The Changing Way We Eat - And How to Fix It

By Alicia Jerome MS, RD

Our diets have transformed drastically over the years. Once, food scarcity was the main concern—now, we live in a world of abundance, yet poor nutrition is a leading cause of preventable disease. Bee Wilson, author of The Way We Eat Now, states, “We are the first generation to be hunted by what we eat – calories hunt us down, even when we aren’t looking for them … The same foods that saved us from hunger are now making us sick”.1 Our eating habits have shifted toward convenience, processed foods, and global uniformity, leading to declining health and environmental challenges. How did we get here, and how can we return to better food choices?

The Shift in Our Diets

• From Scarcity to Surplus – We’ve moved from struggling to find enough food to having too much of the wrong kinds. While food security has improved, overconsumption of processed foods has led to new health challenges.1
• A Globalized Diet – The world now primarily eats a handful of foods: wheat, rice, sugar, maize, soy, and animal products.1 This homogeneity limits dietary diversity and contributes to nutrient deficiencies, affecting overall health.
• More Calories, Fewer Nutrients – Since 1961, daily caloric intake has increased by about 500 calories, often from processed and ultra-processed foods, which lack essential nutrients.1 While we consume more food than ever, it often lacks the vitamins, minerals, and fiber necessary for good health.
  

The Consequences of Modern Eating

• Rising Health Issues – Poor diets fuel obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, making unhealthy eating the top preventable cause of death. Misconceptions about obesity, often attributed to willpower rather than systemic factors, hinder effective public health strategies. Scientific advancements show that environment and access to healthy food play a far greater role in dietary choices than personal motivation alone.1
• The Fast-Food Explosion – Between 2011 and 2016, global fast-food sales surged by 30%, replacing traditional, nutrient-rich meals with cheap, convenient alternatives.1 Fast food's affordability and accessibility have contributed to its dominance, making it harder for people to prioritize home-cooked, wholesome meals.
• Food Insecurity Amid Abundance – Despite food being more available than ever, malnutrition persists. One in three people worldwide still experiences some form of undernutrition, and one in five American children faces food insecurity.1 This paradox underscores the unequal distribution of resources and the influence of food industries that prioritize profit over public health.
• Agriculture and Sustainability – Food production consumes more water than any other industry. The Haber-Bosch process, which introduced nitrogen fertilizers, increased crop yields but also contributed to soil degradation and water pollution.1 Meanwhile, only 10.5% of the food dollar in the U.S. goes to farmers, illustrating economic disparities in food production.1 The shift toward large-scale industrial farming has made food more available but often at a cost to small farmers, local food traditions, and the environment.
  

How We Can Eat Better

Food abundance isn’t the enemy—our approach to eating is. Top UK food journalist, Bee Wilson offers practical ways to reclaim our relationship with buying, preparing, and consuming food:1

• Eat Real Meals, Not Just Snacks – “Snacks would never have become such a big part of our eating lives if we hadn’t started to neglect our basic meals”.1 Wilson emphasizes the obsession to find the perfect 100 calorie snack has distracted us from crafting satisfying meals.
• Drink Water, Not Sugar – Sugary drinks hijack taste buds; re-learn to appreciate water as the default beverage. The rise of sugary and artificially flavored drinks has contributed to metabolic disorders and obesity, making water an essential habit to restore. Developing a thirst for water is one of the “most useful preferences anyone can acquire”.1
• Choose Variety – A diverse diet supports gut health and prevents nutrient deficiencies. The Hadza tribe in Africa, for example, has a significantly richer gut microbiome than those in Western societies due to their varied, whole-food diet.1 Expanding our diets beyond the same five or six staple ingredients can greatly improve health.
• Cook More – Learning a few simple, flexible recipes makes healthy eating easier and more enjoyable. Traditional cooking methods like nixtamalization, which enhances the nutritional value by increased release of niacin from corn through soaking it in an alkaline solution, highlight the benefits of preserving food heritage and natural preparation techniques.1
• Eat with Awareness – Use all your senses when eating; mindful meals lead to better satisfaction and portion control. “If we overeat, it is partly because except for our sense of taste, our other senses are so underfed that we are wandering around half-starved.”1 “Try to know your food with your ears, nose, and hands, as well as your mouth”.1
• Change Your Appetites – “The single most effective tool against living in an obesogenic world is to work on developing new preferences, until you can take pleasure in foods that are actually good for you”.1 Many food problems “come down to the fact that the foods we feel we should eat and the foods we want to eat are two different things”.1
• Rethink Portions – Smaller plates and conscious eating can help restore natural portion sizes. A good plate “gives structure to a meal and can lift the spirits when you eat”.1 Eating on a smaller “antique” plate can transport us back to a time when meals were more appropriately sized, preventing the trend of oversized portions that has become the norm in many places. 
• Prioritize Food Time – Wilson suggests giving food the attention it deserves; rushed eating often leads to poor choices. “If we never give food the time that it is due, we are effectively saying it doesn’t matter”.1 Setting aside time for meal preparation and eating can help reinforce better habits.
• Balance, Not Extremes – Focus on improving food ratios instead of eliminating entire groups. Instead of completely cutting out meat, bread, or sugar, gradually reduce their presence in your meals. A diet with less meat or sugar is often easier to follow than one that forbids them entirely.1
• Start with Protein and Vegetables – Eating these first can regulate appetite and blood sugar, making the meal more balanced.1 This simple habit can help prevent overeating carbohydrates and promote satiety with nutrient-dense and higher fiber foods.
• Know What You Are Eating – Understanding where food comes from and how it is processed encourages better choices. It helps to recognize the ingredients on your plate for what they are and make decisions that align with health and sustainability.1

The Future of Our Food Choices

Bee Wilson reminds us that “a good diet is founded less on absolutes than on the principle of ratio”.1 Rather than following rigid dietary rules, we should focus on making gradual improvements, adjusting food ratios, consuming more water and fiber, and developing sustainable, life-long eating patterns.

“Our pursuit of the perfect meal has become the enemy of the good enough meal”.1 Instead of obsessing over ideal diets, we should aim for consistent, balanced, and nourishing meals. By embracing variety, tradition, and mindful eating, we can reclaim control of our food habits and create a healthier future for ourselves and future generations.

Reference:

1.    Wilson, B. (2020). The Way We Eat Now: Strategies for eating in a world of change, 4th edition. Fourth Estate LTD.