The Biocultural Evolution of Lactose Tolerance

person holding ice cream on a cone

What is lactose? Lactose is the main sugar in milk. It needs to be broken down into simpler sugars (glucose and galactose) in order for your body to absorb it.1 Lactase is the digestive enzyme that helps this breakdown happen.1 Lactose is a key source of carbohydrates for young mammals, and is one of the first sugars infants are exposed to after […]

Nutritionism and the Value of Food

photo of pitcher near handrail

What is “nutritionism”? Nutritionism is an ideology coined by Gyorgy Scrinis (an Australian sociologist of science) that suggests the value of food is solely determined by its nutritional composition1. In other words, nutrients determine the value of food, and the sole purpose of food is to deliver these nutrients to our bodies. Keep in mind that […]