Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Learning Objectives
To define food ideology To discuss some food ideologies To examine the implications of food ideologies on dietary practice
What is an ideology?
A
set of beliefs ,especially one held by a particular group that influences the way people behave
Ideologies
Political Economic Social Religious
Definition: It is the sum of the attitudes, beliefs, customs and taboos affecting the diet of a given group. (Eckstein 1980) Simple interpretation: What people think of as food What effect they think food will have on their health What they think is suitable for different ages and groups
Acquired
variety of foods in various societies but no social group classifies all the potential foodstuffs available as food
Ethnocentrism
It describes the belief that ones own pattern of behaviour are preferable to those of all other cultures. Ethnocentrism makes us accept and eat foods regarded as acceptable by our culture
People think their choice of food is right, best and normal. This often results in food ridicule (certain derogatory or mocking statements are made against other human groups)
Ethnocentrism can evoke both physiological & psychological feeling Exposure to unfamiliar food habits brings ethnocentrism to the fore,
Culture Relativism
Cultural practices of the indigenous group are examined and practices that are not dysfunctional as normal practices are accepted even though they may be different from familiar practices.
Acceptance of unfamiliar food practices leads to an understanding of the food practices and
Food categorization
Methods of categorization of foods vary in every society. Categorization may be based on
nutritional
Most modern day categorizations of foods are based on nutritional value Eatwell Plate (UK) Healthy Eating Plate (US) Healthy Eating Steps (Ghana) Food guides are likely to change over the years to reflect patterns of production and consumption & introduce ideas of proportionality and moderation
www.usaring.com/health/food/food/ht m
Food Guide
Advantages
Assist
Limitations
in healthy food choices and planning of a balanced diet within the framework of normal cultural practices
Designed to meet the desires of powerful interest groups May include cultural practices with built-in biases and prejudices, from the researchers perspective
T Inexpensive filling foods Often high calorie but lacked the social These classifications are potential populartools for function or prestige of foods in category 1 teaching sound nutrition
Reserved for important occasions or for important people (xterised by scarcity and high price) Contribute to good health by maintaining a balance in the body eg. Hot-cold foods, fattening and slimming foods
Foods containing special properties which are imparted to those who eat them Foods restricted to persons of a particular age, sex or physiological condition
Purpose of food categorization Society To reveal the values assigned to food Nutritionist/ dietitian Concerned with promotion of healthy eating food choices and habits Passim and Bennet (1943) devised a useful approach that incorporates both purposes: how foods are assigned value in the society + promoting healthy eating habits and choices
Peripheral foods least common & infrequently consumed e.g. (new foods or items)
Indicates which areas of patients diet could be easily modified Helps to anticipate which food habits or patterns would be difficult to change or modify Adds to understanding of non compliance with dietary regimes
Ancient food categories were based on actual or imagined properties and their supposed effect on the body or disease processes. Allopathic medicine is an ancient system of treatment by opposites Foods, diseases and parts of the body are assigned various attributes, notably hotcold concept
Foods, diseases and parts of the body are assigned various attributes: hot and cold Diseases occur when the body is out of balance and balance is restored by treating a cold illness with hot or heating foods and viceversa
Practiced in many parts of the world (India, China, Mediterranean, Latin America, North Africa & Caribbean)
cultures Different classification of foods within cultures Classification does not seem to correspond to physical properties of food
In
some societies adherence to these classifications varies with level of sophistication, economic means and physiological state
Food ideologies:
help to understand the ineffectiveness of conventional nutritional counseling among societies that reject scientific values. Adds to our understanding of patients noncompliance with dietary regimes Lack of understanding of traditional food systems creates barriers to well-intentioned attempts to introduce changes in food habits Sound nutritional practices may , with care be Development and reinforcemment of existing traditional systems
We can describe food classification by consumers, nutrition professionals and some societies
Further Reading