Histories speak for themselves. History of nutrition is based on the struggles and superstitions created by mankind to satisfy their big egos. It's easy to twist historical words when there were no technological means to record the data.
Nutrition is still relatively new to science, but its origin goes back to when Greek philosophers were the most knowledgeable. At least, Hippocrates knew what he was talking about.
Nutrition has evolved throughout the centuries. What do we know about the history of nutrition is based on the amount of research and scientific discovery. The field of nutrition is vast and quite fascinating honestly speaking. We discover new possibilities of healthy regimes from keto to protein diets and yet the volume of undiscovered facts is mind whelming.
Let me take you through the evolution and discovery of modern nutritional sciences through a series of indulging stories and intriguing facts.
Nutrition is Older Than You Think!
The History of Nutrition goes back to 400 B.C, where Hippocrates (father of medicine) recognized the potential behind each food.
His most famous saying still rings true a millennia later;
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
Oh, how true his words were: food is your medicine! Truly it is as simple as that.
In ancient Greece, people emphasized a lot on their diets. Food for the rich and poor represented a clear division, for better or for worse. Grains, dairy, and green vegetables were the diet of commoners while lavish meat variety with exclusive wines as part of a noble’s diet.
However, the uses of grains, dairy, and green veggies are known as the ‘Greek diet or Mediterranean diet', the healthiest diet with perfect proportions of food.
Can Food Cure? Time to find in the history of nutrition
Historically, people used foods for a cure too like liver juice was used to treat eye diseases, garlic to cure an athlete’s foot, ginger for stimulating metabolism, and so on.
Guess what? People even believed tomatoes were poisonous.
The use of nutrition didn’t end there. Even wine, which is today widely known for its antioxidant and antiseptic properties, was used in abundance. More for the pleasure of man himself than its nutritional properties I am sure.
Moreover, we also know certain herbs and spices are known to have healing properties too. The use of natural ingredients is also effective than any modern medicine.
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Nutrition enters the time-lapse of The Gregorian And Victorian Age
Did you know, in 1747, British sailors developed scurvy (a disease caused by the deficiency of Vitamin C)?
Turns out limes were beneficial for the infected.
When vitamins got discovered, people were reluctant to accept the concept. However, later the nutrition market gained popularity.
A few decades shy of the Victorian era, the concept of metabolism and energy was discovered. Antoine Lavoisier the discoverer has been named as the “Father of Nutrition and Chemistry”.
Major elements; Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Hydrogen gained importance during the Victorian Age.
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Early 20th Century: During this period nutrition flourished
An immense amount of discoveries, scientific research, experiments occurred. Europe pitched in right and left to uncover the truths and claims of food and their effect on our health.
Therefore, it suffices to say vitamins bring essential factors in the diet to life. However, people were suspicious of these new “medical discoveries”. moreover, one thing led to another and the discovery of vitamins led to its ultimate link to many diseases.
The first fat-soluble vitamin was discovered and isolated which we came to know as Vitamin A. Come to think of, it liver juice contained a hefty amount of Vitamin A (so the Greeks were doing something right).
After the war gained speed, the health products became an asset, man people dreamt of.
History of Nutrition crawled at turtle’s pace
Nutrition shaped new industries just for health products. This was the monumental time that revolutionized the concept of nutrition. Now everyone wanted to know about it. Dietitians and Nutritionists started working in the hospitals, in the public health sector.
New dietary strategies to overcome deficiencies took place, including new plans to market vitamin in the pill. The chemical synthesis of vitamins quickly led to food-based strategies to treat patients with individual vitamin supplements.
This presaged modern-day use and marketing of individual and bundled multivitamins to guard against deficiency, launching an entire vitamin supplement industry.
This led to the fortification of staple food with micronutrients, the best example of it would be Iodine in salt.
Ironically, this new science and the immense focus on single nutrients and their deficiencies conceded with the Great Depression the time of fear and food shortage.
Results: New guidelines for caloric intake and the macronutrients along with micronutrients were also introduced.
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Nutrition in Mid to Late 20th Century
Now’s the time to link heart diseases to diet. Fat and sugar were the hidden culprits behind diet-related non-communicable diseases.
In, 1977 the US report on Dietary goal emphasized low fat and low cholesterol (oh look here comes the savior). Especially in wealthy countries a pressure developed in societies to alter their lifestyle with diet and nutritious food.
History has a habit of evolving itself. so, what will stop the history of nutrition from evolving? Nothing!
Over the decades, the history of nutrition evolved, and with it the importance of nutrition and food.
Now the question arises, how big is the nutrition industry?
- Science and technology contributed a lot in the field of nutrition.
- The nutrition industry grew and got rid of famine in the form of supplements.
- Malnourishment is a deadly disease. This problem is not easy to resolve but not impossible either.
Nutrition is not just a 9-letter word. Its impact on the world is highlightable and applaudable.
In the coming years, the more we unwrap the history of nutrition, the more answers will be available. But for anyone who would want to learn nutrition, study it in its depth and learn the magnificence. Therefore if you dare to open a box (not like Pandora’s) but one with a healthy diet plan, be consistent. So, gather every bit of knowledge from every era and join that world of possibilities.
Do you think you have the guts to start living a nutritious lifestyle?
