Description:
Diets and dieting have concerned--and sometimes obsessed--human societies for centuries. The dieters' regime is about many things, among them the control of weight and the body, the politics of beauty, discipline and even self-harm, personal and societal demands for improved health, spiritual harmony with the universe, and ethical codes of existence. In this innovative reference work that spans many periods and cultures, the acclaimed cultural and medical historian Sander Gilman lays out the history of diets and dieting in a fascinating series of articles.
Review Quotes:
"Written and compiled by cultural historian Sander Gilman...Diets and Dieting: A Cultural Encyclopedia is a superbly organized and alphabetically presented encyclopedia comprised of biographies and survey essays covering the scope, history, and culture of diets and dieting. From Robert Atkins and Anorexia to Fast Food and Globalization, to John Harvey Kellogg and Vegetarianism, Diets and Dieting is a wealth of information that offers a unique, comprehensive, informed, informative, 'user friendly, ' and very highly recommended contribution to personal, professional, academic, and community library Health & Medicine and Cultural Studies reference collections." --James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review