FOOD TABOOS

Gp3-Authors:
Byawele Jairus W. 19/U/0055/PHL
Muhindo Moreen 19/U/0064/PHL
Nabyesero Catherine 19/U/0320/PHL/PS
 Introduction
• Food acceptance is a complex reaction influenced by
biochemical, physiological, psychological, social and
educational factors.
• For most people food is cultural, not nutritional.
• A plant or animal may be considered edible in one society
and inedible in another.
• Culture is a factor that has significant influence on what
people eat or do not eat.
• Culture consist of values, attitudes, habits and customs,
acquired by learning which starts with the earliest
experiences of childhood through socialization
 Food taboos
• Food and drink taboos are food and beverages which
people abstain from consuming because of strict
religious or cultural prohibition.
• Breaking a Taboo" is usually considered objectionable
by society in general, not merely a subset of a culture.
• It can either be permanent or temporal. Permanent
food taboo are for a life time while temporal involves
avoiding food for a certain period of time eg during
pregnancy, lactation period etc.
• According to Meyer Rochow(2009),,,,, for reasons
other than simple dislike from food preferences.
 Examples
From a religious point of view,
• Taboo foods are Profane foods that carry with them
meanings- usually termed as dangerous, unfit,
useless, unclean, and maybe risky for people’s health,
 Hinduism – orthodox ..profane-cow
 Islam – Profane-pork and any pig products
Cultural point of view,
• In Busoga district females and female children over 6
years are forbidden from consuming eggs, poultry,
mutton, pork and certain kinds of fish(non-scaly).
• In Bukedi district females are forbidden from eating
eggs, chicken and pork.
 Prevalence
• It is estimated that 60 percent of the world’s chronically hungry
people are women and girls (WHO, 2016)
• No Taboo is presently known to be Universal…
• Extend of practice remains unclear
• They tend to vary across culture but prevalent in rural areas.
• Today, such practices are fading due to lack of scientific backup.
• Gender discrimination in access and consumption of food across
cultures is very high but in developing countries.
• In most of the poverty-stricken societies with the huge gender
gap, boys and girls usually do not have the same diet. Boys end
up receiving more nutritious and desired food from a young age.
 Cont’
• In communities throughout Africa, permanent taboos
are also placed on female members.
• From infancy, the female child is given a low-nutrition
diet.
• She is weaned at a much earlier age than the male
infant, and throughout her life, a girl is deprived of
high-protein food such as animal meat, eggs, fish, and
milk.
• India, Africa, Asia………leading practioners of food
taboos (WHO, 2015)
 Gender and cultural norms and meanings in relation to the
practice,

• A taboo may be followed by a whole national group or tribe,

by part of a tribe or by certain groups in the society.
• Revolve around children.
• -if female children eat chicken before they learn to speak,
they will never talk(parkistan).
• -Eating half an egg will make the male child grow into a thief
(tarjikistan, Ethopia).
• -If male children drink milk from a baby bottle will turn them
into a drunkard (gishu).
• Among the gishu, oily foods in pregnancy cause morning
sickness.
 Gender Cont’
• Carbohydrates like rice dishes and dumplings
during pregnancy make birth complicated
among tajikistans …….big child
• Foods with additives among the tajikistans are
regarded to have germs so not fit for both men
and women
 Gender Cont’
• In Nepal, menstruating women are barred from consuming
milk, yoghurt, butter, meat, and other nutritious foods, for
fear that their impurity will cause cows to become ill. The
typical diet during menstruation is dry foods, salt, and rice
• Anglo-americans forbid men from eating simple sugar
foods and fried foods due to fear of diabetes and obesity
• Mexican Americans forbade men taking milk products
because of fear of dilution of sperms.
• Asian Americans forbid milk due to fear of lactose
intolerance among both genders.
 Gender Cont’
• Middle eastern Americans forbid women from eating
before children and men due to fear of death
• Among the Kaluli of Mount Bosavi in Papua New
Guinea, married men and women must not eat fresh
meat, and smoked meat is available only through
exchanges with in-laws; thus, bonds will form
through marriage links rather than with single
hunters.
• Among gishus, women are not allowed to eat the
cow's udder as they would become infertile.
 Gender Cont’
• In Lango, clan of Core, don't eat squirrels. It's assumed
that their skins will react to it.
• Pregnant women are also not to eat honey due to fear
of miscarriages.
• In Gishu, Nakwanga clan men are forbidden from
eating chicken but only rear for visitors due to fear of
godly punishments with madness.
• Pregnant women of kumasi, metropolitan area in
Ghana are forbidden from eating pineapples due to fear
of abortions.
 Effects of the practice,

• Dietary deficiency
• New borns of lower weight and unhealthy pregnant mothers.
• Long time of post natal recovery and maternal deaths
• 7% of disability particularly sight loss and limb
malformation is believed to be caused by food taboo.
• In Uganda tribal food taboos especially those applied to
women and female children are the main causes of mal
nutrition causing diseases like kwashiorkor.
• Inequality in access to food and nutrition which otherwise is
one of the core human rights.
 Effects cont’
Some positive effects;
• Conservation of species.
• Prevention of zoonotic diseases.
• Promotion of moral standards.
• Fulfillment of culture.....................
 Strategies to address effects
• Sensitization and attitudinal change.
• Traditional leaders are to update constitutional and legal
obligations to ensure better taboos with minimal impact on
women.
• Treatment of malnourished, and provision of micronutrients to
both mothers and children
• Enhanced outreaches with targeted supplementary foods,
providing HF-nutrition services.
• Counseling services by the religious, Mo-health, NGOs to the
women and men.
• Continuous research through baseline data collection on KAB
 Reference
• https://slideplayer.com/slide/7094469/
• SREEDHAR REDDYand M. ANITHA (2015).
Culture and its Influence on Nutrition and Oral
Health
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