High-Risk Nutritional Behaviors Associated with Different Cultures Essay Example
High-Risk Nutritional Behaviors Associated with Different Cultures Essay Example

High-Risk Nutritional Behaviors Associated with Different Cultures Essay Example

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  • Published: March 31, 2022
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Social cultural practices in most countries and cultures have a great influence on what individuals eat, how they prepare the food, their feeding practices and lastly on the types of foods that they prefer. Individuals, just like cultures do have their likes, dislikes and beliefs regarding different kinds of food. Majority of the societies within the globe are conservative in the food habits they practice frequently. What can be considered normal in one culture or even highly desirable would be considered totally inedible or revolting in another culture. These behaviors being exhibited by different cultures towards their perceptions of particular foods does lead to high nutritional behaviors such as food taboos and prohibitions that are done and would be considered negative, harmful and risky towards their overall well-being. This paper considers variou

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s cultures’ high risk practices and behaviors being practiced that put them at risk nutritionally by providing the historical perspectives, belief systems and other factors that contributes to this behavior. Below is a list of different cultures and how they practice the issues listed above.

Orang Asli food taboos

The Orang Asli are a diversity of Aboriginal tribes that are confined in the forests fringes of West Malaysia. In this culture of a people it is seen that their food taboos arise from the belief of spiritual well-being as well as for resource portioning. They believe that human flesh is never supposed to be eaten by animals. They believe that any animal that is capable of eating a human being should never be eaten as it may have some humanness in it. Instead, the animals that can be eaten include the small animals whom they believ

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do have weak spirits. Thus, small children once they have been weaned can start eating on small animals such as frogs, toads, fish, water snails and small birds. Once the children get a bit old they can then start feeding on mice and rat as they are added to the list of edible species (Raman, 2014).
Once the children reach age 20, they are now considered grown-ups since its believed they now do possess spirits. Thus, they can now successfully compete with the spirits cats, small monkeys, dear, turtle, anteaters, Malaysian bear and even large birds whom they are now allowed to eat. At a later age, they can start eating on bigger animals such as elephants, snakes and gibbons. As for the pregnant women they are restricted to meals of only rats, frogs, smaller birds, squirrels, toads and any animal that is considered to have a weak spirit. These food taboos as well as practices that are being practiced by the Orang Asli have been part of the socio-cultural fabric that has been practiced and passed down to generations (Cantarero et al., 2013). They endanger themselves by permitting themselves to eat certain animals such as snakes that are of no nutritional status and thus put at risk their overall well-being.

Food Taboos of Papua New Guinea tribes. Kaluli and Onabasubu

This country has a multitude of cultures with diverse food taboos. This paper considers the Onabasulu who are a tribe that practice homosexuality as well as the Kaluli tribe. These two tribes do regard with intense suspicion any animal that does crawl or burrow in the soil to be greatly detested. Whenever their members suffer from any

malady it is firmly believed that it did stem from eating a wrong type of food, if there is stomach ache, the sufferers are prohibited from undertaking any juicy fruits such as the pawpaw, watermelon, pineapple and cabbage (Ekwochi et al., 2016).

As for the women, they are disallowed from taking any fresh meat, bananas and any fruits of color red due to being associated that they are the ones that do cause them to experience menstruations. If a menstruating woman does eat meat, bananas and pandanus or any other fruit thereof, it is believed that the tree from which the fruits were harvested will cease to produce any fruits as well as the person who did bring the meat for her will be sick. Thus, whenever this occur, the individuals are isolated from the society for a period of time. As for young unmarried men, they are supposed to receive the best food as well as obey all the minute food taboos that are there. Once they marry, like their wives, they no longer will feed on fresh meat instead it will have to be smoked meat. The historical perspective for this practice is not clearly understood.

Food Taboos in Mid-West Nigeria; Ishan and Isoko tribes

Food taboos in this culture are seen mainly to have been imposed as a result of the reification of societal hegemonies that is they serve mainly the interests of the men. In the Ishan tribe, it is believed that children are never supposed to eat meat and eggs as these food products will make them to be thieves. The gizzards and the thighs of ducks are only eaten by the elderly.

As for the children they can only partake the lower legs or the head. The children are also supposed not to eat the liver and coconut milk as it is a taboo.
As for the Isoko and Ika division, pregnant women are supposed to consume food left overs that have been left by a rat. The rationale for this is so as to have an easy delivery while in labor. Young women and mothers are also not allowed to consume fresh meat neither consume oil, palm nut soup as it is forbidden 30 days postpartum. As for the men there are very few food taboos that they are supposed to observe (Ekwochi et al., 2016). This believes by these tribes are anchored on cultural norms that they believe and have been practiced for large swathes of time.

The Hindu Food Taboos

In this tribe, it is observed how the spiritual aspect does dominate in all their food taboos. In this, the concept of sanctity of life and re-incarnation does lie at the root of the food taboos. In this society, there is a subdivision of the community into four castes. There is the Brahmin considered as the priests, Kshatriya considered for defense, Vaisya considered for business and agriculture and lastly Shudra considered for menial labor The Brahmins due to their priestly services are never allowed to handle any meat, eggs, fish and neither eat them (Boivin et al., 2014). They are also not allowed to eat garlic or onions as they will cause them to have increased passions of sex drive and hunger.

As for the other groups, they are allowed to partake in this food items except during

times of religious occasions, times of mourning, marriages, pilgrimages, breaking religious fasts and other similar times. Special days like Mahatma Gandhi day there is no meat that is sold in this day. In other castes, the widows are not allowed to eat meat, eggs or fish so as to keep their passions low. The Hindus are also supposed to abstain from eating grains on the 11th day of the new moon while the pregnant women are restricted from eating fruits as they are feared to have abortive influences.

The Jewish Dietary Laws

The Jewish adhere to food taboos mostly due to religious reasons. This includes such as in the day of Atonement when they are not allowed to eat anything for 24 hours. In the month of Ay they are also supposed not to eat anything and the day of the Passover they are not supposed to eat anything that is leavened. The only animals that are permitted to be eaten are the ones that chew cud and have clove hooves. Oysters, shrimps, lobsters, reptiles. The beast and fowl are supposed to be slaughtered according to their laws. These laws have now been followed by the Seventh Day Adventists, who are Christians that their members are not allowed to partake in any of this especially on the wine, any intoxicating and addictive drugs as well as coffee and tea (Food Taboos; their origins and purposes, 2009).

Food Taboos in Ghana

In some cultures of Ghana, the food taboos that are of high nutritional impact that are practiced for historical reasons are due to the following. For instance, it is believed that a royal family is prohibited to eat pigeon

This is because it is believed that the ancestors of theirs once dis help the pigeons in winning battles. In other nomadic cultures, it is observed that they are prohibited to eat fish in a way of scorning away the life and culture of the fishing communities. Alcohol and pork are also prohibited for religious reasons (Meyer, 2009).

Nutritional Taboos in the Fulla people of Gambia.

In this community, in their culture they believe that a pregnant woman is not supposed to eat cow as this will make the child to be fat. The women are also not supposed to consume eggs or any protein rich animal food such as the milk as it would have disastrous effects on their pregnancies. This kind of illiteracy does make them to suffer from malnutrition due to the cultural beliefs that deny them the much needed nutritional status that they really do require. Mostly, these food taboos are usually adhered by the women and young children than the men and this does make them to be vulnerable to malnutrition especially for women during pregnancy (Raman, 2014).

In summary, it can be seen that high risk nutritional behaviors within cultures are deeply entrenched in their various customs. Most rationale that are often cited by these cultures range from due to cultural reasons, religious beliefs, hygienic beliefs, economic reasons, taboos and historic reasons. All these reasons when conjoined together do tend to expose the cultures adhering to these reasons being exposed nutritionally to having poor nutritional status as well their overall well-being being affected. These kind of rules and regulations that are adhered to different cultures often arise during different phases of an

individual’s lifetime and they are mostly associated with special events that occur to their adherents such as pregnancy, menstrual period, funeral, childbirth and lactation, battles among many others.

References

  1. Meyer-Rochow, V. B. (2009). Food taboos: their origins and purposes. Journal Of Ethnobiology And Ethnomedicine,
  2. Food taboos: their origins and purposes. (2009). Journal of Ethnobiology & Ethnomedicine, 518.
  3. Ekwochi, U., Osuorah, C. I., Ndu, I. K., Ifediora, C., Nwabueze Asinobi, I., & Bismark Eke, C. (2016). Food taboos and myths in South Eastern
  4. Nigeria: The belief and practice of mothers in the region. Journal Of Ethnobiology & Ethnomedicine
  5. Cantarero, L., Espeitx, E., Gil Lacruz, M., & Martín, P. (2013). Human food preferences and cultural identity: The case of Aragón (Spain). International Journal Of Psychology,
  6. Boivin, N., Crowther, A., Prendergast, M., & Fuller, D. (2014). Indian Ocean Food Globalisation and Africa. African Archaeological Review,
  7. Raman, V. V. (2014). FOOD: ITS MANY ASPECTS IN SCIENCE, RELIGION, AND CULTURE. Zygon: Journal Of Religion & Science,
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