<p>What did it take for human beings to start controlling what they ate — and why did "health" so quickly become a cover</p><p>story for something else? How did a Venetian nobleman's wine-heavy calorie restriction become a blueprint for the</p><p>modern diet industry? And, when tobacco companies, Hollywood, and the beauty industry all decided women's body</p><p>anxiety was a market opportunity — who, exactly, was the diet really for?</p><br><p>Peter and Afua trace the history of the human body as a commercial battleground: from the first diet books in 1558,</p><p>through the birth of the calorie and the explosion of Weight Watchers, to the heroin chic 90s and the disordered eating</p><p>it left behind.</p><br><p>0:00 The Venetian nobleman who invented calorie restriction — and still drank 14oz of wine a day</p><p>7:30 George Cheyne: 32 stone, no meat, no alcohol, and a bestselling book in 1740</p><p>14:00 Empire, refrigeration, and why cheap food created the first diet industry</p><p>21:30 The discovery of the calorie — the invention Afua still resents</p><p>25:30 Freud's nephew, cigarettes, and the moment thinness became a product to sell</p><p>31:00 Weight Watchers, zero-fat yoghurt, and the 80s: cottage cheese as cultural trauma</p><p>36:30 The 90s: heroin chic, cellulite alerts, and the era that hospitalised a generation</p><p>40:00 Keto, Atkins, and the diet that keeps reinventing itself</p><br><p>Join <strong>Legacy Plus</strong> for bonus episodes, early access, Q&amp;A;'s, fewer adverts and more.</p><p><strong>legacy.supportingcast.fm</strong></p><br><p>Stay connected with Legacy:</p><p>Instagram: @originallegacypodcast</p><p>TikTok: @legacy_productions</p><p>Explore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas:</p><p>Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com</p><p>Join <strong>Legacy+</strong> for bonus episodes, early access, Q&amp;A's, fewer adverts and more.</p><p><strong>legacy.supportingcast.fm</strong></p><br><p>Stay connected with Legacy:</p><p>Instagram: @originallegacypodcast</p><p>TikTok: @legacy_productions</p><br><p>Explore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>