Is there interdisciplinarity in Food?

We are what we eat, but we are even more. The impact of food on our daily lives goes far beyond the needs of our bodies. We have probably all thought at some point about the importance of food in our lives, but are we all aware of how food affects us, impacts us, transforms us, inspires us, entertains us? Well, the list of Food opportunities is immense and it is on the multidisciplinary campus of the Porto Regional Centre that the transversality of this theme becomes evident. Research, physical and mental health, gastrodiplomacy, orthorexia nervosa, interaction and art all have Food as their common denominator. There is no doubt that whether in Sciences, Law, Economics and Management, Psychology and Education, Arts or Nursing, Food occupies a very relevant place.

This commemorative day is celebrated on 16 October, the date of the creation of the FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This organisation has worked to combat poverty and hunger by promoting agricultural development and improved nutrition. This commemoration is an opportunity to reflect on what can be done to eliminate poverty and hunger in the world and the impact that food has on everyone's lives.

What can I eat anyway?

Food is crucial in our lives because it guarantees our survival. But that's not all. It is also one of the greatest pleasures for many people and is also a form of cultural identity and even an expression of economic status.

But, let's get straight to the question that everyone wants answered: after all, what can or should I eat? Can I eat this? And that? And in what quantity? Elisabete Pinto, a lecturer at Faculty of Biotechnology, explains that the answer is always "it depends", because it depends on who eats it, when they eat it, how much they eat, how it was produced, how it was prepared, among other factors. When the subject is Food, one cannot invoke linearity, because each case is a case and because all foods are subject to different combinations, types of production and processing. But one thing is certain: "despite this complexity, it is undeniable that food greatly influences our health, as well as the health of our planet" and let ESB say so, which has Food in its genetic code since its foundation, when it launched the degree in Food Engineering, at the time the only one in the country.

Elisabete Pinto states that, from the outset, Faculty of Biotechnology "established a strong research in the area, with great proximity to the food industry, doing very applied research". Driven by dynamism and the will to always be at the forefront of knowledge, the ESB, throughout its 38 years of existence, has broadened its teaching areas (such as, for example, the creation of the degree in Nutrition Sciences) and invested in research with a true "meadow to plate" approach:  "the quality of soils for food production, study of different plant varieties to select the most productive and nutritious ones, the development of new foods, the valorisation of by-products, the reformulation of existing foods, the optimisation of food production processes, food safety, the study of the relationship of foods/nutrients with health and the communication of these results in terms of Public Health, the study of the sustainability of the entire value chain, among others."

Also the Institute of Health Sciences (ICS – Porto) has produced much knowledge about the relationship between food and health, with special emphasis on the role of nurses and their ability to intervene to promote health in the population.

The nurse's role in promoting healthy eating

Nurses are present throughout the entire life cycle and, therefore, are intrinsically involved in the promotion of an adequate nutrition. João Neves Amado, Constança Festas and Luís Sá, professors and researchers of the ICS - Porto, reinforce the importance of the nurse's role in nutrition education and explain that in order to be able to "transmit knowledge and promote adherence to healthy eating, it is necessary to be aware of the difficulties of each user.

Lack of attention and strength, excess weight, mobility problems, difficulty in breathing and insomnia are some of the impacts that diet can have on health and which further reinforce the importance of nurses' proximity. The teachers also explain that "throughout growth, feeding needs change and sometimes, in specific illness situations, dietary adaptations are necessary. Only a personal and close accompaniment, such as that of the nurse, will allow for the person's true well-being."

Regarding the impact of food on mental health, recent studies have shown that "the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower in users of Mediterranean diets, because of the high amount of vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, seafood and limited amounts of lean meats and dairy products."

ICS - Porto is present in several communities and partner institutions where activities promoting healthy eating are being implemented: educating for healthy eating choices, promoting the importance of breakfast, raising awareness of a varied diet based on the proportions of the food wheel, among other actions.

Educating for nutrition can be a real challenge, especially if we take into account that there are many stimuli and voices that are propagated by the different communication channels, with special emphasis on social networks. The concept of orthorexia nervosa may still be unknown to many, but it is already estimated that around 1% of university students in the United States suffer from this problem.

Social media and orthorexia

The concept is explained by Susana Costa e Silva, a lecturer at Católica Porto Business School (CPBS), in an article in Dinheiro Vivo. Orthorexia nervosa is considered as an obsessive-compulsive disorder of the eating disorder which consists of the constant "thought that occupies the mind and is reflected in the attitudes and behaviours of the individual during a good part of his day and which leads him to keep in mind what he is going to eat, the ingredients he is going to eat, how to prepare them and in what quantities. The main issue here is not about losing weight, but about wanting to eat only healthy food and staying fit.

Susana Costa e Silva explains that "orthorexia started to become known with the evolution of social networks, namely Instagram where the use of photos is a constant, as well as the appeal to an image of perfection".

This problem has had a growing evolution, especially in "situations of strong implantation of Instagram and other networks, where the cult of image is most noticeable." The multiplication of content on the social platforms of brands and influencers, as well as "the abuse of some claims on food products, such as light, sugar free, healthy and zero have their share of responsibility."

The CPBS professor warns of the importance of combating the problem with "tighter regulatory requirements regarding the concrete benefits of some products and communication campaigns." She adds that "it is up to the regulatory bodies to legislate in this sense, but it is mainly up to the companies to ensure that scientific truth and rigour guide their stance."

The importance of feeding the soul

But food also feeds the soul, as a vehicle of art and expression and of consequent reflection and questioning. What if an artist had converted his exhibition space into a kitchen, having served free Thai curry to all visitors? It may sound made-up, but it isn't. His name is Rirkrit Tiravanija and in 1992, at Gallery 303 in New York, he proposed the exhibition "Untitled (free)".

With this proposal, the Thai artist lowered the barriers between the artist and the observer and between public and private space. Instead of objects, "Tiravanija proposes relationships as artistic modalities, in this case around food as an aggregator of sociability", explains Mafalda Balona, lecturer at School of Arts.

For the professor, this is the most paradigmatic artist in this area, having pioneered the Relational Aesthetics movement. "In its apparent simplicity, this proposal contributes to the expansion of the spectrum of possibilities of contemporary art. The visitor is not only observing art, but it is their interaction that constitutes the work of art", she explains.

An example of how art has made use of food as a factor for interaction and sociability. It is therefore undeniable how food and the habits associated with it involve and influence us. Let's see: isn't good food always a good excuse to bring friends and family together? Isn't it often around the table that the best conversations take place? And when it comes to making decisions and influencing foreign policy? Is food also important around the negotiating table? Yes, it is, and it's called gastrodiplomacy.

Royal couscous: a case of gastrodiplomacy

In the Master of Laws, Faculty of Law - Porto School there is a course unit entitled "Arts, Law and International Relations", in which one of the sessions is dedicated to gastrodiplomacy. This area is dedicated to the study of how gastronomy plays a major role in foreign policy.

A good example of this is the royal couscous, a dish from the Maghreb claimed by (at least) Algeria and Morocco. José Azeredo Lopes, professor and researcher at the Faculty of Law, explains that, despite the fact that these two countries do not like each other very much for historical reasons, they have managed to reach an agreement to present a joint candidacy for couscous as an intangible heritage of humanity. For the lecturer "the study of the relationship between gastronomy and international relations is very pertinent.

Evidence has been given of how Food occupies an unparalleled place in the life of each person and in life in society. It is in relationships that we live and educate for Food. The role of universities is essential, not only as producers of knowledge, but also as active agents in promoting healthy, sustainable and, always, socially responsible behaviours.