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Fed Up

What Evolution Reveals about Food, Diet and Eating Well

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Fed Up

By: Daniel Lieberman
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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Why is it so hard to decide what to eat? We are bombarded with conflicting advice on weight and health, fad diets and food pyramids. No wonder so many of us feel confused and guilty.

In Fed Up, Daniel Lieberman tackles this confusion head on with his trademark blend of lively storytelling and myth-busting science. Drawing on evolutionary biology, anthropology and physiology, he explains how humans first evolved to eat; how fire, farming and industrialization transformed our diets; and what that history combined with rigorous medical science can – and cannot – tell us about what to eat today to stay healthy and manage our weight. In each chapter, Lieberman explores what different diets – from Paleo to veganism to intermittent fasting – tell us about nutrition and health, even putting these diets to the test himself. His conclusion is liberating: there is no optimal diet. What matters instead is variety, moderation and finding out what works for you.

Clear-eyed, humane and always entertaining, Fed Up gives us the tools to make wiser, kinder choices about what we eat.

‘Wise, witty, and full of unexpected insights — a perfect book for anyone who cares about living well’ Bill Bryson

© Daniel Lieberman 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Anthropology Biological Sciences Evolution Evolution & Genetics Science Nutrition Witty Healthy Diet
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Critic reviews

This could — should — be the last diet book you will need. It’s colourful, readable, personable, richly informed, expert and just, well… right... demolishes diet myths and brings some much needed rigour to the healthy eating debate (James McConnachie)
Wise, witty, and full of unexpected insights — a perfect book for anyone who cares about living well (Bill Bryson)
A terrific book that cuts through the noise of fad diets and nutrition advice by turning to the most reliable guide we have: the deep history of the human body. The result is a wise, accessible, and evidence-based framework for eating well in a world that has made eating badly all too easy (Michael Moss, author of Salt, Sugar, Fat )
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The book is as good as it should be. If you are a fan of Dan (like me), you would definitely love it. I haven't finished it yet. I will update my review once I am done. Commenting as I am missing the PDF. At some parts, having the PDF could have made substantial difference. Where is it?

Where is the PDF this book refers to?

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Have not yet got far enough into the content to give a full review.

However, the audiobook frequently refers to a downloadable PDF file which accompanies the audiobook, but it does not seem to exist anywhere in my account.

May be better off with a text version?

Audiobook: Missing Downloadable PDF File

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Absolutely fascinating as ever from Lieberman - beautifully written, witty and deeply thought-provoking. But, oh, how I wish he had narrated himself: he is a fantastic speaker. Instead we have a ponderous narrator who sounds like he is struggling with dentures or a mouth full of gobstoppers. Either that or he is too close to the mike without a spit shield. I only got past this (about 90% solved) by speeding up the narration to 1.2x. Otherwise I’d probably have had to abandon listening and bought a Kindle copy instead.

Great book, poor narration

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