Culture and nutrition
Introduction
The world has been experiencing drastic changes in nutritional practices. Several factors can be directly attributed to these changes. Culture and nutrition are strongly correlated. Nutrition is one of the most significant components of every culture. Different cultures identify themselves with the kind of foods they consume. However, the nutritional preference of a given culture ultimately affects the quality of health of people belonging to that culture. While some cultures have dietary practices that promote health, other cultures have nutritional practices that are considered to be risky to their health. Some nutritional practices are also associated with various cultural elements, for example, cultural beliefs and historical viewpoints. It is, therefore, essential to understand the high-risk nutritional practices related to different cultures across the globe. This paper will specifically discuss different high-risk nutritional practices associated with diverse cultures across the globe, as well as the historical perspectives, belief systems, and other elements that affect the nutritional behaviors of a culture.
Indian Asians
The cultural practices of this group are also associated with high-risk nutritional practices. Their culture is mostly affected by their Hindu religion, which is mainly related to the type of food they consume. The Hindus comprise almost 9 percent of the Indian population, while the Muslims form about 14 percent of the total population. However, Hindu is the most dominant religion in the Asian Hindu culture. The Hindus do not consume any animal products because they believe in reincarnation. However, their cultural practices are associated with consumption of high-risk nutritional practices such as excessive consumption of fat, tobacco, and use of betel. They believe that consuming tobacco and betel has several benefits to their health (Cook & Tseng, 2019). Besides, they like consuming a vegetarian diet, which is deficient in protein and protein and rich in fats leading to several health complications such as nutritional deficiency, obesity, and osteoporosis.
Asian Indians are known for their habits of chewing paan masala. This foodstuff is known to cause a condition called Oral Submucous Fibrosis, which hinders the ability of a person to eat and taste traditional hot and spicy foods. Paan is a mixture of several species, which include betel leaves, Areca catechu, menthol, and optionally chewing tobacco. The areca contains a substance known as the alkaloid arecoline, which causes the staining of the teeth. Among the Asian Indian culture, chewing paan is a social activity which as symbolic and ceremonial importance. Chewing of paan has been associated with the juxta epithelial inflammatory, which subsequently leads to Oral Submucous Fibrosis, which is a pre-cancerous condition. Therefore, paan is one of the significant causes of cancer among Asian Indians.
Most of the Hindus believe that Ghee strengthens the body and enhances good health. Due to this, the consumption of Ghee or butter is common among Asian Indians. Butter is classified as cancer-causing food and therefore consuming it as lead to increased cases of cancer among the Asian Indians. The Indian Asians have been exposed to the culture and adopted some components of it. The urbanization has also affected their lifestyle. Due to this, they are engaged in inadequate physical activities and various inappropriate dietary practices, including other susceptibility factors. These factors, coupled with high-risk nutritional practices, have lead to an increment of certain diseases such as Diabetes Mellitus, coronary heart diseases, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes.
American Culture and Its High-Risk Nutritional Practices.
The American culture is one of the most significant ones as far as the high-risk nutritional practices are concerned. In recent years, junk food consumption among children in America has risen considerably. According to recent research, the consumption of junk food has been influenced by several factors. Family roles, education, advertisements, and several other factors have been blamed as the primary reason behind the rise of high-risk nutritional practices in America. The career and educational schedules of many American youths are too tight, and due to this, many of them resort to eating junk foods, which are readily available to save time. However, these junk foods have been associated with rampant cases of obesity, diabetes among American youths.
American adults are also associated with a range of high-risk nutritional practices. Some of these practices include smoking, overeating, and drinking alcohol. The primary reason behind these practices is their lifestyle. A portion of American adults smokes and drink alcohol excessively due to depression and stressful lifestyle. It is also believed that Americans are also influenced by some historical perceptions (Reddy & Anitha, 2015). Historically, many Americans believe that smoking and drinking alcohol relives them excessive thinking; hence they do so to reduce stress. The availability of food in America mainly causes overeating. Due to this availability, a significant population of Americans eats due to several reasons, such as passing the time and enjoying time with friends and relatives. Due to this, they end up eating excessive food. This behavior of eating food excessively has been associated with several health complications, such as obesity.
The American Somalis is another group known to practice several high-risk nutritional practices. Their religion plays a vital role as far as nutrition and food consumption is concerned. Many Islamic beliefs mainly dominate Their culture because it is their parent religion. The postulates of the Islamic faith have subsequently shaped their breastfeeding and diet habits. The American population is comprised of a significant number of Somali Immigrants. These Immigrants classify their foods as either haram or halal. The “halal foods” are the ones they are allowed to consume according to their religion, and the haram are the ones they are prohibited from eating by their religion. These immigrants consume excessive sugary foods, a bulk of carbohydrates, and deep-fried meat, which are all considered to be high-risk foods (Long et al., 2017). Many of these Somalis believe that being fat is healthy. Due to such beliefs, the cases and obesity and overweight have subsequently been a rise among these communities. This negatively affected the health status of Somali immigrants living in America.
Chinese Culture
Chinese culture is also associated with several nutritional practices that negatively impact their health. Such practices are due to several factors. The traditional Chinese dish was mainly comprised of grains, vegetables, fish, and seafoods. The one-child policy which was enacted in china was the starting point for the consumption of some unhealthy foodstuffs. The families started consuming the tastes and preferences of their children, the western foods, which had negligible nutritional value. The immigrants from America have a distinct and unhealthy culture which many Chinese nationals have adopted. The current Chinese descendants have abandoned the healthy Chinese diet due to influence from the western culture. Subsequently, they have adopted high-risk nutrition, which is dangerous to their health. The Chinese culture lacked consumption of certain things such the alcohol, smoking, and junk foods. The third generation has neglected their original culture, which advocated for a safe and healthy diet.
Most of them lack any religious affiliation, which can guide them on what to eat and what they should not eat. Due to this, the Chinese consume many foodstuffs, which are prohibited in almost all the other religious groups. The Chinese pagans are also vulnerable to influence from the other religions meaning that they might be lured into consuming a risky diet. The Chinese are known to consume foods containing high quantities of glycemic load or index. The white rice, which is common in many of the Chinese foodstuffs, is known to contain glycemic index, which is a type 2 diabetes vulnerability (Wong, 2019). Brown rice is regarded to be healthier; however, many Chinese do not consume it, claiming that rougher and it lacks taste. Consumption of excess salt has been one of the significant healthy malpractices among Chinese culture. The average Chinese consumes almost 4600 mg of salt, whereas the body needs only 230-460 mg. The most significant sources of sodium in diet are said to be soy sauce and salt added at home at the table or while cooking. They also rely on salt for food preservation, which leads to excessive salt intake. Taking salt in excess is associated with the high prevalence of lower blood pressure among the Chinese.
The consumption of sugary foods is another problem among the Chinese. There is an influx of sugary western drinks into the Chinese markets. The Chinese are being influenced by western culture significantly, such that they have started consuming junk food, which they never did before. There current cultural practices also advocate for the consumption of a variety of teas, which includes the bubble or the chai tea that is associate with excessive calories and grams of sugar. This is the opposite of their traditional drinks and desserts, which were not heavily sweetened but instead emphasized natural flavors from vegetables, herbs, and fruits. The incorporation of unhealthy oils such as those containing animal and Trans fat into cooking has led as led to the occurrence of various diseases. High fat intake has been associated with insulin resistance, obesity, and increased cardiovascular risk. Other common foods among the Chinese include Red meat, processed meat, fried foods, and refined carbohydrates. Such foods are risk factors for abnormal insulin levels, increased blood glucose, and type 2 diabetes.
Nutritional practices are some of the most crucial aspects that considerably affect the health of people. Different cultures have different diet preferences, and perhaps, this can be directly correlated with various health problems faced by different cultural groups. A certain plant or animal may be considered to be edible in a certain society, but eating it could be illegal in another society. Nutritional practices are some of the oldest cultural aspects. These practices are so essential to their respective cultures such that it becomes difficult to change them. Food has got ceremonial and social roles in many cultures. The health care providers, therefore, face the challenge of addressing high-risk nutritional practices because they find it difficult to convince people to stop consuming them. Nevertheless, it is evident that some dietary practices to human health, and as far as they are not controlled, the prevalence of certain diseases will continue.
References
Reddy, S., & Anitha, M. (2015). Culture and its influence on nutrition and oral health. Biomedical & Pharmacology Journal, 8(SpecialOct), 613.
Long, E., Ponder, M., & Bernard, S. (2017). Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to hypertension and hyperlipidemia self-management among African-American men living in the southeastern United States. Patient education and counseling, 100(5), 1000-1006.
Wong, W. M. (2019). Chinese Immigrants with Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus: Nutritional Self-Management Approach.
Cook, W. K., & Tseng, W. (2019). Associations of Asian Ethnicity and Parental Education with Overweight in Asian American Children and Adolescents: An Analysis of 2011–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Maternal and child health journal, 23(4), 504-511.