Factors affecting Nutrition: Culture, SES, Tradition

Dr. Alok Acharya

Culture, religion, traditional knowledge and
food
• From an evolutionary perspective, the search for food has played a
fundamental role in the evolution of human culture.
• Culture, religion and the embedded traditional knowledge are major
determinants of what and how we eat.
• Food is loaded with symbolic value in all societies.
• It has become a means of communication, of creating, affirming and
reinforcing social relations, of expressing one’s personal or group
identity (e.g. ethnicity, class, gender) and of connecting to the living or
ancestral peer group
Beliefs and practices regarding food and health
• Role of political institutions in food and nutrition security.
• Culture, religion and traditional knowledge involve a variety of potential drivers
of food and nutrition security.
• Beliefs and practices regarding what and how to eat (e.g. food taboos), how to
manage pregnancy and delivery, how to feed children or how to treat illness are
shaped by a society’s cultural and religious belief system and the body of
traditional knowledge embedded herein.
Traditional medicine
• In traditional medicine, components of the regular diet frequently have a
therapeutic function as well. Food prohibition (proscription) and prescriptions are
commonly used to prevent, treat and alleviate health problems and illnesses.
• food is often seen as a potential cause of or therapy for illness.
• In humoral theories of the body and pathology for instance, health is determined
by a balance of opposing energies or elements (humours) and illness occurs when
this balance is disrupted.
• Imbalances may be caused by metaphysical factors such as spiritual imbalance or
physical factors such as food consumption.
• Humoral views on health were integrated around the world through historical
interactions with the three great humoral traditions of the Greek, Chinese and
Indian civilization
Dietary rules: food prescriptions
• Most religions have dietary rules such as fasting periods and food
taboos that convey religious identity and intensity.
• Most societies are characterized by an interwoven set of specific
beliefs and practices related to food and health, “including ways that
food (and individuals) can become polluted, food classification
systems, local explanatory models of illness (where food is perceived
either as a causal agent or as a treatment), and normative patterns of
favoring/disfavoring household members based on their age and
gender
Taboos
• Ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an
utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is
excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred, or allowed only for
certain people.
Taboos
• Many believe that pregnancy is a natural condition that does not need
any particular attention.
• Any special treatment of mothers tends to be for the protection of the
unborn child rather than for her own health and well being.
• One widely held belief is that if a woman eats more during pregnancy
she will have a bigger baby which can cause problems during labour.

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Taboos
• women and girls usually eat after male members and children have eaten and
have less access to food from animal sources and other special foods.
• Mothers who have recently delivered a baby are considered impure and are
not allowed to eat with other family members until the purification ceremony
has been held. In some communities, mothers’ food intake is limited during
this period.
• Women in mid and far western hill regions practice a system in which the
recently delivered women are kept in the cowshed outside their homes in very
unhygienic conditions.

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Taboos
• In some cultures, it is believed that a connection between stomach and
womb exists and womb and stomach are rested together by not giving food
to the mothers.
• Ghee, meat, and milk are considered good for new mothers for breast-
feeding. However, for mothers in many families, the diet for lactating
mother is the usual family diet because they can’t afford different foods. The
diet for a lactating mother is further restricted when her baby is ill.

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 Taboos

• Some babies start solid foods after the rice feeding ceremony at five or
six months. Many children are given a family diet without any special
preparation.
• If the infants or children don’t show any interest in solid foods, mothers
may not persist with feeding the infants.
• The complementary foods generally lack variety: they are often based
on rice and dal. Meat, fish, or eggs are infrequently given to the
children.

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 Taboos
• Some food items like green leafy vegetables are considered cold
and are not given to infants or children.
• Constraints to appropriate and adequate infant and child feeding
include maternal malnutrition; seasonal food insufficiency,
mostly during monsoon; and maternal workload

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“diseases that result from poverty”
• undernourishment and poor sanitation, reflecting a failure of
development programs to integrate people into large-scale societies in
a satisfactory manner
Social Factors

• Social factors involve the influence of family, friends and peer group, and their impact
on an individual’s food selection.
• Family traditions and ways of living greatly influence food habits and preferences.
Family meals may involve traditional or heritage recipes that have been passed down
through generations.
• Peer pressure can also play a strong role, especially in adolescent food choices, where
the need for acceptance may result in following similar dietary habits as friends.
• Maternal employment can influence the time available for meal preparation, which
might lead to an increase in convenience and fast food consumption.
• The social media’s influence on promoting certain types of food, diets, or eating habits
can significantly impact food choices. This includes trendy diets or food aesthetics.
Cultural factors
• Cultural factors include the influence of ethnicity, religion, and certain traditional
practices that shape food choices.
• Religious beliefs may dictate specific dietary practices. For example, Hinduism
encourages vegetarianism while Islam and Judaism have specific restrictions and
food preparation methods.
• Ethnicity can shape food habits, for example, staple foods differ across cultures –
rice is predominant in Asian cultures while wheat-based products are common in
European cultures.
• Certain cultures use food as part of rituals, celebrations, or ceremonies which can
influence the types of food consumed.
• The concept of ‘comfort food’ can also be linked to cultural influence as these are
often foods associated with childhood or cultural tradition.
Socio-economic Factors

• Socio-economic class includes income level, education level, and occupation,

which can influence food choices.
• Income level can determine access to a variety of quality food. Higher
income levels usually have better access to fresh produce and high-quality
proteins, while low income might result in reliance on cheap, processed food,
high in sugar and fat.
• Education level can impact the understanding of nutrition, thus affecting food
choices. Those with more education might have a broader understanding of
nutritional requirements and make food choices accordingly.
• Acceptance and knowledge of foreign foods is often higher in higher socio-
economic groups, this is known as ‘culinary capital’.
Environmental and Geographical Factors

• Food choices can be influenced by availability and accessibility of food. This

varies based on geographical location, seasons, climate, and the proximity to
supermarkets or farmers markets.
• Regions with a predominantly agricultural economy might have more
consumption of plant-based diets.
• Coastal areas or islands would traditionally rely heavily on seafood as part of their
diet.
• Climate and seasons also dictate food choices, for example, warm weather
encourages the production and consumption of light vegetables, salads, and fruits
while cold weather might increase the intake of heavy, hearty meals.
Food fad
• Food faddism is a term generally used to describe a particular food or
food group that is exaggerated in the routine diet or is eliminated in
order to cure specific disease.
• Food faddism is labeled by some researchers as an unhealthy practice
and is often associated with eating disorders .
• Misinformation about foods plays a role in practicing food faddism.
• The most serious problem with food faddism is the advocation of the
view that the individual is his own diagnostician and physician; this in
turn may lead to more exaggeration of the harmful effects of this
practice because of the firmness of beliefs of the person practicing it.
Food fad
• Food fads are interwoven with people's lifestyles, trends, and
class aspirations.
• In all forms, fads are usually ideas that enjoy a quick popularity
and soon disappear.
• Some fads can be trends that develop into accepted style,
indicating where society is moving.
Food fad
• Dietary habits are one of the lifestyles that affects health status of
individuals as well as communities as a whole.
• It has been observed that even in developed countries, an emphasis is
placed on eating certain foods to express a particular lifestyle ;
• this practice is even more common in developing countries like ours.
‘A bad Attitude is like a flat tire
you can't go anywhere until you
change it.’- Anonymous

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