Module Overview: Diet and Nutrition

In this module, we will discuss human diets and nutrition from an anthropological perspective. Food preferences, diets, and nutritional concerns are personal issues for many of us. They are tied to cultural values around eating and body size. As we work through the module, please withhold judgments about food choices and body size to be sensitive to the range of experiences within our class. There is a lot we could discuss related to these topics, but we are going to focus on gaining an evolutionary understanding of the human diet (or diets – there has never been one human diet) and a discussion of contemporary diets and the global rise of obesity. We will address the following questions:

• What was a typical Paleolithic and hunter-gatherer diet for humans? How did they differ from contemporary human diets?
• What are some of the problems with viewing nutritional health as a universal phenomenon with a standardized definition?
• What are some of the biological, cultural, and political/economic factors at play in both defining “obesity” and understanding the trend of increased body weight worldwide?
• How are people perceived as overweight impacted by cultural values around weight?

 

Module 3 Assigned Reading:

• • Chapter 4
  • For the Discussion: Body Weight, Obesity, and Culture, read “The Illusion and Peril of Food ‘Choice’ Links to an external site.” by Gálvez and Carney OR "The World Hates Fat People" Links to an external site. by Brewis and Trainer OR "Fat is Not the Problem - Fat Stigma Is Links to an external site." by nutritionists Bacon and Severson (note: Dr. Bacon now goes by Lindo Bacon, pronouns: they/them/theirs; their website is here Links to an external site..)

Module 3 Recommended Reading:

• "Food is About Far More Than Bodily Sustenance Links to an external site.” by anthropologists Moffat and Mohammed
• "How Obesity Became a Disease Download "How Obesity Became a Disease
  " Links to an external site. Download " Links to an external site.
  by science journalist Harriet Brown
• Implicit Bias Test for Weight - Links to an external site. this isn't a reading, but a worthwhile activity for examining your own biases around body size. 

Module 3 Tasks:

By 11:59pm on Monday: Read the Module 3 Overview. Watch, Debunking the Paleo Diet (22 min) by Christina Warinner and Submit the Assignment.

By 11:59pm on Tuesday: Read Chapter 4: Diet and Nutrition and Submit the Assignment.

By 11:59pm on Wednesday: Watch, Are Vegetables Good for Your Health? (13 min) by Emily Yates-Doerr and Submit the Assignment.

By 11:59pm on Thursday: Post initial post for Discussion: Body Weight, Obesity, and Culture. Note: This discussion involves reading an article. See the discussion for details.

By 11:59pm on Friday: Nothing Due! Work Ahead!

By 11:59pm on Saturday: Post two peer responses for the Discussion.

 

Module 3 Outcomes:

By the end of this module, students will be able to...

1. Compare paleolithic and hunter-gatherer diets with contemporary human diets, placing modern diets in evolutionary perspective.
2. Aligns with Course Outcomes 4 and 5.
3. Describe health/nutrition from an anthropological, cross-cultural perspective in comparison to a biomedical perspective.
4. Aligns with Course Outcomes 2 and 5.
5. Identify and critically evaluate biological, cultural, and political/economic factors related to the global obesity epidemic.
6. Aligns with Course Outcomes 1 and 6.