1. Note

2. Lecture Feb. 2017
ANTHROPOLOGY OF NUTRITION

3. SOUTH PACIFIC

4. FOOD CHOICES

5. Food selection variously based on:
Family decisions about what to eat
women on the roster as cook
in some communities women not allowed
to cook if menstruating

6. Food choices also based on:
coordination between cook and harvesters
immediately upon harvesting the food is
replanted

7. Food selection variously based on:
primary
secondary
fall back foods

8. Tahiti taro, breadfruit bananas sweet potato
primary secondary fall back
Tahiti taro, breadfruit bananas sweet potato
Ocean coconuts none none

13. TASTE-WHO LIKES WHAT?
SAMOAN PEOPLE
LIKE BREADFRUIT UNDERRIPE SINCE DO
NOT LIKE SWEET
TRUK PEOPLE
LIKE POPOI (FERMENTED BREADFRUIT)
A DELICACY – CAN VARY ACIDITY TO TASTE BY ADDING MORE OF LESS FRESH
BREADFRUIT

14. ANTHROPOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF TASTE IS LARGELY BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW
BITTER
SWEET
SOUR
SALT

15. BUT YET POLYNESIAN WORD FOR SALTY IS “MASI”
ACTUALLY REFERS TO FOODS FERMENTED IN PITS

16. WHAT EVER GOVERNS FOOD CHOICES ONE WANTS TO TRY TO MEET THE SIX DIETARY PRINCIPLES

17. VARIETY
PLANTS- MANY DIFFERENT STARCH FOODS
ON ATOLLS –LIMITED RANGE OF FOOD-
VARIETY IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT

18. VARIETY IN PART BROUGHT ON BY:
SEASONAL FOODS SUCH AS BREADFRUIT
WESTERNERS LIKE CAPTAIN COOK
LEAVING VARIOUS SEEDS
ONLY PUMPKINS, MELONS AND PINEAPPLES WERE SUCCESSFUL
AMONG THE SEEDS LEFT

19. VARIED INVENTORY CAN BE STORED
VARIETY IS A FORM OF INSURANCE
THIS IS IMPORTANT IN TIMES OF
HURRICANE OR STORM 

20. MODERATION
THERE IS AN EXPRESSION IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC
“EAT WHILE YOU SEE IT”
OBVIOUSLY THERE WOULD BE TIMES OF FOOD SHORTAGE IN CONTRAST TO
NORTH AMERICA

22. Large amounts of food prepared for Tonga
Chiefs
Lots of work went into the preparation of such meals
Believed that a well fed form was a symbol of strength

23. A well fed chief was a symbol of a prosperous
society
Also if people are well fed people and the visitors are well fed then it is an indication that the visitors are well looked after
Is this concept universal?

24. Seasonal variation in food supply leads to gorging
However, food is less nutrient dense and must
eat more energy to get sufficient nutrients

25. Factors affecting food choices in the South Pacific
-food classification
-factors at the household and community
must be taken into account
-social and biological factors

26. Note

27. ANTHROPOLOGY OF NUTRITION

28. Mexico

29. Homogeneity and Diversity of Mesoamerican Foods
Maize, beans and squash-classic trilogy
Concept of protein complementarity
-amino acids are nitrogen containing compounds that are used to build proteins

30. -amino acids- some are essential in the diet and others we can make in our body (non-essential)

31. -also concept of conditionally essential amino acids- some non essential amino acids can become conditionally essential
-for example if an essential amino acid, critical to making a non-essential amino acid in the body, is missing from the diet then the non-essential amino acid becomes essential
-but such essentiality is conditional upon the essential amino acid missing from the diet or a breakdown in the metabolic machinery

32. Protein complementarity- maize and beans
-maize is lysine deficient- lysine is essential to humans
-beans are tryptophan deficient- tryptophan is an essential amino acid
-maize and beans eaten together provide sufficient amounts of lysine and tryptophan

33. Maize- preparing corn by soaking in a lime solutions
-Makes niacin more available
- adds calcium to the diet

34. It has been argued that the beans maize complex, supplemented with:
vitamin-rich squash, chilis and wild greens provided a stable agricultural
economy and is one reason why the population of Mexico grew with considerable accompanying cultural complexity.

35. This trilogy is homogenous
-steadiness of diet (time homogeneity)
-found across various economic groups

36. However the total diet is not truly homogenous
-tortillas with a salsa of chilis and beans
-oranges, limes, bananas, melons and mangoes
-stews made of tomatoes, squash and/or greens
-on festival occasions- turkey is eaten
turkey in a thick chili sauce

37. A steady diet of the trilogy would not meet what aspects of a good diet?

38. One example of malnutrition in Mexico is children
This malnutrition arises from the belief that some foods are bad for children (eg milk is unhealthy) concept of when a good food becomes a bad food

39. Such beliefs are in theory overcome by education
Education about why the bad foods are really good for children
Education about improvements in sanitation-avoiding dysentery

40. Dysentery is an infection of the intestine causing diarrhoea
Normally the intestine reabsorbs water
However when there is an infection the intestine becomes inflamed and irritated and loses its water reabsorption capabilities
Diarrhoea results in the loss of vitamins and minerals since they are not absorbed by the intestine

41. Anthropology discussions up to the 1960s regarding nutrition in Mexico centred on beliefs and values of the populations being studied ie food choices depended on the beliefs and values of the populations
After 1960s -focus of such studies changed to economic, political features - studied ie food choices can be changed by working on economic and political aspects governing the populations

42. In other words, it was believed that it was more important to change the economics, politics than to change the peoples beliefs and values
Question is - does this shift in approach really work?
Beans and tortillas are highly valued by many

43. Some consider beans to be food better associated with the aboriginal community in Mexico

44. the reason for consideration of beans depends on economic status
-those individuals with a higher income tend to look disparagingly at beans believing them to be “poor peoples” food

45. thus are food choices being made with racial overtones?
-regardless of the reasons for the choice is there a nutritional impact on those with money?