Lectures (Video)
- 1. Introduction: What We Eat, Why We Eat and the Key Role of Food in Modern Life
- 2. Food Then, Food Now: Modern Food Conditions and Their Mismatch with Evolution
- 3. Biology, Nutrition and Health I: What We Eat
- 4. Biology, Nutrition and Health II: What Helps Us and Hurts Us
- 5. Biology, Nutrition and Health III: The Psychology of Taste and Addiction
- 6. Culture and the Remarkable Plasticity of Eating
- 7. Hunger in the World of Plenty
- 8. Nutrition Transition and Global Food Issues
- 9. From Ancient to Modern Farming: The Green Revolution and the Prospect of Feeding the World
- 10. Sustainability I: The Impact of Modern Agriculture on the Environment and Energy Use
- 11. Sustainability II: The Impact of Modern Agriculture on Biodiversity, Genetic Modification and Animal Welfare
- 12. Public Health vs. Medical Models in Nutrition Change: Saving Lives One or a Million at a Time
- 13. Eating Disorders and Obesity
- 14. Perspectives of the Food Industry
- 15. Economics, Nutrition and Health: Subsidies, Food Deserts and More
- 16. Everyone but Me: The Pervasive Reach and Powerful Influence of Food Marketing on Food Choices
- 17. The Politics of Food I: How Politics Affects National Nutrition Policy
- 18. The Politics of Food II: The Issues, the Fights and Who Controls the Frame
- 19. The Law and Opportunities to Improve Nutrition and Health
- 20. Schools and Nutrition: Where Health and Politics Collide
- 21. The Morphing of the Modern Diet
- 22. Sustainability and Health Food Access
- 23. Success Stories, Innovation and Change from the Grass Roots
The Psychology, Biology and Politics of Food - Lecture 2
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Lecture 2 - Food Then, Food Now: Modern Food Conditions and Their Mismatch with Evolution
This lecture explores how the mismatch between evolution and the current food environment has changed people's relationship to food. Ancient societies had a vastly different food environment compared to modern day societies, which was characterized by unpredictable food supply, the threat of starvation, and a high priority to bank energy. The human brain evolved for this ancient food environment, which creates challenges in the modern food environment where people have unfettered access to the high sugar, high fat, high variety foods that they are programmed to find appealing.
Prof. Kelly D. Brownell
PSYC 123: The Psychology, Biology and Politics of Food, Fall 2008 (Yale University: Open Yale) http://oyc.yale.edu Date accessed: 2009-11-20 License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA |