Food Habits, Trends & Theories Through History

Food Today
&
Tomorrow
Kanchan Banerjee
kbkali@yahoo.com
10/26/20151

Food Today & Tomorrow
Do we eat to live or live to eat?
You are what you eat!
10/26/20152

10/26/20153
Food Habit / Pleasure /
Convenience BEFORE AFTER
Health & Nutrition
Personal Finance
Economy & Sustainability
Compassion & Ethics
Spirituality/Religion
Ecology & Sustainability
Factors influencing your food preferences

Food according to health sciences
Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat, Vitamins,
Minerals, Fiber, water!
10/26/20154

How the energy is tapped and distributed in the
food chain
10/26/20155

Food Today
10/26/20156

Burgers, Italian, Mexican, Chinese,
Indian, Thai.
Highly Processed.
Filled with chemicals, preservatives.
10/26/20157

Food is far away from nature: Un-natural
Not in the natural state: Processed, canned,
frozen, preserved
Full of fertilizers, pesticides & hormones.
Plus: GMO.
And.. Meat, meat, more meat! 10/26/20158

Food theorists
10/26/20159

Malthusians/Doomsters
Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus (1798):
An Essay on the Principle of Population
“population multiplies geometrically and
food arithmetically. Therefore, the
population will outstrip the food supply. In
addition to cutting the birth rate by sexual
restraint and birth control.
All people "defective" in any way, who look
or behave or function differently than the
rest of society, should be identified and
eliminated. Therefore, only those who are
"normal," those who can make the greatest
contribution to society, would survive.” 10/26/201510

Food theorists: Malthusians
George Beard (US Neurologist 1839-1883):
"little removed from the common animal stock
from which they (vegetarians) are derived.
They are much nearer to the forms of life from
which they feed than are the highly civilized
brainworkers, and can therefore subsist on
forms of life which would be most poisonous to
us. Secondly, savages who feed on poor food
are poor savages, and intellectually far inferior
to the beef-eaters of any race".
11

Food theorists: Malthusians
George Beard (US Neurologist 1839-1883):
This divided the world into intellectually superior
meat eaters and inferior plant eaters— accounted
for the conquering of other cultures by the English:
“The rice-eating Hindoo and Chinese and the
potato-eating Irish peasant are kept in subjection
by the well-fed English.”
Woods Hutchinson (Physician 1906): “White flour, red
meat, and blue blood make the tricolor flag of
conquest.”
12

Cornucopian - Boomsters,
Enlightenment
Marquis de Condorcet (1743- 1794)
Continued progress and provision of
material items for mankind can be
met by similarly continued advances
in technology. Fundamentally they
believe that there is enough matter
and energy on the Earth to provide for
the ever-rising population of the
world.
10/26/201513

Cornucopians Prevailed:
“Keep the steak and babies both”
But how and at what cost?!
10/26/201514

Population growth and food crisis
Solution: Chemical Fertilizers, Pesticides,
GMO.
Monsanto, DuPont, Dow, Bayer
10/26/201515

Effect of chemicals in
Agriculture
Environment
Health of plants
Health of Humans and other animals
10/26/201516

Effect of chemicals in Food
Hormones
Antibiotics
Pesticides
Preservatives
Sulphites
Nitrites
BPA
Sugar
Caffiene
Fat 10/26/201517

Effect of chemicals
10/26/201518

’
10/26/201519

‘Conscious eaters’
10/26/201520
Antibiotics: Human and Animals

10/26/201521
Meat Matters!

10/26/201522

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10/26/201524
Water used to produce:

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10/26/201526

‘Transition’
Red-meat
White-meat
Seafood
Egg
Dairy
Veggie (salad)
Fruits
10/26/201527
Amos Bronson Alcott
(1799 –1888), first
promoter of ‘vegan’
diet.

‘Conscious eaters’
“I’m a level 5 vegan—I don’t eat
anything that casts a shadow.” –
Character on The Simpsons
Natural
Vegetarian
Organic
Vegan
10/26/201528

Eating Habits
A diet void of any animal products
was actually called a "Pythagorean"
diet until 1944, when Donald Watson,
founder of the Vegan Society, coined
the word vegan. Vegetarianism was
first documented in 1848, most likely
by an Oxford Scholar.
10/26/201529

Eating Habits
The baby-boomer generation, spurred by
the violence of the 1960's and
disparaged by threats of imminent
ecological disasters, largely embraced a
diet inspired by ecology and a desire to
get closer to the Earth.
Frances Moore Lappé's iconic book, Diet
for a Small Planet (1971), was published,
vegetarianism had found its way into
mainstream America's collective
consciousness.
10/26/201530

Eating Habits
Meat Eaters
Pescatarian (piscetarian)
Vegetarian: Lacto & Ovo
Vegan
Raw Vegan/Raw Food
Macrobiotic
10/26/201531
Prior to
Industrial
Revolution
Prior to Industrial
Revolution
Little meat consumption, nearly anywhere (compared to today's standards).
~1900-1960
Meat consumption rises dramatically in Western cultures as transportation and
refrigeration becomes easier
1971
Publication of Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe launches vegetarian
movement in U.S., but unfortunately introduces myth that vegetarians must
"combine" their proteins to get a "complete" protein.
1975
Publication of Animal Liberation by Australian ethics professor Peter Singer
provides the spark for the birth of the U.S. animal rights movement and the
founding of the group PETA, a strong proponent of vegetarian eating.
Late 1970's Vegetarian Times magazine begins publication
1983
The first book promoting veganism by a credentialed Western medical authority is
published, Dr. John McDougall's The McDougall Plan.
1987
Diet for a New America by John Robbins provides the inspiration for the vegan
movement in the U.S., while it re-starts the vegetarian movement.
1990's
Medical evidence supporting the superiority of vegetarian diets becomes
overwhelming. The American Dietetic Association officially endorses vegetarianism,
and books by prominent doctors promote low-fat vegan or mostly-vegan diets
(e.g., .The McDougall Program and Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart
Disease). FDA replaces meat- and dairy-industry-sponsored Four Food Group with
a Food Pyramid, showing that most of a person's diet should be based on grains,
vegetables, beans, and fruits.

 The American Vegetarian Society was founded in
1850 by Sylvester Graham (1794- 1851), an early
advocate of dietary reform in United States and the
inventor of Graham bread, made from chemical-
free unsifted flour. Highly influential, Graham
promoted vegetarianism and a high-fiber diet as a
cure for alcoholism and lust. Graham preached that
an unhealthy diet (one containing the confounding
variables of meat and white flour) stimulated
excessive sexual desire, which irritated the body
and caused disease.
 John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943) followed in
Graham’s footsteps. Inventor of corn flakes and a
process for making peanut butter, Kellogg
advocated a high-fiber vegetarian diet to combat
the twin evils of constipation and “natural urges.”
Kellogg preached against sexual activity even in
marriage.
10/26/201532

Eating Habits Categories
Meat Eaters
Pescatarian (piscetarian)
Vegetarian: Lacto & Ovo
Vegan
Raw Vegan/Raw Food
Macrobiotic
Fruitarian
Probiotics
10/26/201533

10/26/201534
Year Source Vegitarian Vegan Total
1971 ? 1%?
2000 Zogby Poll 2.5% 4.5%**
2008 Harris Interactive 10% 0.5%
2012 Gallup 5% 2% 7%
2013 Public Polling Survey 6% 7% 13%

Pitfalls of Vegetarian and Organic Food
Over-Cooked
Too much Spices
Too much oil
Un-uthentic Organic
Impure, fake and harmful Ayurvedic /
herbal products
10/26/201535

10/26/201536

10/26/201537
Macrobiotic

Probiotics
10/26/201538

Door to Yoga and Ayurveda
10/26/201539

Medicinal herbs and spices
10/26/201540

10/26/201541
Ayurveda:
PRANA,
GUNAS &
DOSHAS

Prana, Gunas , Doshas, Chakra,
Mantra
10/26/201542

10/26/201543
GUNAS

Tamas: Dull, inertia, density, the force of
contraction, resistance; leads to evil
deeds, cloud intellect, give rise to disease,
laziness and other evil qualities.
Rajas: Stimulative, restlessness, activity;
the expansive energy of growth and
movement; creates perverted feelings,
sorrow, disease, violence and tensions.
Sattva: Harmonizing, balancing; promotes
longevity, intellect and strength while
granting pleasure, peace of mind,
compassion, non-violence and equanimity,
and saving the body, heart and mind from
all impurities. 10/26/201544


10/26/201545

Satvik diet: It consists of fresh fruits like
pomegranates, apples, bananas, oranges,
grapes; grains like fine rice, wheat in small
quantity, cereals, pulses, nuts and dairy
products like milk and ghee (clarified
butter). It keeps the body lean and agile and
mind calm and quiet. Fresh buttermilk, fresh
green vegetables like spinach, green beans
and green grams are good examples of
satvik food. Although a mild sweet taste is
considered satvik, a strong sweet taste as in
chocolates and sweets increases the tamasik
quality. 10/26/201546

Rajasik diet: Spicy, salty, bitter, very
hot and sour taste. Vegetables like
onions, garlic and their spicy and sour
preparations like ketchup and vinegar
have rajasik quality. Wines, pickles,
meat- especially red meat, and
stimulating drinks like coffee and tea,
and all types of alcoholic drinks are
rajasik in nature. These foods increase
restlessness, anger and irritability. 10/26/201547

Tamasik diet: Stale, half-cooked,
smelling, rotting, unclean, over-
heated, oily, heavy to digest, canned
meat and fish products containing lot
of preservatives as well as cold
pasteurized dairy products like milk
and yogurt (except certain organic
ones). These foods increase lethargy,
ignorance and apathy. Frozen and
preserved foods as well as hybrid
foods also increase the tamasik
quality. 10/26/201548

10/26/201549

10/26/201550

Gunas and Food
10/26/201551

Tamasik
10/26/201552 Rajasik
Sattwik
Macrobiotic
Ayurvedic

Doshas
10/26/201553

Doshas
10/26/201554

Vedic Mantras and Homa
Beyond Organic
Ayurvedic Food
10/26/201555

Homa, Mantra
10/26/201556

Homa , Mantra
10/26/201557

Mantra
10/26/201558
Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir
Brahmagnau Brahmanaahutam
Brahmaiva Tena Ghantavyam
Brahmakarma Samadhina
Phonetic spelling
brahmaarpaNam brahma havir
brahmaagnaou brahmaNa
aahutam
brahmaiva tEna gantavyam
brahma karma samaadhinaa
Sanskrit
ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविब्रपह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणाहुतम ् ।
ब्रह्मैि तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्म कमप समाधिना ।।
The act of offering is Brahma,
the oblation is Brahma
By Brahma it is offered into the
Fire of Brahma
Brahma is That which is to be
attained by him who performs
action pertaining to Brahma
Word-for-word translation:
brahma: spiritual in nature. arpanam:
contribution. brahma: the Supreme.
havih: butter
brahma: spiritual. agnau: in the fire of
consummation.
brahmana: by the spirit soul. aahutam: offered.
brahma: spiritual kingdom: eva: certainly. tena:
by him. gantavyam: to be reached.
brahma: spiritual. karma: in activities. samadhina:
by complete absorption.

Mantra
10/26/201559
Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva
Praninaam Dehamaashritaha
Pranapana Samayuktah
Pachaamyannam
Chaturvidham
Phonetic spelling
aham vaisvaanarO bhootvaa
praaNinaam dEhamaaSritaH
praaNaapaana samaayuktaha
pachaamyannam
chaturvidham
Sanskrit
अहं िैश्िानरो भूत्िा प्राणणनां देहमाधितः ।
प्राणार्ान समायुक्तः र्चाम्यन्नं चतुविपिं ।।
Becoming the life-fire in the
bodies of living beings
mingling with the subtle
breaths, I digest the four
kinds of food.
Word-for-word translation:
aham: I. vaisvanarah: My plenary
portion as the digesting fire. bhutva:
becoming.
praninam: of all living
entities. deham: in the
bodies. asritah: situated.
prana: the outgoing air. apana: the
down-going air. samayuktah:
keeping in balance.
pachami: I
digest. annam. foodstuff. catuh-
vidham. the four kinds.

Future of Foods
10/26/201560
What will be on your plate?

Future Menu Item!
10/26/201561

Future Menu Item!
10/26/201562

On Food Plate Tomorrow!
Kobia
10/26/201563

Amaranth
10/26/201564

Purslane
10/26/201565

Purslane
10/26/201566
Good source of
Thiamin, Niacin,
Vitamin B6 and
Folate, and a very
good source of
Vitamin A, Vitamin C,
Riboflavin, Calcium,
Iron, Magnesium,
Phosphorus,
Potassium, Copper
and Manganese.

10/26/201568
You are what you eat??
Ayurveda:
You are what you (can/should)
eat and digest!
‘Health is a miraculous gift
which comes from nature’.

10/26/201569
Food Habit / Pleasure /
Convenience BEFORE AFTER
Health & Nutrition
Personal Finance
Economy & Sustainability
Compassion & Ethics
Spirituality/Religion
Ecology & Sustainability
Factors influencing your food preferences

Food Habits, Trends & Theories Through History

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