Diet as adaptation: the search for nutritional strategies

This paper addresses two important methodological problems in the study of diet and nutrition. These are 1) the problems of looking at individual variations in diet within a system of shared dietary norms, and 2) the difficulties in organizing the collection and analysis of data on the circumstances that account for individual differences in diet. It is suggested that an environment provides several alternatives for meeting nutrient requirements, corresponding to alternative methods of food getting. These alternatives are called "nutritional strategies." The environment, including both its physical and social aspects, also imposes constraints on the ability of families to follow particular nutritional strategies. a family's strategy depends on its ability and desire to exploit particular methods of food getting. Data from a small agricultural community in Mexico are used to illustrate this approach. Several alternative strategies are outlined and are seen to be based on differential use of food potentially available to families from 1) subsistence agriculture; 2) purchase; and 3) gathering of wild foods. A focus on alternative nutritional strategies emphasizes the importance of dietary variation, which, at the same time, allows for an understanding of the effects of different variables on food choice.