A timely, clear, and enjoyable insight into the interweaving contributions of medicine and theology on ideas of dietary and general health. Wide-ranging and perceptive, this book shows us the historical foundations of the modern obsession with diet and wellness.

Professor Andrew Mangham, University of Reading, UK

In our currently polarized world, thoughtful explorations of the supposed conflict between science and religion are sorely needed. This book investigates how medicine and theology co-created ideas of health and wellness from the late Enlightenment to the early 20th century, particularly regarding norms for nutrition and what makes a body 'healthy' in all senses. It adeptly shows the ways in which our understandings of the body, the soul, and the mind have intertwined scientific, medical, and theological roots that are deeply engrained in our culture and which in turn have generated moral framings of eating and nutrition that typically escape our notice. Anyone seeking an erudite journey through the complex sociocultural history of our modern notions of appetite, moderation, and identity should read this book.

Rachel A. Ankeny, Chair and Professor of Philosophy, Wageningen University, The Netherlands