Nutrition | TableDebates

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Primed for power: a short cultural history of protein. Introduction

Table of contents: Introduction Section 1: The primary substance Section 2: Meat makes meat: the first protein fashion Section 3: Testing the lower limit: the end of the first protein fashion Section 4: 1918-1955: milk, aid and biopolitics Section 5: Protein fiasco Section 6: Epilogue Suggested citation: Blaxter, T., & Garnett, T. (2022). Primed for power: a short cultural history of protein. TABLE, University of Oxford, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Wageningen University and Research. https://doi.org/10.56661/ba271ef5

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The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023

With 122 million more people hungry in 2022 than in 2019, the latest UN State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report highlights that the world is regressing in its goal to end world hunger by 2030. The report highlights that there has been a deterioration in nutrition goals since the outbreak of the pandemic, with around 700 million people (compared to 579 million in 2019) not having enough to eat and a further 3 billion unable to afford a healthy diet.

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Journal articles

Low-Income Families' Direct Participation in Food-Systems Innovation to Promote Healthy Food Behaviors

Low-income families residing in food deserts in the US face significant systemic barriers that limit access to affordable and nutritious food. This action research study took as its case study an evolving social enterprise, Food Forward, to examine how marginalized community members engage, build capacities, and exercise agency in the social innovation of food systems, and to identify early indicators of changes in food behaviour.

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Journal articles

Meat alternatives can lower your cholesterol, study finds

This paper estimates that plant-based diets can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by improving blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and body weight in comparison to traditional meat-containing omnivorous diets. However, it is less clear whether these same benefits are consistent in diets containing processed meat alternatives.

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Journal articles

Wide variation in carbon footprint and quality of US diets

This paper calculates the carbon footprints and dietary quality score of six dietary patterns based on consumption data from the United States: vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, keto, paleo and omnivorous diets. All of these diets were loosely defined (e.g. vegetarian diets are those with less than 14 grams of meat and seafood per day) to allow some deviation from the strict conventional definitions of these diets. Pescatarian diets scored as the most healthy, and vegan diets had the lowest carbon footprint.

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Journal articles

Micronutrient gaps in the EAT–Lancet planetary health diet

This paper estimates that the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet, which is low in animal products, does not provide sufficient levels of vitamin B12, calcium, iron and zinc. The calculations assume no supplementation or fortification. The authors recommend modifying the EAT-Lancet diet by increasing the levels of animal sourced foods and reducing foods high in phytate.

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Journal articles

Agriculture for nutrition interventions are too narrow

This paper argues that “agriculture for nutrition” interventions in low and middle income countries are overly narrow in scope and neglect the wider political, economic, social and cultural factors that affect food and (mal)nutrition.

Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well

Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well

In this book, epidemiologist Tim Spector sets out his approach to nutrition. He describes the importance of the microbiome, explores which foods are really “healthy” and “unhealthy” and discusses the impacts of food consumption on the environment. The book also contains many short chapters dedicated to specific food types, including fruit, legumes, fungi, meat and fermented dairy.

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Journal articles

Micronutrient deficiencies are widespread globally

This paper estimates the global and regional prevalence of certain micronutrient deficiencies in two population groups that are particularly vulnerable to such deficiencies. By analysing 24 datasets, it estimates that, globally, around 56% of preschool-aged children are deficient in at least one of iron, zinc and vitamin A, and that 69% of non-pregnant women of reproductive age are deficient in at least one of iron, zinc and folate.