New York Adventure Club | www.AdventureClub.com
About this Event
While the word "diet" is simply a word to define the range of food that we eat, it has also come to be associated with a method of losing weight through restrictions, moderation, or deprivation of some type. Look no further than the latest diet programs that are advertised as an easy fix for an age old "problem." Where does this obsession with losing weight to reach some kind of idealized body type come from, and how has it changed over the millennia? From ancient world practices to 21st century crazes, it's time to uncover how the pursuit of healthy living has changed dramatically in societies throughout the ages.
Join New York Adventure Club as we trace the history diets and healthy eating in human societies throughout the world, with a focus on the most popular European and American crazes in the 19th and 20th centuries and their dubious advertising tactics.
Led by historian Lucy Jane Santos, our virtual experience surrounding the history of diets and healthy eating will include:
- A discussion of popular diets throughout the ancient world, medieval period, and 20th century, some of which included tapeworms and appetite suppressants
- The story of how a London undertaker managed to lose 50 pounds in a year and sold tens of thousands of pamphlets with his recommendations
- How new understandings around food in the 20th century — like the identification of vitamins and scientific understandings of calories — changed the way that people eat
- How an emphasis on food processing and “progress” led to manufactured items like white bread and canned fish becoming more popular
- Some of the most ill-conceived and dangerous diets to have ever been developed, along with their disastrous side effects, which included the Master Cleanse and Sleeping Beauty diet
- How ideas around healthy eating changed in the 1960s with an emphasis on organic foods and grains eventually leading to ideas of superfoods in the present day
- The rise of regulated diets companies like Weight Watchers along with how governments have tried to regulate the industry to provide customers with safe and accurate information
Afterward, we'll have a Q&A session with Lucy — any and all questions about the history of diets and healthy eating are welcomed and encouraged!
Can't make it live? Don't worry, you'll have access to the full replay for one week!
See you there, virtually!
*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar
**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you're using the latest version of your internet browser
***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week
****If the event has already passed, but it's been less than a week, you can still register for it on our website's active replay section!
About Lucy
Lucy Jane Santos is an expert in the history of 20th century leisure, health, and beauty.
After completing a BA in Egyptian Archaeology and a MA in Arts and Heritage Management Lucy worked for several private members clubs and societies in London including The Arts Club, the Authors’ Club, and the International Wine and Food Society.
She has been a judge for the Historical Writers’ Association Non-Fiction Crown, the recipient of the Stephen Joseph Research Award and was the Non-Fiction Writer In Residence for the Stay-at-Home! International Literature Festival (2020). She is a founder of the Art Deco Society UK and co-founder of the Cosmetic History and Makeup Studies Network.
Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium is Lucy’s debut book and was shortlisted for the 2021 BSHS Hughes Prize, for books that bring scholarship to new readers by capturing the public imagination while conforming to the rigorous standards of academic research. Her next book, which is a history of the element uranium, will be published in 2024.
Lucy also works as a freelance historical researcher and consultant.
Testimonials
"The slides were good. The content was interesting." -Pink
"Thank you - very interesting and enjoyable." -C
"Subject was fascinating and presenter did a good job on the history" -Barbara
Disclaimer
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Categories: Virtual, Moments in History
Event Venue
Online
USD 15.71