Eat Drink Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics

by Marion Nestle

What's wrong with the US food system? Why is half the world starving while the other half battles obesity? Who decides our food issues, and why can't we do better with labeling, safety, or school food? These are complex questions that are hard to answer in an engaging way for a broad audience. But everybody eats, and food politics affects us all.

Marion Nestle, whom Michael Pollan ranked as the #2 most powerful foodie in America (after Michelle Obama) in Forbes , has always used cartoons in her public presentations to communicate how politics—shaped by government, corporate marketing, economics, and geography—influences food choice. Cartoons do more than entertain; the best get right to the core of complicated concepts and powerfully convey what might otherwise take pages to explain.

In Eat Drink Vote , Nestle teams up with The Cartoonist Group syndicate to present more than 250 of her favorite cartoons on issues ranging from dietary advice to genetic engineering to childhood obesity. Using the cartoons as illustration and commentary, she engagingly summarizes some of today's most pressing issues in food politics. While encouraging readers to vote with their forks for healthier diets, this book insists that it's also necessary to vote with votes to make it easier for everyone to make healthier dietary choices.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Politics, Nutrition, Health, Agriculture, Cookbooks

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2013

About the author

Marion Nestle, Ph.D, M.P.H., is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. She is also a professor of Sociology at NYU and a visiting professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University.

Nestle received her BA from UC Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa, after attending school there from 1954-1959. Her degrees include a Ph.D in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley.

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

EAT DRINK VOTE: AN ILLUSTRATED GUID TO FOOD POLITICS is an awesome book. I love the format-- getting info to people via cartoons. Keeps the audience reading and laughing at the same time. Even if you hate the politics of Big Agriculture & Big Food Corporations, you will love this book. It simplifies some of the most important issues surrounding what we eat in America (& the world), how our food is grown (& drenched in pesticides), how the media influences (brainwashes) us re food choices, how politicians mess with our food sources, and what our choices are doing to the environment (including our bodies). There are even a few suggested "fixes" for positive change.

I read, years ago, Nestlé's WHAT TO EAT- which was an important education for me re many of these issues, as well as a guide to shopping in the typical supermarket in a healthier way. But that's a thick tome of a book for many folks to get through (although not a difficult read otherwise). This one is truly packed with important facts, along with letting the reader know various opinions on the topics, including the author's-- and yet it's fun to read!

Highly recommended.

[Mtbike40 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eat Drink Vote is a great way to get started to understanding what is happening in America regarding the politics of food. This book was super engaging for two key reasons. First, Marion Nestle did a great job at taking information and research and sharing in small digestible (no pun intended)chunks. Before reading this book I was aware that food was big business in America, but I did not comprehend the full impact of the food lobby, manufacturers, and the government in the choices we make everyday by what we eat.

In addition to the great information shared in the book the author has pain painstakingly researched the world of food and diet related cartoons. The collection of cartoons in this book is simply amazing. I would have never guessed that there were so many poignant cartoons about the state of food and health in our society. The cartoons are a central part to understanding the message of the book and are incorporated throughout the book. It was great fun to read the cartoons, and I would often find myself stopping to share a particular cartoon with the family.

The other thing that Marion has done in writing this book is to really write it from an objective viewpoint. When she shares her opinion she makes sure to tell you that it is her opinion. While I do not think that I would always agree with her opinion, the way she expressed the information made me think about my viewpoint and consider the information being shared.

I have been spending more time understanding nutrition and the food choices I make and this book could not have been more timely. It is a great starting spot if you are just starting to read up on this subject, and would be very humerus to anyone who is well read on the subject.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this because I so thoroughly enjoyed Nestle's previous book, What to Eat. She has a wonderful way of cutting through the tangled mess that our food system has become, and distilling masses of information (and misinformation) down to what matters to our personal and public health.

When I saw that this was an illustrated guide, I assumed that there would be charts and graphs, maybe some food-related advertisements to demonstrate how dishonest and confusing food marketing has become. I was surprised to see that the illustrations are all comic strips, which makes for a fun read. The book is organized into basic topics of food politics such as: production, labeling, safety, diet fads, government programs, hunger vs. obesity, animal welfare, organics, etc. Nestle does offer her cut-the-crap commentary on these things, then illustrates the issues with a few comics per page. It's thought-provoking and educational, not to mention entertaining.

[Scout Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Usually when I read a book I learn something from it... but from this book I learned nothing.
And, usually I never give books 1 star.

Back of Book:
"While encouraging you to vote with your fork for a healthier diet, this book insists that you should vote with your vote to make better and more sustainable food choices available, accessible and affordable for everyone." (Back of book)

Nestle never encourages you to vote at all; she talks about lobbyists buying politicians. So what is the point of voting when they have the money and you don't? Yes, you can vote with your fork. But Nestle doesn't really give you any suggestions on how to do that either, she just presents issues and inserts her opinion for a few sentences. Her format is "If you believe this, you believe that. If you don't believe this, you might think that. Here's a study, statistic or fact."

Some of the cartoons were a little humourous or witty, but then of course they weren't written by Nestle.

She claims to be some big nutrition expert, being a professor and author of many books which she references throughout Eat Drink Vote. However, she didn't seem to know what she was talking about regarding:

1. Obesity
"To prevent obesity, people must reduce calorie intake ("eat less"), preferably by eating more healthfully ("eat better"), or they must increase calorie expenditure ("move more")..." (Nestle, 41).
+ I don't think the obesity epidemic would get solved by simply doing those three things. It's way more complicated than that. Also, people who say "exercise so you aren't obese" don't sound educated at all. The amount of exercise you would have to do to burn a decent amount of calories is more than a healthy-weight person would want to do.

2. What a vegetarian diet is.
"...Some vegetarians will eat dairy products (lacto-vegetarians), eggs (ovo-vegetarians), fish (pescetarians), or poultry in addition to food plants. Vegans are vegetarians who eat no animal products whatsoever. The one common feature of vegetarian diets is avoidance of red meat, but some vegetarians even waive this restriction at times." (Nestle, 177).
+ Okay, this started off well and then... Um, what?! Vegetarians are PEOPLE WHO DON'T EAT DEAD ANIMALS. How can I be a vegetarian and eat poultry, fish and red meat? Sorry Marion, but you need to check your definition of vegetarianism.

Quotes that Infuriated Me
"What industries benefit if people make healthier dietary choices? Not the food industry, which needs people to eat more, not less. Not the health care industry, which gets paid for procedures and drugs. Not the diet or drug industries..." (Nestle, 16).
>> Why are you comparing apples and oranges? "Not the food industry, which needs people to eat more, not less."
a) If people switch to healthier diets, they are almost 100% guaranteed to live longer, which means they will be consuming food for longer, which means the food industry will still make money (just spread out, not all at once).
b) She should have specified "the junk food industry". If people consumed HEALTHIER FOODS, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, legumes/healthy protein sources, etc., those areas' profits would go up and that part of the industry would benefit.

"Whether it is acceptable in so rich a country [USA] to have 22 million children living in poverty and reliant on SNAP benefits depends on point of view." (Nestle, 24).
>> I'm sorry, is there a sane person who believes it IS acceptable to have 22 million children living in poverty?! WHAT!?

"People who eat meat must come to terms with an unpleasant reality: Cows and chickens must die that we may live." (Nestle, 175).
>> First of all, what are you even trying to say here? Cows and chickens must die SO we may live? Welp, that's definitely not true. We don't need meat to survive. Yes, for YOUR personal benefit cows and chickens die; they don't have to, but we kill them.

"They [Vegans] must be sure to find an alternative source of Vitamin B12... to consume enough calories to maintain a healthy weight, and to eat a variety of grains and beans to get enough protein." (Nestle, 179).
>>Again, started off alright but went downhill. Seriously? Vegans need to make sure they "get enough protein"? So sick of hearing this!!!!!

Overall, no particularly extraordinary or revolutionary information was included in this book. Would not recommend.

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

It pains me to give this book such a bad review, because I like most of Marion Nestle’s work and respect her expertise (some of her pronouncements on the causes of obesity are oversimplified and/or inaccurate, but at least she doesn’t make a habit of dehumanizing fat people).

But this book is just…weird. It reads like a first-semester freshman’s term paper. The cartoons, ostensibly the centerpiece of the book, are plopped into the text in the manner of a bad copy-paste job; Nestle doesn’t discuss them or explain why each was chosen to illustrate a particular point. They’re just kind of…there. And many of them are awkward and unfunny.

Was Nestle just bored and looking for a quick, easy project to push out the door for extra cash? I dunno, but it sure seems that way.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marion Nestle gives a fine basic summary to food v. corporate food industry. Her decision to use this book to showcase the cartoonists works seen here is great. These cartoonists are doing a yeoman's job of trying to keep us informed of our food follies and the government's conflicted interests. It is easy to give up on all of this and go with the flow - but America's flow is a deluge and we are exporting it to the rest of the peoples of Earth.

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredibly informative book when it came out in 2013 and it continues to be helpful now. It is very enlightening to learn about where the funding for different things comes from--why does it matter? Well, when it comes right down to it, everything is connected, in seemingly unrelated ways, but this book shows you why it is more sinister than it seems.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mix of prose and visual commentary covering many angles of food politics. The author leaves room for other perspectives but also makes some pretty convincing arguments for government intervention. It’s hard to argue “personal choice” when companies are legally allowed to withhold from us the risks eating their products bring.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wish it could be longer. I was enjoying it so much, it was sad when I reached the end. The brilliant cartoons really do make it easier to become more involved in the food politics topics the book touches.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read compiling knowledge and humor in excellent proportions! Highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn about the food system and its issues while also being entertained by charming (or sometimes depressingly realistic) comic strips.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book uses an unusual format of story telling, explaining the history of food politics with newspaper style cartoons to enhance the delivery. The book delves into a lot of important factors that have led to the miserable state of nutrition education and food security in modern society

[Adrienne Bitar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic introduction to food politics -- I always assign it to my students alongside excerpts from Nestle's Food Politics book.

[Marissa Genta Pineda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marion Nestle's thoughts on food politics, illustrated by various political cartoons. Fascinating.

[Arda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8/5 solid.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I enjoy the cartoons. And I always am interested in food. It was interesting to see what’s changed in the last decade as well.

[Rich Sapienza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very happy when I won Eat Drink Vote through Goodreads.com. The book is an easy read of a multi-faceted and complicated subject of great interest, with many opinions and controversies; and the interweaved cartoons make for a thoughtful support for the author’s views to demonstrate the broad scope. The short but clear essay format delivers on many levels and gives structure to this intricate topic and sets a great stage for discussion. This textbook quality in its approach also gives the reader the ammunition to dispute or counter the author’s premises and conspiracy concepts and therein lays the weakness in this thoughtful lecture; the lack of solutions. Dr. Nestle stops short of discussing the “elephants-in-the-room” in food politics which are the only answers to her basic desire to correct a broken food system. She avoids either a libertarian approach coupled with better education [here her book could be used as a text] and/or national tax reform to stop food subsidies; all forms of corporate welfare, wealth inequities and political favors.
Finally, I must chastise Dr. Nestle for her first page diatribe about tomato paste, a topic which flares my nostrils as a scientist father of 4. Scientific argument would say Dr. Nestle should have fought for an amount of tomato paste equal to a single tomato. Their extreme of 4oz. was met and lost to the pizza slice because they were not prepared with the science [1 tomato = 1.5 oz. tomato paste] or the food’s [the beloved pizza] importance to the school diet.
I have many positives about this book and I believe this cartoon editorial concept should be used by others whenever a complicated topic, which often attracts national attention is presented. For the general public, this format is clearer than the typical 200-400 page multi-redundant cries for justice and world correction and appreciates the power that a-picture-is-worth-a- thousand-words editorial punch of the world’s great cartoonists. I’d be willing to bet this format in middle school and higher education would do wonders for topic clarity and communication skill development.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the cartoons and the book when it was behaving like the cartoons - highlighting, exposing issues through humor, but not preaching. The first part is interesting: how the book came to be, the process (brief though the description was) of cartoon selection and incorporation, and then some details on where 'food went wrong' in the U.S. There wasn't just one incident, but a series that led us down a rather dark path of super-sizing our portions and ourselves. That, fairly suddenly, there was an average of 3900 calories per day per person available - far more than one needs unless, perhaps, you are training for the olympics or doing a forced march in combat - and that this led to fiercer competition for our attention: enlightening. That type of information was great and the book would make a fantastic lens for studying a wide range of topics (if it were allowed in schools - public schools get a bit of a ding). I think it would engage and intrigue young adults, raise questions, allow them to explore. The preachier parts - and I actually agree with the author's position for the most part - were made tolerable only because of the cartoons. I did appreciate her honesty - she didn't try to hide her position and she did try to present the alternative view. The presentation got preachy and even patronizing in places.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book - it's right in line with so much of what I've been reading - but I think the lack of specific focus (within the sphere of food politics) led to a very diffuse idea. Beyond 'food is political (and people make cartoons about it)' there seems to be little to grasp. Where issues are very contentious, the author's position is frequently undermined by essentially equal airtime for falsely equivalent positions, or she frames entire subjects as mostly down to priorities. (While this might be true, it doesn't really inform well.) In certain places - particularly talking about GMOs - I felt that drastic simplification of the issue led to her seeming to advocate for positions that don't reflect scientific understanding of the topic. I guess it's difficult to find cartoons to explore the nuances involved, and that's really my trouble with the book: it reduces stuff that matters to whatever can be made pithy.

Still, as an overview of what issues are on the contemporary food politics plate, this works. I'd probably tell a friend to read this to figure out what issues they wanted to actually delve into, and then read literally any other book on the topic. :-P

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley.

This was a quick, fun read, and I enjoyed it. It reminded me of what I'd learned in Nestle's other books, and how important it is to care about our food system-- and not just to vote with our forks, but to vote with our votes! While I'd forgotten some of these tenets temporarily, Nestle was there to remind me again.

However, I sometimes wondered if the audience might be limited to only people who have read Nestle's prior work-- the answer to that would be, it depends. Depending on which side of the fence you fall on some of these issues, this book might actually infuriate some without changing any minds, because Nestle barely hits the surface on some issues and doesn't go into further detail. I didn't even realize until I got to the end that she provided references; well, of course she would!

Due to the size and shape of the pages, I'd highly recommend getting this one in print. The comics were always highly entertaining, but sometimes I strained to read the text on my Nook.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever watched any of Marion Nestle's (like curling up in a fluffy bed, not like the food company) talks you already know she's a smart academic with a sense of humor and a broad understanding of the issues at work in our food culture. If you've read any of her other books, it's likely you know the intelligence and the breadth of the issues she's passionate about. This book finally brings her humor to print through the means of one of her favorite mediums.

The result is partially a thousand-foot overview of her work and partially her curating a selection of cartoons. I think the book would have been stronger as one or the other -- and I say that having a collection of cartoon books and a collection of food politics books. The half and half ends up with a printed book that's half credits while still leaving you without an actionable outline of Nestle's thinking.

Of course, when you buy the book you support artists, so there's no reason to avoid paying for it. But it's also not a must have.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an intro book? Good. If you have any prior knowledge on this topic? Don't bother, you'll just wish for more.

This is a good intro book if you don't know much about nutrition or any of the controversies regarding marketing, federal regulations, and the obesity epidemic. If your sources of information on these topics are The Biggest Loser and Cosmo, you will probably enjoy the lighthearted cartoons and writing style while learning a bit more about some of the biggest nutrition-related issues.

If you've read just about any other book on this topic, skip this title. It's very broad and meant for "beginners" on this topic. You won't learn anything new and because the author plays lip-service to the "other side" of each argument, you will probably roll your eyes at some of those cartoons.

[Michelle Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thrilled to be chosen to receive a copy of this book through GoodReads. I took my time reading it because it was really easy to pick up for a bit and jump back into after a few days. The format was enjoyable and the book provided much information about our food system. I am glad to own this book as I think it will be nice title to have available for family and friends that visit. Kudos to Marion Nestle for taking a subject that is written about often and creating a unique way to present the information!

[Daniel Hood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received this through the Goodreads Giveaways and I have to say, this was great. The issue I always had with these "food politics" books was their preachiness and tendency to be extremely partisan. This book doesn't do that. I understood each point Nestle was making and saw that she showed both sides of the arguments in food politics without hinting which one they believe in. The cartoons itself were nice and will help people who need visuals to illustrate a point.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the politics of food supply and nutrition in the U.S., this book is at least half political cartoons with fairly minimal text. Better to read it in small doses because while many of the comics are funny, the format becomes a little tiresome. I liked it reasonably well, but it’s definitely not Marion Nestle’s best.

[Mary Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple text accompanies LOTS of food-related cartoons, at least one per page. As a fan of the comics pages I really enjoyed the sharp creativity of these cartoons, many from favorites such as Frank & Ernest.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you've read any of Marion Nestle's other books, the only thing you're going to learn from this one is that she's got a sense of humour. The cartoons are amusing, but the book is nonetheless fairly unsatisfying.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very broad overview of all the major food issues. A decent introduction with a twist (cartoons). My only complaint: light on sources/suggested reading. For more meat (ha!), spend some time reading Mark Bittman's stuff or go purchase a few Michael Pollan books.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+ Quick read, full of easy to understand and interesting text abt the BS food politics in the country, with great cartoons to illustrate what's realy happening. A must for anyone concerned with food politics.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was OK. Very surface coverage of the topic. I think I'd opt for her What to Eat or one of Michael Pollan's over this one.

[Sunny P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nestle does it again.