Alyssa Rhoden, PhD & Tess McEnulty, PhD cand.—Sustainability & World Hunger: A Paleo Perspec
Alyssa Rhoden, Ph.D. and Tess McEnulty, Ph.D. candidate, presenting at the Ancestral Health Symposium (AHS12)
Sustainability and World Hunger from the Paleo Perspective
Abstract:
Ancestral health research has made great strides in explaining the increase in nutrition-related diseases throughout the world and providing a framework for optimizing human health through diet. At the same time, sustainability and scalability are becoming major food system issues as we try to feed a growing population on a resource-limited world. What choices can we make as consumers and voters that will provide the best nutrition while reducing the environmental impact of our food choices?
To answer this question, we will first review the environmental and nutritional failings of industrial agriculture and the successes and struggles of sustainable agriculture. Then, drawing upon data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and recent research, we will investigate the causes of world hunger and whether agriculture, sustainable or conventional, can feed the world. Lastly, we will use recent literature that quantitatively addresses the relative environmental impacts of different foods and production practices to examine the trade-offs between environment and health. We will thus determine the best personal and dietary strategies for improving nutritional access for many generations to come. Avenues of future research and policy development that will enable this food future will also be discussed.
Bios:
Alyssa Rhoden received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a post-doctoral researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Rhoden maintains the food sustainability blog, An Omnivore's Decision, and was part of the interview team at the 2011 Ancestral Health Symposium.
Tess McEnulty is a Ph.D. candidate at University of California, Berkeley. She is very interested in the neurological effects of gluten and food sustainability. Ms. McEnulty was part of the interview team at the 2011 Ancestral Health Symposium.