C U LT U R A L

AND RELIGIOU
S
INFLUENCES ON FOOD
AND NUTRITION

CHAPTER 2
 CULTURAL, ETHNIC, AND RELIGIOUS
INFLUENCES ON FOOD AND NUTRITION

• Nutritional requirements among people of similar age and gender are essentially the
same
throughout the world.
• How a person chooses to satisfy nutritional requirements is influenced by many
variables including
– Culture
– Socioeconomic status
– Personal factors
– Religion
 AMERICAN CUISINE

• American cuisine is a rich and complex melting pot of foods

and cooking methods that have been adapted and adopted
from cuisines brought to the United States by immigrants
such as
– Early settlers
– Native Americans
– West African slaves
– Mexican immigrants
– Chinese and Italian immigrants
 AMERICAN CUISINE—(CONT.)

• Cross-cultural food creations

• “Typical American diet” is difficult to define.

• Driven by expediency and ease, convenience foods

and restaurant-sourced meals (either eat-in or
take-out) are a driving force in current food
trends.
 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE
• Culture has a profound and unconscious effect on
food choices.
• Race, ethnicity, and geographic region are often
inaccurately assumed to be synonymous with culture.
– Leads to stereotypic grouping
• Subgroups within a culture display a unique range of
cultural characteristics that affect food intake and
nutritional status.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURE—(CONT.)

• Defined by
culture
– What is edible
– Role of food
– How food is
prepared
– Symbolic use
of food
– When and
how food is
THE IMPACT OF CULTURE—(CONT.)

• Culture defines what is edible

– Determines what is edible and what is inedible
– To be labeled a food, an item must be readily available,
safe, and nutritious enough to support reproduction.
– Culture overrides flavor in determining what is offensive
or unacceptable.
– Disliking the idea of the food rather than the actual
food
itself
 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE
— (CONT.)
• The role of certain foods in the diet
– Every culture has a ranking for its foods.
– Major food categories include core foods,
secondary foods, and occasional foods.
– Core foods
o Provide a significant source of calories and are
regularly included in the diet, usually on a daily
basis
o Core foods are typically complex
carbohydrates.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURE—(CONT.)

• The role of certain foods in the diet—(cont.)

– Secondary foods
o Foods widely consumed but not on a daily
basis
o Vary with availability
– Peripheral foods
o Eaten sporadically
o Typically based on an individual’s preferences,
not cultural norms
THE IMPACT OF CULTURE—(CONT.)

• How food is prepared

– Traditional methods of preparation vary between and within
cultural groups.
– Traditional seasonings also vary among cultures.
• Symbolic use of foods
– Each culture has food customs and bestows symbolism on certain
foods.
– Culture also determines which foods are used in celebration and
which provide comfort.
 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE—(CONT.)

• Symbolic use of foods—(cont.)

– To express love
– To reward or punish
– To display piety
– To express moral sentiments
– To demonstrate belongingness to a
group
– To proclaim the separateness of a
group
THE IMPACT OF CULTURE—(CONT.)

• When and how food is eaten

– All cultures eat at least once a day.
– Mealtimes vary according to culture.
– In the United States, bad manners in eating may
be associated with animal behavior.
• Cultural values
– Define desirable and undesirable personal and
public behavior and social interaction.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURE—(CONT.)

• Health beliefs
– Each culture has a unique point of view on life,
health, and illness and the meaning of each in
society.
– Some cultures define foods that create
equilibrium within the body and soul.
– Culture also shapes body image.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURE—(CONT.)

• Dietary acculturation
– Occurs when eating patterns of people who move change
to resemble those of the host country.
– In the United States, acculturation is linked to increased
risk of chronic disease and obesity.
 Studies show that it increases the prevalence of
unhealthy eating practices.
– Generally, food habits are one of the last behaviors
people change through acculturation.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURE—(CONT.)

• Dietary acculturation—(cont.)
– Interrelated changes in food choices that occur as
part of acculturation
 New foods are added to the diet.
 Some traditional foods are replaced by new
foods.
 Some traditional foods are rejected.
 FOOD AND RELIGION

• Religion tends to have a greater impact on food habits

than nationality or culture.

• Religious food practices vary significantly.