Press release: July 2008 'Darwin's diet'
DARWIN LETTERS OFFER INGREDIENTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL LIFE
A fascinating insight into the favoured diets of Charles Darwin has been published online by Cambridge University – and it seems some of them are not far removed from the popular diets of today.
The letters and images are part of the Darwin Correspondence Project, based at the University of Cambridge, which is the largest online Darwin bibliography and manuscript catalogue. Partially funded by the John Templeton Foundation, the project aims to place Darwin’s letters and thinking in the context of his life and times.
According to excerpts from letters to his doctor, Darwin praises the benefits of his very own take on the popular Atkins Diet of today, ‘a little game or fowl twice a day and eggs, omlet or macaroni or cheese at other meals and these I think suit me best’
Darwin also increased his coffee intake to two cups a day with ’10 drops of Muriatic acid twice a day (with cayenne pepper and ginger), which had a beneficial effect on his troublesome stomach, although he still suffered daily bouts of flatulence. Interestingly, the Victorian potion is not that dissimilar to the well-publicised diet of maple syrup with cayenne and lemon juice, which helped singer Beyonce Knowles lose a stone before filming Dreamgirls.
Like modern day medics, Darwin’s doctor also advocates exercise, such as walking and even suggests riding a ‘rough pony’ so that he could be ‘shaken once daily to make the chemistry go on better.’ (letter from H.B. Jones, 10 February [1866])
Increased physical activity evidently helped Darwin in his work as he reports how he feels ‘altogether much more vigorous and active. I read more, and what is delightful, I am able to write easy work for about 1 ½ hours every day.’
The letters provide wonderful insights into the life and thoughts of Darwin and are of particular interest as next year marks 150 years since the publication of his epoch defining book Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of his birth.
ENDS