Food and nutrition have been studied for centuries. Prior to the French Revolution scientists would write about their ideas as to how the food we ate was used in the body. However, not until the eighteenth century had these old ideas only began to undergo testing in scientific ways. In fact, one young scientist commented “Nutrition has often been the subject of conjectures and ingenious hypotheses but our actual knowledge is so insufficient that their only use is to try to satisfy our imagination. If we could arrive at some more exact facts they could well have applications in medicine.”

Before the eighteenth century, most people were concerned with just getting enough to eat and surviving diseases stemming from foodborne illness. For example, the first account of foodborne illness was in 323 B.C. with documented symptoms of Alexander the Great. This documentation suggests this ancient ruler died from typhoid fever caused by Salmonella typhi. While people have been concerned with food quality and safety for centuries, it wasn’t until the early 1900’s that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were formed.

Nutrition science is such a young science that most of what we know about nutrition was discovered in the past century! In 1900, only four nutrients were known – carbohydrates, protein, fat, and ash (minerals). Howeverr, when these nutrients were purified from milk then recombined and fed to mice, the mice did not survive. Much more was needed to be investigated about how these nutrients are used by the body.

In 1926, the first vitamin was isolated and chemically defined ushering in the science in eradicating diseases such as scurvy, pellagra, rickets, and beriberi related to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Prior to this discovery, scientists hypothesized that these diseases were a result of germs.

As nutrition science evolved, there became a greater recognition of how diet can play a role in chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Many federal programs that we use today started less than 50 years ago. For example, the National School Lunch Act was signed in 1946, the National Nutrition Program for the Elderly was officially established in 1972 in the Older Americans Act, and the first version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans was published in 1980.

Another program that started 50 years ago was our very own Chautauqua County Office for Aging Services (OFAS)! Just 50 years ago, one of the many ways OFAS was able to make an impact on the lives of older adults in our local community was with our Dining In (home delivered meals) program. Do you have a memory of OFAS’ impactful work over the past 50 years? Has the work of OFAS made a big difference in your life?

We want you to share those memories when you join us for our 2023 Spring Social: Thanks for the Memories!

There are two identical events planned this year to improve access for local older adults to attend the event. The days’ events include lunch, music, activities and a time to socialize with community members.

Event dates and locations are:

¯ Wednesday May 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Chautauqua Harbor Hotel in Celoron;

¯ Wednesday May 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Clarion Hotel & Conference Center in Dunkirk.

To reserve a $10 ticket, call 716-661-8293.