Diet and the Disease of CivilizationDiet books contribute to a $60 billion industry as they speak to the 45 million Americans who diet every year. Yet these books dont just tell readers what to eat: they offer complete philosophies about who Americans are and how we should live. Diet and the Disease of Civilization interrupts the predictable debate about eating right to ask a hard question: what if its not caloriesbut conceptsthat should be counted? Cultural critic Adrienne Rose Bitar