'Dark nutrition' is not a specific diet but a way of thinking about food and health. Its followers conclude that the usual sources of authority, such as doctors, public health officials, food companies and pharmaceutical firms, cannot be trusted, and many reject mainstream dietary advice in favor of extreme practices. Examples include raw-food enthusiasts who eat raw roadkill and claim that elites hide that raw food is safe. Conflicting messages about food and health have fed distrust in nutrition science, but rejecting conventional guidance can carry serious risks, such as food poisoning and nutrient deficiencies.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.