Diet for a Large Planet bookcover

Diet for a Large Planet

Industrial Britain, Food Systems, and World Ecology
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Description

A history of the unsustainable modern diet--heavy in meat, wheat, and sugar--that requires more land and resources than the planet is able to support.

We are facing a world food crisis of unparalleled proportions. Our reliance on unsustainable dietary choices and agricultural systems is causing problems both for human health and the health of our planet. Solutions from lab-grown food to vegan diets to strictly local food consumption are often discussed, but a central question remains: how did we get to this point?

In Diet for a Large Planet, Chris Otter goes back to the late eighteenth century in Britain, where the diet heavy in meat, wheat, and sugar was developing. As Britain underwent steady growth, urbanization, industrialization, and economic expansion, the nation altered its food choices, shifting away from locally produced plant-based nutrition. This new diet, rich in animal proteins and refined carbohydrates, made people taller and stronger, but it led to new types of health problems. Its production also relied on far greater acreage than Britain itself, forcing the nation to become more dependent on global resources. Otter shows how this issue expands beyond Britain, looking at the global effects of large agro-food systems that require more resources than our planet can sustain. This comprehensive history helps us understand how the British played a significant role in making red meat, white bread, and sugar the diet of choice--linked to wealth, luxury, and power--and shows how dietary choices connect to the pressing issues of climate change and food supply.

Product Details

PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press
Publish DateOctober 12, 2020
Pages400
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconHardback
EAN/UPC9780226697109
Dimensions9.1 X 6.1 X 1.1 inches | 1.6 pounds

About the Author

Chris Otter is associate professor of history at the Ohio State University. He is the author of The Victorian Eye: A Political History of Light and Vision in Britain, 1800-1910, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Reviews

"Diet for a Large Planet vividly illustrates Otter's knack for comprehending these formidable, yet elusive, interactions that have shaped our world."-- "Journal of Modern History"

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