Description
HUMAN NUTRITION: A BIOCULTURAL APPROACH
Book Summary
This work offers a comprehensive view of human nutrition from a biocultural perspective, transcending the purely nutritional approach. The authors analyze how social, cultural, and economic factors condition our food choices, while critically examining the role of the agri-food industry and advertising in shaping consumption habits. The book invites reflection on the limits of nutritionism and the risks of an excessively industrialized diet, including the debate on genetically modified foods.
What is it about?
The work addresses human nutrition as a complex phenomenon that cannot be reduced solely to its biological or nutritional aspects. Through a biocultural approach, the authors explore how dietary practices are shaped by cultural, social, economic, and political factors. The limits of nutritionism as a dominant paradigm are critically analyzed, as are the strategies of the agri-food industry, which, through advertising, promotes processed products without sufficient health guarantees. The book also examines the presence of genetically modified foods in the food chain, noting how they reach our tables directly or indirectly, often without the consumer's knowledge.
Main topics
- Biocultural approach to human nutrition
- Critique of nutritionism as a reductionist paradigm
- Influence of the agri-food industry and advertising on consumption habits
- Genetically modified foods and their presence in the food chain
- Relationship between food, culture, and society
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at students and professionals in anthropology, sociology, nutrition, and dietetics, as well as social science researchers interested in food from a critical perspective. It is also of interest to conscious consumers who wish to understand the dynamics underlying their food choices and the role of the industry in shaping the food supply.
What this book offers
- An interdisciplinary vision that integrates biological, cultural, and social factors in the study of food.
- A grounded critique of nutritionism and the practices of the agri-food industry.
- Updated information on the presence of genetically modified foods in the food chain.
- Tools for critical reflection on advertising messages surrounding food.
Technical specifications
- Author: ALVAREZ MUNARRIZ, LUIS; ANTON, FINA; ESTEBAN, CECILIA (EDS.)
- Publisher: Anthropos Editorial
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: LITERARY ESSAYS, FOOD AND SOCIETY, SOCIAL THEORY, SOCIAL RESEARCH AND STATISTICS, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, ETHNOGRAPHY, DIETETICS AND NUTRITION, PHYSICAL FITNESS AND DIET
- Collection: ANTHROPOLOGY
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: September 2019
- Number of pages: 272
- Weight: 328 g
Editorial review
This work is a relevant contribution for those seeking to understand nutrition beyond its nutritional aspects. Its biocultural approach makes it possible to situate dietary practices within a broader social and cultural context, offering a critical perspective on the influence of the industry and advertising. It is especially useful for professionals and students who wish to broaden their perspective on a topic of growing social interest.