COURSE IV: Our Nourishment

Description

In course IV we dive headlong into the messy arena of human nutrition. We set the tone for our exploration into food, by reminding ourselves of the true spirit of the scientific endeavour – to be free to believe in something, while at the same time ready to believe in its opposite. From this place of freedom, we can more easily navigate the complex dilemma we all have to reckon with – how and what do we feed ourselves? Part of this journey involves understanding the biological terrain through the lens of metabolism – anabolism and catabolism – and the need for different nutritional approaches in each case. We then carefully assess the pros and cons of consuming different types of foods, and unpack the question of which macro- and micronutrients are truly ‘essential’? Peering back, we take a trip into our evolutionary past and uncover our changing relationship to our environment, the impact it has had on what we eat, as well as the physiological and anatomical adaptations that took place in that process. As the chapter progresses, and having established the broader biological and evolutionary context, we can then more expertly navigate the complexity of modern dietetics and dietary guidelines, adding nuance and detail as we wrap up the chapter by looking at fasting and the need to tailor approaches to the patient.

LESSONS:

• IV(1): Introduction

• IV(2): Nourishing the Inner Terrain – The Essentials

• IV(3): What Our Ancestors Ate

• IV(4): Grains

• IV(5): Post Modern Dietetics

• IV(6): Fasting

• IV(7): Tailoring the Approach