2. The Very Beginning: Early Dietary Advice
• “If a man has pain inside, food and drink coming
back to his mouth . . . let him refrain from eating
onions for three days.” ~ 2500 B.C.
• “Therefore beware, and drink no wine or strong
drink, and eat nothing unclean, for 10 days, you
shall conceive a son.” —Old Testament Book of
Judges
• An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
• An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
3. Early Greek and Roman Writings
• Scurvy: 1500 B.C.
• The word diet is from the Greek diatta,
which means “manner of living.”
• Apicius’ De Re Culinaria – oldest known
cookbook: 100 B.C.
4. The Middle Ages
• Ben Cao Tu Jing: ginseng
• 1087: William the Conqueror – all-liquid
diet
• The basic hospital menu consisted of
bread and beer.
5. The Middle Ages
• 1478: De re Medicina.
• In 1480, the first printed cookbook was
published.
• Weight-loss books began appearing in the
late 1600s to early 1700s.
6. Progress (?) in the Eighteenth and
Nineteenth Centuries
• The first U.S. hospitals were located in
Pennsylvania.
• Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier (1743–1794)
– First scientific research on digestion
• 1747: Nutritional epidemiology
– Dr. James Lind: scurvy
7. Progress (?) in the Eighteenth and
Nineteenth Centuries
• Florence Nightingale (1820–1910): Military
foodservice
• 1864: William Banting – First low carbohydrate/
high protein diet
• 1872: Iowa Agricultural School – first courses in
cookery
• 1877: Kansas State University – yearly course in
“household chemistry”
8. Progress (?) in the Eighteenth and
Nineteenth Centuries
• 1876: Dr. John Harvey Kellogg invented
granola and toasted flakes.
• Sarah Tyson Rorer (1849–1937): First
American dietitian
– 1878: Rorer opened the Philadelphia cooking
school.
– Rorer also opened the first diet kitchen and
dietary counseling service.
9. Progress (?) in the Eighteenth and
Nineteenth Centuries
• 1896: U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) published Bulletin 28.
• 1899: The term dietitian was first defined.
• 1903: Florence Corbett – first internship
for dietitians at the New York Department
of Charities.
10. The Young Profession in the
Twentieth Century
• 1907: William Fletcher – experiment with
rice and the prevalence of beriberi
– Mimicked the modern randomized trial
• 1912: Casimir Funk – vita-amines
– He postulated the existence of four such
substances (B1, B2, C, and D).
11. The Young Profession in the
Twentieth Century
• 1920s: The title nutritionist appeared.
• 1930s: The term dietitian was agreed on.
• Expansion of nutritional research: World
War I.
– 41% of draftees were unfit for duty.
– 356 dietitians served in the armed services.
12. The Young Profession in the
Twentieth Century
• 1917: Lenna Frances Cooper and Lulu G.
Graves, along with 96 others, organized
the American Dietetic Association.
• 39 charter members and dues of $1.
• First meeting of ADA was at Lakeside
Hospital in Cleveland.
13. The Young Profession in the
Twentieth Century
• 1920s: Maternity and Infancy Act.
• 1922: Walter Reed General Hospital
offered the first training program for
dietitians.
• 1935: Title V of the Social Security Act.
14. The Young Profession in the
Twentieth Century
• 1946: The National School Lunch Act and the
Hill–Burton Hospital Facilities Survey and
Construction Act
• 1948: Taking Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS)
• 1960s: The Medicare and Medicaid
Legislation
15. The Young Profession in the
Twentieth Century
• 1950–1953: Korean War.
• 1960s: Civil rights movement highlighted the
issues of poverty and hunger.
• 1970s: USDA food assistance programs to
low-income families were established or
expanded.
16. Entering the Twenty-First Century
• Greater focus on health literacy
• Priority areas for the profession
• Other areas of food and nutrition
importance
