What to Eat Now
The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters
by Marion Nestle
You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Nov 11 2025 | Archive Date Dec 11 2025
Farrar, Straus and Giroux | North Point Press
Description
A thoroughly revised classic, What to Eat Now is a field guide to food shopping in America, and a treatise on how to eat well and deliciously.
What to Eat Now is a clear-eyed, no-nonsense guide to the most important food questions on our plate today. How do we make informed dietary choices for ourselves, our families, and our communities?
In the twenty years since Marion Nestle’s groundbreaking What to Eat first came out, food has undergone a radical change. The emergence of techno foods, the growth of corporate organics, and a surge of interest in food-delivery services reignited by the pandemic are just a few of the things that have altered how we think about how we eat.
The typical American supermarket carries more than thirty thousand products. How do you choose? Misinformation, disinformation, and corporate misdirection play a crucial and hard-to-see role in how the average shopper thinks about and chooses food.
In an aisle-by-aisle guide, Nestle, America’s preeminent nutritionist and a founding figure in American food studies, takes us through the American supermarket. With persistence, wit, and common sense, she establishes the basics of good nutrition, food safety, and ethical and sustainable eating, and gives readers a close-up look at the web of interests—from supermarket slotting policies to multinational food corporations to lobbying groups—that food has to navigate before it gets to your shopping basket.
Above all else, What to Eat Now is a defense of real food and of the value of eating deliciously, mindfully, and responsibly.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
★ "Essential reading for anyone who cares about how we fuel ourselves." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Marion Nestle is an inspiration to parents, to scientists, to activists, and to chefs like me. In this book, she again shares her brilliance with all of us, teaching us how to be better consumers and better eaters, for ourselves and for our planet.” —José Andrés, Founder, Global Food Institute
“Twenty years ago, Marion Nestle published What To Eat and it became my most dog-eared book. We are so lucky to have this updated version; you could not have a better person guiding you through the grocery store. In a world of incredibly confusing information, Nestle offers knowledgeable and completely trustworthy advice.” —Ruth Reichl, author of Tender at the Bone
“What to Eat Now consolidates a lifetime of work by our country’s most remarkable nutritionist. What Marion Nestle gives us in this book is priceless: a compass to navigate the American supermarket, aisle by aisle, through all its (deliberate) obfuscation. And, because she writes not only as a genius scholar but also an enthusiastic eater, it is a joy to read.” —Dan Barber, Chef and Co-Owner, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns and author of The Third Plate
“Food choices shouldn’t feel like a guessing game. Yet for many of us, decoding a food label feels more like cracking a secret code than making an informed decision. That’s where Marion Nestle comes in. In What to Eat Now, she delivers a no-nonsense, eye-opening masterclass that cuts through marketing spin and industry noise. This book doesn’t just teach food literacy—it arms you with the knowledge to take control of your health, one bite at a time. It’s not just a must-read. It should be required reading for anyone who eats.” —Nik Sharma, editor at America’s Test Kitchen and author of Veg-table
“If you want to know what to eat, what to avoid, and why, don’t listen to your mother. Read this book. Marion Nestle is a national treasure, whose nutritional advice is fearless and wise.” —Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780374608699 |
| PRICE | $36.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 720 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Kaitlyn L, Reviewer
If you’ve ever stood in a grocery store aisle feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices, or wondering what those labels ACTUALLY mean, then What to Eat Now is the guide you didn’t know you needed. Marion Nestle takes us on a chill but eye opening tour through the wild world of modern food shopping.
This isn’t some orthorexic “eat kale or be unhealthy” manifesto. It’s more like chatting with a super smart friend who’s done all the homework for you and just wants to help you eat well without the stress. Everything is broken down, from sneaky food labeling tricks to how big food companies influence what we put in our carts, without ever making it feel too heavy or overwhelming.
What I appreciated most is how she doesn’t shame you for not being perfect. It’s more about being aware, making better choices when you can, and enjoying your food in the process. She’s all about real food, eating mindfully, and not getting sucked into the hype. And with all the changes in the food world since her original book came out, like tech foods, delivery apps, and organic everything, this update feels super timely.
The book is also pretty eye opening when it comes to how much corporate interests influence what ends up on our plates. From supermarket placement tricks to the world of food lobbying, we see a behind the scenes look at the forces shaping what we eat. It’s like getting the inside scoop on how the food industry works, and how to outsmart it and be healthier for a better life.
But the best part? Despite all the heavy topics, What to Eat Now doesn’t feel preachy. It’s practical, witty, and definitely feels like a conversation with a friend who just wants to help you make smarter, more delicious food choices. If you’re someone who’s interested in food, health, or even just want to make more mindful choices at the store, this is the book for you.
Bottom line: if you're tired of being confused about what’s actually healthy or ethical to eat, What to Eat Now will clear the fog. It’s smart, readable, and might just make your next grocery trip way less stressful (and maybe even a little fun).
Laney E, Reviewer
Fantastic read with so much information about eating and how to shop. If you want to be more sustainable and know the best things to eat at the grocery store, this is the best reference.
Patricia M, Reviewer
I took my time while reading this book. There is a lot of "noise' out there about the latest and greatest nutrition theories, Marion Nestle clarifies and cautions us about the motivations and machinations of the food industry. From the farm to the Feds and their vested interest in making us fat and happy under the guise of eating healthy, Marion Nestle spells it out in a purely digestible manner (pun intended). There is no need to document or tally macros or 'points"! If your desire to eat and live better is not motivation enough, the consumer chumpery that the food industry promotes should call you to action. No spoiler alert here, it's been said before; "Eat real food, mostly plants, not too much" -Michael Pollan. If you are a glutton for more science (sorry, pun intended again) this book provides plenty.
Carlie C, Reviewer
Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Starts with an overview on how supermarket chains make a profit, which was expected yet still surprising.
Then we move on to how to eat and what to eat (ultra processed vs real food). Learning to read food labels, navigating the accuracies or inaccuracies, seals, certifications and their meanings (fair trade, rainforest alliance…) and the annoying but purposeful vagueness of it all.
One knows that everything and everyone is driven by profit but to see it so blatantly in the food industry is shocking and honestly, sad.
Bottled water, tap water, water inequality. This book covers everything about consumption in great details. While this can get to be intense because of the amount of information, it’s very interesting and eye opening, despite being mostly American-based. Moving on, meat, veggies, eggs, dairy, vegan substitutes, fish and the whole mercury dilemma, ethics, labels, benefits versus risks, marketing. The pet food part I found interesting as well. Breads, prepared salads, this book really delves deep into everything you find in the supermarket and more. In a way this is overwhelming which is why I read this over a long period of time, and there is no way all of the information will ever stick, but some did and that’s more than enough for me.
I never read the first book, What to Eat, but am curious to read it now just to see how much has changed.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Coco Morante
Cooking, Food & Wine, Health, Mind & Body, Nonfiction (Adult)
Kalan Chapman Lloyd
General Fiction (Adult), Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction
