Dietary Shapes

This article explores the history of diet optimization through the lens of economist George Stigler's famous 'minimum cost subsistence diet' problem, solved using linear programming. It recounts Stigler's hand-calculated solution of wheat flour and navy beans, the subsequent attempts by George Dantzig to refine the diet using early IBM computers, and the public's literal misinterpretation of the satirical paper. The piece connects this to broader themes of government policy, computable governance, and the modern culture of wellness optimization, offering a reflective look at the intersection of mathematics, economics, and technology.