Scientist P.K. Newby will discuss her new book “Food & Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know,” Tuesday, September 4, 6 pm at Brookline Booksmith.

From gluten-free to pile-on-the-meat Paleo, GMOs to grass-fed beef, our newsfeeds abound with nutrition advice. Whether headlines from the latest scientific study or anecdotes from celebrities and food bloggers promulgating today’s diet du jour, we are bombarded by “superfoods” and “best ever” diets promising to help us be healthier, smarter, happier, fight disease, lose weight, or live longer. At the same time, we live in an over-crowded food environment filled with tasty, convenient, and cheap fare that makes it easy to eat, all the time. The result is an epidemic of chronic disease amid a culture of nutrition confusion-and copious food choices that challenge everyday eaters trying to eat a healthy meal.

About the Author

P.K. Newby is a scientist, foodie, and author with more than twenty years of experience researching diet-related diseases, studying how people make food choices, and teaching students and the public about why what we eat matters. She was one of the “best undiscovered cooks” on Nigella Lawson’s team on ABC’s The Taste (2014-2015). Today, P.K. spends most of her time writing, speaking, cooking, and consulting to help build a healthier, more sustainable world. She is a regular contributor at Zester Daily, an online publication promoting dialogue about what we eat and drink, and communicates with the public on her own blog, Cooking & Eating the PK Way. She is also Adjunct Associate Professor of Nutrition at Harvard University, and the author of Superfoods: Eat Your Way to Health and Longevity and Foods for Health: Choose and Use the Very Best Foods for Your Family and Our Planet.