The end of food: Dietary supplementation and diet among avid members of workout and fitness centers in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The article addresses the particular diet of a group of avid members of workout and fitness centers in Rio de Janeiro. It shows how diet is related to keeping in shape and to the prevailing type of sociability. Using direct and participatory ethnographic observation and open interviews, research was conducted at 12 fitness clubs on the North and South sides of Rio for three years. For the group under study, eating is about relying on a system of knowledge related to the science of nutrition for the benefit of managing one's physical shape and athletic performance. This movement produces the notion of food as a powerful chemical artifice that enhances the aesthetics of the body.