Issues in Interdisciplinarity 2019-20/Power in Intermittent Fasting

Power in Intermittent Fasting

Notes (Louise)

Issues: Different disciplines use their power to transmit different visions. Opposition between Sciences and Arts. Today people are more listening to arts than sciences.

Disciplines:

(Promoting fasting)

- Biology and Medicine

- Neurosciences

Benefits not as good for women than for men (Power) (Problems for women with Hormones) Linked to science research often more on men than women

(Promoting Consumerism and overeating)

- Marketing

- Litterature

- Sociology

Notes (Irina)

The social construction of three meals a day-

-Anthropology (primitive cultures used to fast),

-Sociology( how a certain group enforced their concepts on human society)

Consumerism and overeating-

-Marketing (and consumerism in food industry)

-Psychology (how advertising makes us crave certain types of food)

-Biological point of view on industrialised food(how it prompts consumers to overeat(never reach satiety))

Introduction

(Draft)

A Fast can be defined as “an abstinence from food, or a limiting of one's food”. Fasting has been popular for centuries. Already in Ancient Greece, during the 5th century before Christ, the Doctor Hippocrates had the habit of recommending to its patients suffering from certain diseases, to fast for a certain amount of time.

Since then fasting has not only been used for medical reasons but also for religious or contesting purposes. Many religions encourage certain types of fasting during particular times of the year. It is, for example, the case of the Muslim religion.

However, it is only in the last two centuries that the effects of fasting have been studied scientifically. Indeed, with the evolution of science, several experiments have been conducted on animals and humans to show the benefits and disadvantages of fasting.  

From these researches, has emerged a new form of diet: “intermittent fasting”. This fast, which is becoming more and more popular, encourages to eat for a certain amount of time during the day– for example for 6 hours – and then to fast for the rest of day – in consequences 18 hours-.

However, Intermittent fasting has been quite disputed among different disciplines. Some of them claim that this fast should become our natural way of eating while others prone the "three meals and day" and a consumerist lifestyle.

The social construction of "three meals a day"

Historically, our ancestors and individuals that were akin to primitive cultures used to hunt in order to survive. Thus, their next meal was oftentimes unscheduled and could fluctuate depending on the season and weather. Even though they were clearly unaware of their eating patterns, individuals in the primitive society used to fast as a way of life.

These meals are cultural constructions European settlers enforced on Native Americans(Abigail Carroll „Three squares: The invention of the American meal). The natives eating patterns varied with the seasons and often included fasting which seemed” uncivilised” to the settlers that ate meals at regimented times.

There is actually no biological reasoning behind eating three meals or more a day(Mother Jones Journal). It became part of our routine and we accepted it as being the norm without ever questioning the motive behind this concept. The number of meals eaten in a day is a cultural pattern people have adopted because there is a comfort in predictability. (Freedman).

After the ending of World War I the United States' Government started to promote breakfast as being the most important meal of the day. However, this eating pattern no longer works with today’s reality of modern schedules. A survey overseen by the US Department of Agriculture exposed a deviation from breakfast and lunch as the main meals. The majority of respondents, who typically work 9-5 jobs, „reported eating their main meals at noon and again at 6 pm, with fewer taking time to eat breakfast” (246 words)

Consumerism and overeating

Following the emergence of marketing and consumerism in the food industry, the methods that are used to sell products such as beverages and different types of food have changed substantially as time passed. By the year 1930 , the food industry began to expand into a buyer’s market as the competition for consumers' money increased (ref M Keller). That meant that food suppliers needed to come up with ways to engage and stimulate sales. This is when consumerism -the emphasis on using marketing and advertising techniques to obtain a consumer base- was born. (M Keller)

The food industry is always looking to persuade people to eat more „in order to satisfy stockholders (Nestle 2002). So, following that idea they invest resources in tempting food that can never allow us to reach satiety. Decades ago, food used to contain high fiber content that resulted in slow gastric absorption of sugar. The industrialised food’s aim is to cause hunger after consumption and to make the consumer crave more. The food industry produces „hyper-palatable” foods that have high sugar and fat content and little to no fiber to cause spikes in blood glucose (Cargill).

One of the key factors behind overeating is choice. Being exposed to the same stimuli (in this context the same food) will numb senses (sensory-specific satiety) therefore people eat less when they have fewer food choices. (Inman 2001) For example, Starbucks claims that there are over 87.000 possible drink combinations available and Lay’s crisps come in 160 different flavours. The powerful marketing techniques behind this wide array of variety are personalisation and convenience which persuades consumers into buying their product.

Ironically, the problems that arise with overeating and overconsumption are also dealt with through other consumer products such as pills and diets. This distances us even more from the mind-body connection. (301 words)