NUTRITIONAL PATTERNS AND TRANSITIONS

Throughout human existence, diet and nutritional status have undergone a sequence of major shifts among broad patterns of food use. Large shifts in the composition of diet, reflected in changes in stature and body composition and in disease patterns, have occurred. The nature and pace of these nutritional changes vary considerably over time and space, with a noticeable acceleration of change now occurring in many countries. A marked worldwide shift is evident toward a diet high in fat and processed foods and low in fiber, with corresponding increases in degenerative diseases. Such a shift is not inexorable; however, knowledge and appropriate policies will be needed if currently developing societies are to bypass the more detrimental aspects of the nutrition patterns that characterize many industrialized societies.