The evolutionary science behind why you can’t lose weight and how to avoid 5 modern food mistakes | Prof Daniel Lieberman

Why can’t you lose weight, and why do modern diets fail?Today, Harvard professor Daniel Lieberman explains how evolution shapes hunger, body fat, food cravings, and modern food mistakes. You will learn why eating well can feel so hard in today’s food world.Using themes from Daniel’s new book, Fed Up: What Evolution Reveals about Food, Diet and Eating Well, we explore how our modern food environment explains weight gain, failed diets, and confusion about what to eat. We discuss calorie counting, ultra-processed food, hunger, and why there may be no single “best” diet for everyone.By the end of the episode, you’ll have some simple ways to make better food choices and will know how to make healthy choices easier.If your body evolved for a world where food was scarce, what does that mean for how you eat today?🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health BarBuild healthy habits. Download the ZOE app today and start your trial for just £2.30 for your first week. 👉 Join ZOEFollow ZOE on Instagram.Timecodes00:00 Intro03:34 The 3 reasons evolution changes what you eat07:28 Why supermarkets make healthy eating harder10:51 Why sugar and fat are so hard to resist12:12 Are humans really fatter than hippos?13:20 Why your brain burns so much energy14:25 Why humans evolved to hold onto fat16:06 The 3 hidden costs behind body fat18:23 How cooking changed the human body19:15 Why raw food may not be natural for humans22:08 Did farming make humans less healthy?24:49 How processed food transformed what we eat28:22 Why modern food triggers ancient cravings29:48 What the paleo diet gets wrong31:08 Why there is no real paleo diet31:55 Why calorie counting can mislead you33:05 Why hunger beats willpower34:20 Why weight loss often comes back35:56 What you need to know before buying food36:53 Why no diet is truly optimal38:24 What the healthiest diets have in common40:08 Are your genes really making you gain weight?41:40 The simple shopping trick Daniel uses43:46 Why the 8-hour sleep rule is wrong45:25 Why stress makes you crave comfort food51:30 Why simple diet rules fail📚Books by our ZOE ScientistsThe Food For Life CookbookEvery Body Should Know This by Dr Federica AmatiThe Appetite Reset by Dr Federica AmatiFood For Life by Prof. Tim SpectorFerment by Prof. Tim SpectorGood Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim SpectorFree resources from ZOEThe Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guiltThe Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprintHow to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term healthLive Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & NutritionGut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Better Breakfast GuideMentioned in today's episodeFed Up: What Evolution Reveals about Food, Diet and Eating Well by Daniel LiebermanComparing dietary variation between tropical hunter-gatherer groups to the Paleo Diet, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2023)The carbohydrate-insulin model: a physiological perspective on the obesity pandemic, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2021)Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.Episode transcripts are available here.

The evolutionary science behind why you can’t lose weight and how to avoid 5 modern food mistakes | Prof Daniel Lieberman

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