Food as Medicine: Ayurveda, Fermentation, and Justice

In this course, we will examine the concept of “food as medicine” through the intersections of food justice, holistic health, and fermentation linking academic and applied learning. This course will offer students a primer on Ayurveda (an ancient and holistic system of medicine from South Asia) through studying Ayurvedic approaches to food and nutrition. We will also learn about ways in which traditional cultures have transformed food, for nutritional benefits, through learning about fermentation—or the transformation of foods through partnership with microbial communities. Food justice will offer a framework for the entire course, which refers to a systemic view of the food system that treats real, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food as a human right and addresses structural barriers to that right.

This course will be taught in a hybrid model with the majority of the live (synchronous) contact hours occurring during two all-day Saturday intensives, which will be taught in person at the Sustainable Agriculture Lab (SAL), along with a final in-person class meeting towards the end of the term. The rest of the class will be taught asynchronously (scheduled on student’s own time each week) through modules on Canvas. These modules will consist of recorded lectures, films, readings, and interactive discussion board assignments.

Hands-on learning will happen during the weekend intensive, which will include cooking workshops and other experiential activities. Students will also complete an applied food project of their choosing, such as developing and preparing a recipe according to Ayurvedic guidelines or fermenting foods at home. The asynchronous modules will include topics pertaining to food justice such as: the ongoing and historical impacts of colonialism on our food system, the ecological and social impacts of food waste and the microbiome, and how frontline communities seek to reclaim their food systems through “anti-colonizing” their foodways.

Successful completion of this course will require students to attend the in-person weekend intensive along with active participation in the Canvas modules, for which students will need reliable internet and a computer or laptop. Students who need assistance with accessing technology should contact the faculty for referrals to resources for support.