Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Food  By  cover art

Food

By: Dr. Mark Hyman MD
Narrated by: Dr. Mark Hyman MD
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.83

Buy for $21.83

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Number one New York Times best-selling author Dr. Mark Hyman sorts through the conflicting research on food to give us the skinny on what to eat.

Did you know that eating oatmeal actually isn't a healthy way to start the day? That milk doesn't build bones, and eggs aren't the devil? Even the most health conscious among us have a hard time figuring out what to eat in order to lose weight, stay fit, and improve our health. And who can blame us? When it comes to diet, there's so much changing and conflicting information flying around that it's impossible to know where to look for sound advice. And decades of misguided "common sense," food-industry lobbying, bad science, and corrupt food polices and guidelines have only deepened our crisis of nutritional confusion, leaving us overwhelmed and anxious when we head to the grocery store.

Thankfully, best-selling author Dr. Mark Hyman is here to set the record straight. In Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? - his most comprehensive book yet - he takes a close look at every food group and explains what we've gotten wrong, revealing which foods nurture our health and which pose a threat. From grains to legumes, meat to dairy, fats to artificial sweeteners, and beyond, Dr. Hyman debunks misconceptions and breaks down the fascinating science in his signature accessible style.

He also explains food's role as powerful medicine capable of reversing chronic disease and shows how our food system and policies impact the environment, the economy, social justice, and personal health, painting a holistic picture of growing, cooking, and eating food in ways that nourish our bodies and the earth while creating a healthy society. With myth-busting insights, easy-to-understand science, and delicious, wholesome recipes, Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? is a no-nonsense guide to achieving optimal weight and lifelong health.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2018 Mark Hyman (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Most people know that a good diet is the cornerstone of health, but are confused about what to eat. Low-carb, low-fat, Paleo, plant-based, raw-food, vegan or vegetarian? In Food, Dr. Hyman cuts through this confusion and empowers readers with confidence and clarity about what to eat." (Chris Kresser, MS, LAc, author of The Paleo Cure)

"Mark Hyman is a food revolution superstar. Here he makes a clear and powerful case that for most people, low-fat isn't the answer, but high-quality fats is. I have no doubt that the vast majority of people will be far healthier for following his advice." (John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America and cofounder of The Food Revolution Network)

"Dr. Hyman hammers home that fats should be the foundation of our diet, an easy step given the power of the research he presents and his delicious recipes." (Mehmet Oz, MD)

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks on Healthy Eating—A Beginner's Guide to Nutrition


From adopting a more plant-based diet to stopping unhealthy thought-patterns in their tracks, these listens will get you started on how to eat so you’ll stay energized and in good health for years to come. You won’t find quick-fix diets or body-shaming diatribes here. Instead, these audiobooks—a few of the best health books out there—will help you form a better relationship with food and develop a holistic plan for health and wellness. Dig in!

What listeners say about Food

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,521
  • 4 Stars
    220
  • 3 Stars
    42
  • 2 Stars
    22
  • 1 Stars
    23
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,292
  • 4 Stars
    197
  • 3 Stars
    36
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    17
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,267
  • 4 Stars
    187
  • 3 Stars
    43
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    21

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Objective, backed by science, full of sage advice

Would you listen to Food again? Why?

YES! I actually plan to listen to it again in about a month. It’s impossible to absorb all the valuable facts in one listen. There is so much info that I want to learn this in layers. I may even listen to it a third time to retain nuance.

What other book might you compare Food to and why?

Honestly this is unlike any other book I’ve read on food and nutrition and my Audible library is full of them. The information in the book is similar to Dr Hyman’s “Eat Fat Get Thin” book, but the winner in “Food” is the way the book is organized and the redelivery of the main points that are summarized at the end of each chapter.

What does Mark Hyman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I’ve been following Dr Hyman for a few years and have seen many interviews, TED talks, video blogs, etc. Dr Hyman brings his own passion for using food as medicine and information into the reading of the book. Since he’s the author, he can make an incredulous chuckling sound and it’s totally believable because he wrote the words he is reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Well, it’s still non fiction and a book about science, health and medicine. So, no, it’s not that riveting because the subject is not that riveting. But I enjoyed listening to every moment of it.

Any additional comments?

This is a package, not just an audio book. There is a PDF that goes along with it. Check your Audible Library after purchase to download the PDF. There is also a website with lots more information and it’s worth going there as well. Finally, get this book to learn how to really shop healfully in a store. Learn how to read nutrition information, how to understand the difference between marketing words like “natural” and regulated labels like “certified organic”. I found the info on picking animal proteins to be the most helpful to me. This book is for everyone. It’s not a diet and it’s not meant to be a set of exact rules. Rather, it is an educational experience that will help you choose the foods you want to eat based on the current science and practices surrounding how the foods are farmed, how the animals are treated, how the workers are treated and how the foods may react in your body based on your health status.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

80 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Smart way to live a healthy life

Any additional comments?

I am a follower of Dr. Hyman's practices, philosophies and medicine, so I was already very familiar with the content in this book. That said, it is a great reminder of how to get it right and to take control of your own health by following a lifetime nutritional plan that supports health and longevity. I was a bit taken back by the strong embrace and push toward animal products as an integral and necessary part of that plan. But what he has to say makes sense, not that it will change my attitude toward eating mammals, fowl, etc.. I also don't feel that this lifestyle of eating needs a new label like "pegan"... it is what it is and should be a bit different for each individual. This is not a fad diet book... it is a way of living.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just listen, then buy a copy for reference later!

This is an amazing book that really brings together all the questions many people have in regards to what they should eat and should avoid. Dr. Hyman really breaks down each food group, from meat and veggies to oils and drinks and everything in between to help you make good choices in regards to your eating. I thoroughly enjoyed listening and found myself going back and listening to sections again. It’s a wealth of information!

At the end of the book he brings it together with a 10-day detox diet to help individuals with major or minor health issues to get healthy again. Then he pulls everything he talked about in the book together into a recommended way of eating moving forward.

Don’t think of this as just another diet book. It’s a wealth of information that can really help a lot of people!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

NOT PERFECT OK FOR SOME

Irresponsible to give a green light to saturated fat. Associated with other chronicle diseases besides heart diseases. Cautions against fruit consumption due to fructose sugar content. Falsely Associates fruit consumption to chronic disease like non alcoholic liver disease and obesity and diabetes in chapter seven. Only recommends two or three servings per day even after explaining that berries and other fruits are beneficial. Many other authorities recommended more consumption. Advocates eating large amounts of fat because it’s healthy and helps you loose weight. High fat foods are usually low in nutrients per calories and easy to overeat. Advocates eating a fatty diet to speed up metabolism. Speeding up metabolism is not beneficial for longevity. He seems to support a low glycemic and therefore high fat diet as optimal for human health. He supports his claims with various short term studies that measures participants lipid levels and other markers. Many experts have shown skepticism of the long term health benefits of low carbohydrate high fat diets. High fat animal foods often have the highest concentration of contaminants and toxins. Although fats bound to the fiber in nuts and seed appears to be beneficial. Saturated fats have many negative associations besides heart diseases and are not recommended to consume in large amounts. He claims Exogenous cholesterol consumption does increase a persons cholesterol levels and are associated negatively with cardiovascular health. These studies have found to be flawed. All “blue zones” models, where people lived the longest, diets did not include high fat - low carb diets with overconsumption of animal products such as eggs, grass fed meat, butter and eggs as the author would recommend for you. The author points to studies that claim that particular saturated fats from animal products are protective from heart diseases. Yet we have known for decades that the only diet PROVEN to REVERSE heart diseases is a low fat whole food plant based diets recommended by Pritikin, Dr Esselstyn, T Colin Campbell, Dr Macdougall, Dr Furhman, Dr Brenda Davis and many others. We know that the SAD DIET has 30% of calories from animal products and we have some of the worst mortality rates from cardiovascular related deaths. The author blames carbohydrates for much of the cardiovascular risk yet we know of many studies countries where the inhabitants relied on whole food starches and there was virtually no known heart diseases in these populations. Yet Hyman clearly states that “low fat diets cause heart disease”. Saturated fat has been linked to higher prevalence of dementia and diabetes in some studies. Some good advice written here compared to SAD, but clearly not optimal. When considering dietary and lifestyle modification we must take the weight of the scientific evidence and take heed to those populations who have superior health and longevity.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Complete BS

He has an excuse for negating every study but does not provide counter research. This is just another hyped up book about clarifying what to eat. Very disappointed- suggest dr Neal Barnard instead.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Probably the world's best summary of "what to eat"

I didn't enjoy the first hour or so of the audiobook. It's not that the content wasn't accurate or interesting (it was in both cases), but I prefer to read something that is more complex and contains a lot more of the underlying science and analysis. If you've listed to many You Tube videos within this genre, then you've likely heard most of the content of this entire book. However, this book was clearly written to be read or listened to by wide and diverse audiences, and in that regard Dr. Hyman has done a superb job.

Dr. Hyman manages to do what so few other have -- to bring together the vegan diet, HFLC, paleo, ketogenic and a few others, and to explain that all of them can have various benefits and possible detriments. As a keto adherent, nothing that he said was particularly objectionable for me even when he stated that those with no metabolic conditions or (pre)diabetes can eat some about of the standard carbs (oatmeal, etc).

The only part that I didn't think that was handled either well or sufficiently was salt intake. While Dr. Hyman referred to "The Salt Fix", what he stated about it in his book was not reflective of the content. For instance, he noted the standard 2.3 grams per day but failed to mentioned that for most people, 4-6 grams is likely optimal.

Still, minor comments for such a great book. While I would have personally preferred a deeper dive in this book, it is much better as-is for its intended audience and is probably the most important book I can think of that I would want everyone on the planet to read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good information, but a caveat or two

There is a lot of good information and resources in this audiobook, and the reading by the author was well done and occasionally humorous.

What I didn’t like was the section on supplements where the author appeared to be hawking his own brand of supplements from his web site. The title of the book is “Food: What the Heck Should I Eat”; not “Supplements: What the Heck Should I Take.”

I also could have done without some of the environmental moralism, but I understand some readers may appreciate that kind of thing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Definitely needs some fact checking

As a pharmacist and holistic nutritionist- I agree with some of the things he says in the book- however, some of the information is downright harmful and laughable. You know during hurricane coverage, how the meteorologists always seems to be blowing away in the harsh winds, yet there are pedestrians walking nearby with no problems? That’s exactly what this book reminds me of- some good information and then a bunch of taking information way out of context and being totally far fetched to push your agenda. For instance, he talks about how it’s ‘so hard’ to eat plant based and so many end up with deficiencies- does he live in 2018? Maybe it was hard in 1993! Also, ‘beans are the enemy’ really? And still pushing that they have harmful substances in them- you know those are gone once you cook them, right? In fact they are beneficial and protective. This book is a good thought but clearly poorly executed with extreme bias and personal agenda.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Good info snothered w/ save the planet andself ads

long winded and over emphasises topics and website ads. Good science and data on topics.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Good Book and True Information.

This book is a must read for every one that wants to feel good and live a long and healthy life. I have been on a diet like this for years, I'm 74. I feel like 45, I have no Pain, I sleep good, and have not been sick since I started on it. Not long after I went on this Diet this book describes. My body started loosing weight and now I'm at the correct weight for my body.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful