Question

1- Discuss how food taboos and cultural issues which affect food consumption can be circumvented/avoided

Answer 1

FOOD TABOO - it refers to deliberate avoidance of specific foods and beverages due to religious or cultural prohibitions.

✓ Good nutrition is crucial for sustained growth. Food taboos hinder the normal growth and cause malnutrition. For eg -

1.in Tajikistan ( central Asia) , complex social systems prohibit the type and quantity of food that can be consumed by the lower strata, leading to malnutrition in the poor.

2.Rich people in developing countries consider hyper local and nutritious foods as a taboo , because they are cheaper .

Many cultural issues also prevail that affect food consumption.

For eg-

1.In indeginous south asian cultures , food is grouped as hot(eg, meat) and cold (eg curd). Cold foods are avoided in winters and hot foods in summers.

2.Pork is a taboo for muslim community.

3.Hindus consider beef a taboo.

Since these taboos and cultural issues have evolved over ages and generations, a rational explanation about their harmful effects would not be suffice.

To avoid these-

1.pregnant women are mostly affected . Encouraging them to adopt a comprehensive diet would work. They may be motivated to adopt it in interest of their child's health.

2 Nutritional health must be promoted as a public health concern by government.

3 Lack of education strengthens propagation of these taboos. Educating the masses against their implications should be done.

4.Rome was not built in a day. Similarly , circumventing these issues would require behavioral changes in masses and would take time .