Diet as Medicine in Greco-Roman Antiquity

Claire Bubb: Diet as Medicine in Greco-Roman Antiquity

This talk will introduce the topic of Greco-Roman dietetics, which prescribed highly tailored diet and exercise guidelines both to treat and, more importantly, to prevent illness. These dietetics are premised on, and offer insight into, sophisticated Greco-Roman understandings of the physiology of nutrition and the qualities inherent in different foods. In addition, despite the different scientific beliefs that underlie them, they also offer surprising parallels to modern discourse about nutrition, preventative medicine, and the role of the gut in health, prompting interesting reflections on how we approach diet and health today.