Food and Human Responses

This book discusses the role of food and the human nutrition-behavior interface.  Food makes us what we are, but in addition to providing adequate nutrition, does it influence behavior? This book looks at this critical question from various angles and considers different concepts and approaches to food, nutrition and well-being. To better understand the entire gamut of the food-behavior linkage, the author unravels the workings of the mind - brain link. The book discusses this aspect and the findings add to the existing fund of knowledge in this area. Much of today’s malaise in humans can be traced to the food consumed by individuals. This book provides a comprehensive picture of the current state of human nutrition and how this can be linked to behavior.

Prabhakaran Nair finished his Doctoral research, specializing in soil fertility and plant nutrition, at Asia’s premier agricultural research and post graduate studies institute in New Delhi, India, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 1965 and thereafter worked for five years doing postdoctoral research at the State University of Ghent, Belgium. Professor Nair worked as Senior Research Officer and Associate Professor at Asia’s premier agricultural university, G.B.Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, India. He received the Senior Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt Research Foundation, The Federal Republic of Germany, and worked at the Institute of Plant Nutrition, Justus von Liebig University, Giessen, and later, at the Institute of Plant Nutrition, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart. Developed “The Nutrient Buffer Power Concept”, working with Professor Konrad Mengel and further tested its utility working with late Professor Horst Marschner.

Professor Nair was appointed to the National Chair of the Science Foundation, The Royal Society, Belgium, and, affiliated to the State University of Ghent.  Subsequently worked as Professor & Head, Departments of Agriculture, Soil Sciences and Basic Sciences at the University Center, Dschang, The Republic of Cameroon, Senior Professor at the University of Fort Hare, Alice, The Republic of South Africa. Currently Chief Scientific Advisor, The Proletarian Foundation of India. Recipient of The Robertson Memorial Gold medal for outstanding work in Agronomy and many other national and international awards.

Professor Nair has authored more than 100 peer reviewed research papers published in prestigious international journals, nine books (three published by Elsevier) of which one “Issues in National and International Agriculture” was launched by India’s great President late Dr A.P.J.Abdul Kalam. The only agricultural scientist in the world to have been invited six times to contributeinvitational chapters to Advances in Agronomy, the magnum opus of agricultural science. Professor Nair’s  ”The Nutrient Buffer Power Concept” project was shortlisted for the very prestigious U.S. $ 1 Million Rolex Awards For Enterprise 2012 of The Rolex Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland, for its originality from more than 3500 nominations worldwide, and is the only project selected for this coveted distinction from the Asian continent.

Currently Professor Nair lives with his scientist wife Dr. Pankajam Nair (a nematologist trained in Europe), in Calicut, Kerala State, India