Nutritional anthropology has continuously expanded our understanding of how socio-cultural transformations influence human food practices and nutritional health. This field traces the evolution of human diets from hunter-gatherer societies to modern agricultural settings, delving into how globalization, modernization, and industrialization impact food practices. To date, research has typically framed food either as a socio-cultural marker or a determinant of health and nutritional status, rarely integrating these perspectives. Despite the advancements, there is a noticeable dearth in studies that employ a truly multidimensional approach, merging quantitative nutritional health outcomes with qualitative methods such as ethnography.

The primary aim of this Research Topic is to present and validate multidimensional models that integrate bio-cultural elements in food and nutritional sciences. By examining food, diet, and nutrition from evolutionary, behavioral, and socio-cultural perspectives, this collection seeks to orchestrate an enriched understanding of how biological and socio-cultural forces interact to shape nutritional health across different levels of human society—from individuals to larger populations. The use of varied research methodologies in unison will be a key focus, enhancing our comprehension of how socio-economic and cultural factors affect human food practices.

To further explore these intricate dynamics, the Research Topic will emphasize the following key areas:

- The relationship between dietary habits and nutritional outcomes, with a particular focus on socio-economic inequalities.
- The role of socio-cultural drivers in shaping dietary patterns and their relationship with communicable and non-communicable diseases.
- Socio-ecological models that illuminate the bio-cultural dimensions of nutritional anthropology.
- Investigations into the evolutionary and behavioral facets of human diet and their implications for physical health.
- Integrative research methodologies that combine quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide a deeper insight into socio-cultural effects on nutrition.
- Through such comprehensive inquiry, this Research Topic expects to inform future international, national, and regional nutrition policies, potentially reducing food and nutrition disparities among different social strata.

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Exploring Socio-Cultural Factors in Human Nutrition: The Importance of Multidimensional Approaches.

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