In the Gender, Sexuality, Feminist, and Social Justice Studies (GSFS) 401 Winter 2020 semester class on Food, Gender, and Environment taught by Dr. Alex Ketchum, students are analyzing the ways that food accessibility and environmental threats are gendered, sexualized, and racialized within the global context. As part of the course, students visited McGill’s archives and special collections to have a hands on experience with historical cookbooks (more on that here: http://www.historicalcookingproject.com/2020/02/field-trip-to-mcgill-rare-books-and.html). The Special Series of Student Posts is a collection of student reflections on what information we can glean from cookbooks.
As the prevalence of nutrition-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes increases, we increasingly considering the ways in which the food we eat impacts our bodies. Many corporations today push certain diets or foods that claim to cure various illnesses, ranging from the common cold to cancers. For example, “Alzheimer’s Risk May Be Reduced by Eating Apples and Other Foods Rich in Flavonoids” (Healthline 2020), and “Natural compound in vegetables helps fight fatty liver disease” (ScienceDaily 2020) are just some article headlines from this month alone that demonstrate our society’s fascination with food and disease. Henry Notaker writes about how evolving understandings of science and medicine made their way into recipes and cookbooks. For instance, the identification of vitamins in the early 20th century allowed health and nutrition scientists to classify foods that were beneficial, and these concepts were incorporated into cookbooks, leading to cookbooks in the current decades that address particular diets and foods to favour or avoid.
Diabetes is a disease known to be linked to diet and occurs when the body can't produce insulin or can't properly use the insulin it produces, resulting in high levels of glucose in the blood. Individuals diagnosed with diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes, are advised to eat in such a way that prevents their glucose levels from becoming too high.
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Ideas regarding what to eat and avoid when diabetic were prevalent as early as 1797, when a surgeon named John Rollo wrote about diabetic patients he treated with special diets (Marble 1956). These ideas persisted even in times when the causes and mechanisms of diabetes were not completely known, and especially in times before medications to treat it were not yet developed.
This pamphlet produced by Jireh Food Company, entitled Jireh Foods, attempts to provide information to the general public regarding the nature of diabetes. It was published sometime between 1906 and 1915 in Brockville, Ontario, where this company was located. From preliminary research, it seems that this company is no longer in business. Using advice from medical doctors and testimonies from loyal customers, the company purports that its food products, namely the company’s own Jireh Flour, is best for diabetics. They conclude by sharing a number of recipes incorporating their products to show consumers the various ways in which Jireh’s flour, baking powder, saccharine crystals, and more can be used.
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This pamphlet was interesting to me because it demonstrates how people, including medical professionals and consumers, thought about diabetes in the early 20th century. It is an example of a company using scientific and medical narratives surrounding diet and health to promote their own products. Marion Nestle researches how the food industry influences nutrition and health, pointing to how food companies exploit what is known about food and diet, as well as what is not known, to sell their products. In her book, Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, she examines how food companies use various means to foster a market that is conducive to selling their products. One way of doing so is co-opting the advice of nutritional professionals. She claims that “food companies apply this strategy to engage nutritionists as allies in various ways” (Nestle 123). Jireh Food company engages in this tactic by soliciting the advice of medical professionals. In the late 19th century, scientists were discovering that low sugar and low carbohydrate diets could be helpful to those with diabetes. They were beginning to understand that one did not necessarily need to cut starches, or carbohydrates, completely out of the diet. For companies that relied on selling carbohydrate-rich products, this understanding presented the opportunity to push their products, and the Jireh Food Company capitalized on the opportunity to promote their flour. They remind the public that “wheat is the staff of life” and quote medical professionals to justify this adage (Jireh Foods 3). Professors Osborne and Croftan, quoted in the pamphlet both seem to advise that no diabetic, whether the condition is mild or severe, should completely cut carbohydrates out of their diet. Furthermore, Jireh Food Company insists their products are the absolute best for those with diabetes. They suggest that Jireh flour can fulfil the needs of diabetics, using scientific “evidence” to back this claim. The pamphlet references Professor Carl Von Noorden, who says that to be absorbed readily, starch must be broken down into smaller components (9), and uses this fact to suggest that Jireh Dietetic Flour is manufactured in such a way that the starches in the flour are already broken down, so when consumed, they can be easily absorbed into the body. Thus, the medical advice of these “experts” can justify the importance of Jireh flour. Food companies today have been known to fund or support biased research in order to promote their products – Nestle actually tracks studies funded by food and beverage companies. I wonder if biased research was used to support the claimed benefits of Jireh flour, especially since there was still a limited scientific knowledge of nutrition and diabetes in the early 20th century.
It’s interesting to consider how such claims and the peddling of supposedly beneficial products are considered by consumers. A few summers ago, I worked at a diabetes education centre that provides nutritional information to individuals diagnosed with diabetes. A diabetes diagnosis can be scary and difficult to deal with, especially when does not have easy access to medical professionals advise them. At the clinic, we provided nutritional support and advice to diabetics so they could feel empowered to make the correct lifestyle choices to stay healthy. This pamphlet made me think about how easy it can be for consumers, especially those that don’t have access to medical professionals, to unquestionably accept what they are told about health and disease by companies. This must have been even more prevalent in the early 20th century, when scientists were still unsure of how diabetes worked. I wonder then, how many people believed Jireh Flour would help control their diabetes, without considering how exactly this product could do so.
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Finally, the pamphlet offers a number of recipes using Jireh products, including various breads, biscuits, cakes, and more. Interestingly, some recipes include Jireh baking soda, and saccharine crystals, none of which were claimed to help diabetics. In fact, a number of other Jireh items is are included at the back of the article, suggesting that the company may have other motives in publishing this pamphlet, rather than just advising those with diabetes. I decided to take a closer look at their cheesecake recipe because it is a good example of a food that diabetics are often advised to avoid. I was unable to find the product anywhere, even online, owing to the fact that the company is no longer in business. This made me think of the accessibility of certain “health foods,” especially when they are specifically branded. What would individuals in the early 20th century have done if they had read this pamphlet and desired to purchase Jireh Flour, but were unable to locate or afford the product. Would they have believed that they were at a health disadvantage? Would their quality of life be reduced compared to those who could access such products? As I searched to Jireh flour, and came across a statement by Diabetes UK advising against products the claim to be designed specifically for diabetes. They argue that not only are these products unnecessarily expensive, they also don’t necessarily confer any benefits, and may often be misleading (“Diabetic Foods” 2019). As I pulled together the ingredients, which consisted of Jireh, cream, grated cheese, egg yolks, table salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, I was beginning to think that Jireh Food Company and I had very different ideas of what cheesecake is. The recipe was very brief, and just instructed me to “Roll to medium thickness and bake” (Jireh Foods 17). I decided to not risk wasting a number of ingredients on such an unclear recipe, but it really made me wonder who came up with this recipe and what the goals and motivations were behind it. This recipe seemed to me to be put together haphazardly to be able to throw in a promotion for Jireh flour, with no thought of what it would look like, cook like, or taste like. I do want to acknowledge that my limited understanding of early 20th century cooking may have hindered my ability to understand the recipes, and potentially the instructions may have been clear to someone of the time in which this recipe was written. Even so, I wonder how many of these recipes were tested and tasted, and whether they were made with diabetics in mind or for profit.
Overall, combing through this pamphlet was an adventure as it allowed me to delve into a time where understandings about diabetes were less evident as they are now, and how health and nutrition could be manipulated by food companies, such as Jireh Food Company, in order to peddle or promote certain products, that may not have even helped folks at all. As more and more media sources are pushing for and advertising certain food items and products to cure or treat all kinds of health issues and illnesses, I think critically examining our relationship with food and disease will continue to be of great importance.
Works Cited
“Alzheimer’s Risk May Be Reduced by Eating Apples and Other Foods Rich in Flavonoids.” Healthline, 5 Feb. 2020, www.healthline.com/health-news/flavonoids-may-reduce-alzheimers-risk.
“Diabetic Foods,” Diabetes UK, 15 Jan. 2019, www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetic-food.html.
Marble, Alexander. "John Rollo." Diabetes 5.4 (1956): 325.
“Natural Compound in Vegetables Helps Fight Fatty Liver Disease.” ScienceDaily, 7 Feb. 2020, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200207123746.htm.
Nestle, Marion, and Michael Pollan. Food Politics : How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. University of California Press, 2013.
Notaker, Henry. A History of Cookbooks : From Kitchen to Page Over Seven Centuries. University of California Press, 2017.
“The Community Diabetes Education Program of Ottawa.” Community Diabetes, www.diabeteseducation.ca/en/.
Food as Medicine, Flour as Treatment: Jireh Flour and Diabetes
by Moizza Ul Haq
As the prevalence of nutrition-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes increases, we increasingly considering the ways in which the food we eat impacts our bodies. Many corporations today push certain diets or foods that claim to cure various illnesses, ranging from the common cold to cancers. For example, “Alzheimer’s Risk May Be Reduced by Eating Apples and Other Foods Rich in Flavonoids” (Healthline 2020), and “Natural compound in vegetables helps fight fatty liver disease” (ScienceDaily 2020) are just some article headlines from this month alone that demonstrate our society’s fascination with food and disease. Henry Notaker writes about how evolving understandings of science and medicine made their way into recipes and cookbooks. For instance, the identification of vitamins in the early 20th century allowed health and nutrition scientists to classify foods that were beneficial, and these concepts were incorporated into cookbooks, leading to cookbooks in the current decades that address particular diets and foods to favour or avoid.
Diabetes is a disease known to be linked to diet and occurs when the body can't produce insulin or can't properly use the insulin it produces, resulting in high levels of glucose in the blood. Individuals diagnosed with diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes, are advised to eat in such a way that prevents their glucose levels from becoming too high.
Ideas regarding what to eat and avoid when diabetic were prevalent as early as 1797, when a surgeon named John Rollo wrote about diabetic patients he treated with special diets (Marble 1956). These ideas persisted even in times when the causes and mechanisms of diabetes were not completely known, and especially in times before medications to treat it were not yet developed.
This pamphlet produced by Jireh Food Company, entitled Jireh Foods, attempts to provide information to the general public regarding the nature of diabetes. It was published sometime between 1906 and 1915 in Brockville, Ontario, where this company was located. From preliminary research, it seems that this company is no longer in business. Using advice from medical doctors and testimonies from loyal customers, the company purports that its food products, namely the company’s own Jireh Flour, is best for diabetics. They conclude by sharing a number of recipes incorporating their products to show consumers the various ways in which Jireh’s flour, baking powder, saccharine crystals, and more can be used.
This pamphlet was interesting to me because it demonstrates how people, including medical professionals and consumers, thought about diabetes in the early 20th century. It is an example of a company using scientific and medical narratives surrounding diet and health to promote their own products. Marion Nestle researches how the food industry influences nutrition and health, pointing to how food companies exploit what is known about food and diet, as well as what is not known, to sell their products. In her book, Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, she examines how food companies use various means to foster a market that is conducive to selling their products. One way of doing so is co-opting the advice of nutritional professionals. She claims that “food companies apply this strategy to engage nutritionists as allies in various ways” (Nestle 123). Jireh Food company engages in this tactic by soliciting the advice of medical professionals. In the late 19th century, scientists were discovering that low sugar and low carbohydrate diets could be helpful to those with diabetes. They were beginning to understand that one did not necessarily need to cut starches, or carbohydrates, completely out of the diet. For companies that relied on selling carbohydrate-rich products, this understanding presented the opportunity to push their products, and the Jireh Food Company capitalized on the opportunity to promote their flour. They remind the public that “wheat is the staff of life” and quote medical professionals to justify this adage (Jireh Foods 3). Professors Osborne and Croftan, quoted in the pamphlet both seem to advise that no diabetic, whether the condition is mild or severe, should completely cut carbohydrates out of their diet. Furthermore, Jireh Food Company insists their products are the absolute best for those with diabetes. They suggest that Jireh flour can fulfil the needs of diabetics, using scientific “evidence” to back this claim. The pamphlet references Professor Carl Von Noorden, who says that to be absorbed readily, starch must be broken down into smaller components (9), and uses this fact to suggest that Jireh Dietetic Flour is manufactured in such a way that the starches in the flour are already broken down, so when consumed, they can be easily absorbed into the body. Thus, the medical advice of these “experts” can justify the importance of Jireh flour. Food companies today have been known to fund or support biased research in order to promote their products – Nestle actually tracks studies funded by food and beverage companies. I wonder if biased research was used to support the claimed benefits of Jireh flour, especially since there was still a limited scientific knowledge of nutrition and diabetes in the early 20th century.
It’s interesting to consider how such claims and the peddling of supposedly beneficial products are considered by consumers. A few summers ago, I worked at a diabetes education centre that provides nutritional information to individuals diagnosed with diabetes. A diabetes diagnosis can be scary and difficult to deal with, especially when does not have easy access to medical professionals advise them. At the clinic, we provided nutritional support and advice to diabetics so they could feel empowered to make the correct lifestyle choices to stay healthy. This pamphlet made me think about how easy it can be for consumers, especially those that don’t have access to medical professionals, to unquestionably accept what they are told about health and disease by companies. This must have been even more prevalent in the early 20th century, when scientists were still unsure of how diabetes worked. I wonder then, how many people believed Jireh Flour would help control their diabetes, without considering how exactly this product could do so.
Finally, the pamphlet offers a number of recipes using Jireh products, including various breads, biscuits, cakes, and more. Interestingly, some recipes include Jireh baking soda, and saccharine crystals, none of which were claimed to help diabetics. In fact, a number of other Jireh items is are included at the back of the article, suggesting that the company may have other motives in publishing this pamphlet, rather than just advising those with diabetes. I decided to take a closer look at their cheesecake recipe because it is a good example of a food that diabetics are often advised to avoid. I was unable to find the product anywhere, even online, owing to the fact that the company is no longer in business. This made me think of the accessibility of certain “health foods,” especially when they are specifically branded. What would individuals in the early 20th century have done if they had read this pamphlet and desired to purchase Jireh Flour, but were unable to locate or afford the product. Would they have believed that they were at a health disadvantage? Would their quality of life be reduced compared to those who could access such products? As I searched to Jireh flour, and came across a statement by Diabetes UK advising against products the claim to be designed specifically for diabetes. They argue that not only are these products unnecessarily expensive, they also don’t necessarily confer any benefits, and may often be misleading (“Diabetic Foods” 2019). As I pulled together the ingredients, which consisted of Jireh, cream, grated cheese, egg yolks, table salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, I was beginning to think that Jireh Food Company and I had very different ideas of what cheesecake is. The recipe was very brief, and just instructed me to “Roll to medium thickness and bake” (Jireh Foods 17). I decided to not risk wasting a number of ingredients on such an unclear recipe, but it really made me wonder who came up with this recipe and what the goals and motivations were behind it. This recipe seemed to me to be put together haphazardly to be able to throw in a promotion for Jireh flour, with no thought of what it would look like, cook like, or taste like. I do want to acknowledge that my limited understanding of early 20th century cooking may have hindered my ability to understand the recipes, and potentially the instructions may have been clear to someone of the time in which this recipe was written. Even so, I wonder how many of these recipes were tested and tasted, and whether they were made with diabetics in mind or for profit.
Overall, combing through this pamphlet was an adventure as it allowed me to delve into a time where understandings about diabetes were less evident as they are now, and how health and nutrition could be manipulated by food companies, such as Jireh Food Company, in order to peddle or promote certain products, that may not have even helped folks at all. As more and more media sources are pushing for and advertising certain food items and products to cure or treat all kinds of health issues and illnesses, I think critically examining our relationship with food and disease will continue to be of great importance.
Works Cited
“Alzheimer’s Risk May Be Reduced by Eating Apples and Other Foods Rich in Flavonoids.” Healthline, 5 Feb. 2020, www.healthline.com/health-news/flavonoids-may-reduce-alzheimers-risk.
“Diabetic Foods,” Diabetes UK, 15 Jan. 2019, www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetic-food.html.
Marble, Alexander. "John Rollo." Diabetes 5.4 (1956): 325.
“Natural Compound in Vegetables Helps Fight Fatty Liver Disease.” ScienceDaily, 7 Feb. 2020, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200207123746.htm.
Nestle, Marion, and Michael Pollan. Food Politics : How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. University of California Press, 2013.
Notaker, Henry. A History of Cookbooks : From Kitchen to Page Over Seven Centuries. University of California Press, 2017.
“The Community Diabetes Education Program of Ottawa.” Community Diabetes, www.diabeteseducation.ca/en/.