1. Food and mental health.
Beliefs for therapeutic approaches
in ancient and medieval Greek
cultures
Ioakeimidi S. and Matalas A-L.
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
Harokopio University, Athens, GR
2. • Food ~ Therapy
• Various theories
Introduction
3. Food is connected with mental performance.
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy
food .” Hippocrates
Ancient Greeks believed that food
was responsible for certain things
that happened in their everyday life.
4. • The Golden Verses of Pythagoras
• Philosophy
• Mental health
5. • Mental health is defined as a state of well-being
in which every individual realizes his or her own
potential, can cope with the normal stresses of
life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is
able to make a contribution to her or his
community.
• The positive dimension of mental health is
stressed in WHO's definition of health as
contained in its constitution: "Health is a state of
complete physical, mental and social well-being
and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity."
6. Connection between food and mental health.
Nutrition ~ physical activities ~ baths ~ rest ~ sleep
The term diet refers to a general way of life.
7. • Follow a diet that does not cause weight gain
• Take exercise (running)
• Avoid abuse of food and drinks
• Eat bread (barley)
• Weight loss
• Helleborus (cyclophyllus)
• More fish instead of meat.
Hippocrates, Therapeutic , chapters 33, 34,35
8. Symposia
• Exercising the mind
• Limited food
• Conversation that follows very strict rules.
• Speaker’s ingenuity
• Analyze arguments with accuracy
• Listen to others without interrupting them.
9. • Inebriation unacceptable , an unpleasant sight.
• Dionysus three glasses of wine, Eubulous
• A valid opinion, sober
A mild mental stimulation.
10. Homer
Cyclopes - monsters in human form, strictly
carnivorous, repulsive and uncivilised. Intellectual
level was very low.
Lotus-eaters were refined people, hospitable, calm and
kind-hearted.
Odysseus removing his men from
the company of the lotus-eaters
Odyssey, Rhapsody 9
11. Iamblichus
Pythagorean philosophy
Food excellent educational tool
Consumption of food promotes physical well- being
“Pythagorean philosophers were very strict in
their diet and the first ones who attempted
symmetry in drink, food and rest.”
Iamblichus vita pythagorica, verses 1921-2010
12. Pythagoras
• Set of rules by Pythagoras
• Avoidance of food bloating & upset stomach.
• Millet
• Staying away from living beings and wine
• Not sacrifice animals also not to harm them.
• Music=cure=soothing to the soul & mind.
Pythagoras golden verses Ver.32-34
Ουδ’ υγιείης της περί σώμα αμέλειαν
έχειν χρή, αλλά ποτού τε μέτρον και
σίτου γυμνασίων τε ποιείσθαι·
μέτρον δε λέγω τοδ’, ο μη σ’ ανιήσει.
13. A typical daily routine in the life of the
Pythagoreans
• Personal care and exercise.
• First meal of the day.
• Common affairs and political issues.
• Bath
• common meal (syssition )
• Cabbage, milk, honey, fruit, raisins.
• Abstinence from animal food
Way of life General conductWay of life General conduct
Porphyry of Tyre, Life of Pythagoras , Letter to Marcella
14. Plato
The vegan diet, is the
source of health and
ethos
“Republic “ (Politeia)
Music, exercise and diet ethos and philosophy
Plato, Republic,403d-410,5e
Plato Pythagorean diet.
15. Porphyry
• To Firmus
“Abstinence from animal food contributes to
better health and to the spiritual struggle
required for the practice of philosophy.”
Porphyry, on abstinence from animal food, book 1
16. “Control of food like a
charioteer.”
“Abstinence keeps the mind
healthy.”
Frugal eating is beneficial
ensures reflection and inner
peace.
Porphyry, on abstinence from animal food,book 1
17. Everyday issues
Simple and little, frugal and light.
Meat is harmful to health.
Health is preserved by a frugal diet without meat.
Vegan diet- philosophical view of the world - calm soul - focused mind
Various beliefs in the Roman period
“Someone that examines things in depth
would opt for a frugal diet.”
Porphyry
18. Schools of philosophy in the Roman
period.
• Frugal life and spare diet.
• Exercise – an indispensable part of spiritual
cultivation.
• Public baths
W.Fowler,Social Life at Rome in the time of CiCero, London, 1965
U.Paoli,Rome, Its people , life and customs, London, 1963.
19. Mental health wider context
Byzantium
Andrew Dalby, Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece, Routledge, Reprint edition, 1997
Mary Douglas,Purity and danger: An analysis of concepts of pollution and taboo,Routledge & Kegan Paul,London,1966
Mary Douglas,Food is not feed,The anthropologists’ cookbook, Routledge & Kegan Paul,London,1977
Social context - Byzantine diet and fasting enhances
self-discipline and self-restraint.
20. Dinner was a ritual.
Shared meals
Φαίδων Κουκουλές, Βυζαντινών βίος και πολιτισμός, Τόμος Ε΄ :Αι τροφαί και τα ποτά. Τα γεύματα , τα δείπνα και τα
συμπόσια. Εν Αθήναις,1952
P.Caplan,Food, health and identity,Routledge, London,1997
P.Connerton, How societies remember, Cambridge University Press,1989
C. Fischler,’Food, self and identity.”,Social Science Information,27(2), 1988,275-92.
Mary Douglas,”Deciphering a meal”,on Implicit meanings,Routedge and Kegan paul, London, 1979
Creation and preservation of social cohesion
Forming of relationships between the individual
and community.
21. • Various studies indicate the connection between
diet individual and collective memory.
• Two-way relationship
• Identity of the past
Food preserves memory and in turn,
memory preserves cultural identity.
C.Levi-Strauss, “The culinary triangle”, Partisan review 33,1965,586-95
D.Sutton, “Rememberance of repasts: An anthropology of food and memory,” Berg, London, 2001
Mary Douglas, Food as a system of communication”on In the active voice,Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, 1982,82-104
22.
23. Summary
• Avoidance of animal
products, frugal diet, plenty
of hydration
• Consumption of fiber
• Avoidance of drunkenness
and other forms of addiction
• Personal care by taking baths
• Social aspect of food
• Frugal and disciplined diet
• Limited consumption of
animal products
• Emphasis on the social
aspectof food
• Baths and symposia
Ancient Greece Roman period-
Byzantium
24. Conclusions
Contemporary guidelines, 2013
• Minimize saturated fats & trans fats. dairy products, meats,
and certain oils (coconut and palm oils).
• Minimize intake of salt
• Maximize intake of Vegetables, legumes, fruits, and whole
grains products, nuts and seeds.
• Include aerobic exercise in your routine, 40 minutes of brisk
walking.
25. •Moderate use of alcohol
• Ensure sufficient intake of nutrients
• Plenty of fluids and hydration
Omega-3 fatty acid ↓ symptoms
Nutritional therapies for mental disorders Shaheen E Lakhan*
and Karen F
Vieira,Nutrition Journal 2008, 7:2 doi:10.1186/1475-2891-7-2
Good morning. I am going to present a study about food and mental health.
Man understood the connection between food and healing thousands of years ago.
Galen notes that wine was good for disinfecting wounds, an antidote for snake bites and a cure for tetanus.
This is a well –known phrase by Hippocrates.
For example, they believed that if they ate figs from Rhodes, they would have nice dreams and good luck.
Prejudices and superstitions aside, the fact that athletes followed a certain nutrition plan is very interesting.
They connected food not only with physical performance (like athletes) but with mental , too.
There were various beliefs and set of rules, such as the Golden Verses of Pythagoras, where he maintained that food can strengthen or weaken the ability to philosophize. In other words, food can strengthen and weaken what we now call mental health.
WHO defines Mental health as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.
The second book of Hippocrates, is devoted systematically on nutrition and on physical activities, like exercise, baths, rest and sleep and to what extent they have an effect on it.
In ancient Greece, the connection between food and mental health is more straight forward.
Hippocrates mentions that in order to have good sense, people should
follow a diet that does not cause weight gain ,
take exercise like running and
avoid abuse of food and drinks.
They should also
eat bread made of barley and more fish instead of meat.
He also recommends
weight loss, if necessary and
the use of Helleborus which he believed to have a positive effect on mental illness.
What they were after in symposia was exercising the mind through conversation. This is why the first part of the symposium did not last long and the food consumed was limited so that the spirit would not be bothered by a heavy stomach. When dinner was over, they would clean the tables, wipe the floor and then the conversation would start following very specific rules.
The goal was to reveal the speaker’s ingenuity, their ability to analyze arguments with accuracy and to listen to others without interrupting them.
Symposiums were, in fact, an exercise in democracy and discourse. The basis of these were primarily the disciplined consumption of wine and food.
Inebriation was considered unacceptable and drunk people were subjected to public scorn. In general, they considered inebriation equal to moral depravity and an unpleasant sight.
In a comedy by the poet Eubulous, Dionysus himself recommends drinking no more than three glasses of wine, as the first one is good for one’s health, the second one brings love
and the third one is relaxing. From the fourth glass of wine and on, harmful effects start to occur.
In order to state a valid opinion, people should remain sober as long as possible while feeling a mild mental stimulation from the moderate consumption of alcohol. For this reason , strict rules were followed concerning drinking.
Homer , in his Odyssey, describes Cyclopes as monsters in human form that are strictly carnivorous and abstain from any form of agriculture. With this description, Homer shows in a way his aversion towards these beings for being repulsive and uncivilised. Their life was solitary and their intellectual level was very low.
On the contrary, he describes the Lotus-eaters (that are obviously fed with Lotuses) as refined, hospitable, calm and kind-hearted. We can safely conclude that Homer shows a preference towards the Lotus-eaters, who, clearly because of their nutrition, have possessed a cultural level beyond comparison to that of the Cyclopes.
He is widely known for his work regarding Pythagorean philosophy. According to Iamblichus, food is an excellent educational tool , when consumed in the appropriate and prescribed manner. He followed the Pythagorean set of rules and he ordered consumption of food that promotes physical well- being.
Iamblichus states that the Pythagorean philosophers were very strict in their diet and the first ones who attempted symmetry in drink, food and rest.
According to Pythagoras, we should avoid food that causes bloating and an upset stomach. One kind of food that prevented bloating was millet, according to Pythagoras. Furthermore, he advised not to ever eat a living being, drink any wine, sacrifice animals to gods or harm them. He also believed that music promotes good health and can be a healing power. After dinner, they used to play the lyre because it was thought to be soothing to the soul and mind.
A typical day of Pythagoreans is described by Porphyry on life of Pythagoras.
Every morning, the Pythagoreans followed a routine of personal care and exercise and then they had the first meal of the day which consisted of slices of bread and honey.
After that, they devoted themselves to common affairs and political issues. At night, a last stroll helped them remind one another the teachings of the day. Next, they took a bath and gathered for the common meal, called syssition, where the youngest student read an excerpt from Homer or Hesiod (Pythagoras believed that the works of Homer and Hesiod sharpen critical thinking and cognitive skills in general.)
Food commonly used was cabbage, milk, honey, fruit and raisins. It goes without saying, that the Pythagoreans refrained from animal food, as mentioned by Porphyry on “On abstinence from animal food”. The Pythagoreans teachings formed the basis of many subsequent nutrition theories, which in turn determined human conduct according to their principles.
Even though Plato was not a student of Pythagoras, he followed the Pythagorean diet , which was strictly vegan, in his personal life.
In the “Republic “, Plato mentions through Socrates the vegan and in essence, the natural diet, which is the source of health and ethos, two factors that make states healthy and powerful, materially, morally and mentally.
In the “Republic”, Plato also maintained that the patient falls into a state of constant illness and has to take care of his/her diet at all times.
In these verses , Plato discusses music, exercise and diet and their effect on ethos and philosophy.
In his letter to Firmus, Porphyry reminds him of the ancestral philosophical rules he has espoused which, nevertheless, he seems to transgress.
“Abstinence from animal food contributes to better health and to the spiritual struggle required for the practice of philosophy.”
When man is not in control of food and other sources of pleasure, much like a charioteer, then man is going to lose his mind.
“Abstinence from meat and other dietary excesses keep the mind healthy.” Frugal eating without meat is beneficial because it ensures reflection and inner peace.
To sum up, most of the beliefs on food and mental health in the Roman period come from Porphyry and Iamblichus. Exercising mental fortitude is something to be done in everyday issues, based on simplicity, frugality and lightness.
Meat does not promote health but is harmful to it. Health is preserved by a frugal diet without meat. A vegan diet reflects a philosophical viewing of the world and helps in keeping the soul calm and the mind focused.
Someone that examines things in depth, would opt for a frugal diet.
The schools of philosophy in Roman period suggested frugal life and a spare diet, even to people of the upper class.
The Romans considered exercise to be an indispensable part of spiritual cultivation. What is different in comparison to ancient Greece is that the Romans developed the habit of going to public baths and what is more they advised visiting them on a daily basis.
In the byzantine era, mental health is influenced by food in a wider context. Through the social context of the Byzantine diet and fasting ,self-discipline and self-restraint are enhanced.
Dinner was a ritual for Byzantine people. Before they sat for this meal, they used to wash themselves and take their shoes off. Sometimes they ate in a reclining position like the ancient Greeks.
Shared meals not only promoted the creation and preservation of social cohesion but also the forming of relationships between the individual and the community.
Recent studies in the fields of history, cultural studies and humanities show a special interest in the connection between diet and memory, be it individual or collective.
The relationship between food and the construction of collective memory is a two-way one. Greek people cook because they remember and they eat so that they continue to remember.
The diet becomes a narrative about the identity of the past. In other words, food preserves memory and in turn, memory preserves cultural identity.
Today, it is known that social interaction is a core element in the preventive and therapeutical approach of mental health.
For prime spiritual and mental health, people in ancient Greece believed that one should avoid animal products, eat frugally, drink plenty of fluids( mainly water or diluted drinks) ,include enough fiber in their diet but not too much as to cause bloating, avoid getting drunk and other forms of addiction. They also considered personal care necessary (baths) and physical exercise played an important role in their lives. What is more, they placed emphasis in the social aspect of food in symposia, where they took part in conversations on important issues.
In the Byzantine era, the emphasis is also on frugal and disciplined diet, which was imposed in Christianity in the form of fasting. Through fasting, the consumption of animal products was limited in the most part of the year. Through this dietary model, Byzantine people believed that they come close to God and enlightment. In the Byzantine era, the social aspect of food is much stronger.
Every social interaction was connected to food and vice versa. They also considered baths and symposia very important.
We notice that contemporary guidelines offered by various organisations are no different from ancient beliefs.
The guidelines proposed nowadays are the following:
Minimize your intake of saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated fat is found primarily in dairy products, meats, and certain oils
Vegetables, legumes, fruits, and whole grains should be the primary staples of the diet.
Include aerobic exercise in your routine, equivalent to 40 minutes of brisk walking.
Dietitians of canada suggest, moderate use of alcohol, sufficient intake of nutrients, Plenty of fluids and hydration
Numerous studies have shown that up to 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acid taken daily is sufficient for decreasing symptoms of several mental health disorders with no side effects.
