393(10170), 434–445.
Systematically reviews how dietary fibre significantly reduces the risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity, by supporting metabolic regulation and digestive health.

Environmental and Societal Impacts of Modern Diets

Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). “Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers.” Science, 360(6392), 987–992.
Examines the ecological costs of industrialised food production, advocating plant-based diets as effective solutions for reducing environmental impacts and promoting sustainability.

Tilman, D., & Clark, M. (2014). “Global diets link environmental sustainability and human health.” Nature, 515(7528), 518–522.
Connects plant-based dietary patterns to significant improvements in ecological sustainability, reduced environmental impact, and enhanced human health outcomes.

Springmann, M., Clark, M., Mason-D’Croz, D., et al. (2018). “Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits.” Nature, 562(7728), 519–525.
Evaluates dietary strategies, particularly plant-based diets, as effective means of maintaining food systems within ecological boundaries and promoting sustainability and human health.

Public Health and Policy

Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., et al. (2019). “Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.” The Lancet, 393(10170), 447–492.
Proposes dietary recommendations designed to simultaneously optimise human health outcomes and ensure global environmental sustainability.

Lang, T., & Barling, D. (2013). “Nutrition and sustainability: An emerging food policy discourse.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 72(1), 1–12.
Discusses the emerging dialogue around integrating nutritional science and sustainability principles into global food policy, emphasising the benefits of plant-based dietary practices.

Nestle, M. (2007). Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. University of California Press.
Critiques the role of food corporations in shaping modern dietary habits and health outcomes.

Social and Cultural Shifts in Eating

Mintz, S. W. (1985). Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History. Penguin Books.
Explores the historical and cultural factors driving modern dietary shifts.

Moss, M. (2013). Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Random House.
Investigates how the food industry manipulates dietary preferences to promote unhealthy consumption.

Finkelstein, E. A., Ruhm, C. J., & Kosa, K. M. (2005). “Economic causes and consequences of obesity.” Annual Review of Public Health, 26, 239–257.
Analyses how economic trends have facilitated the increased consumption of processed foods, contributing significantly to obesity and associated health consequences.