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Food and Culture Chapter 1
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US Census and Demographic Data
1 in 4 Americans is of non-European heritage 1 in 10 residents is foreign-born Does not include data on Some white ethnic populations Religious groups Regional groups Latinos have the largest and fastest growing number of ethnic groups Asians are second Each ethnic, religious, or regional group has its own culturally based food habits
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What is food? Any substance that provides the nutrients necessary to maintain life and growth when ingested
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Eating vs. Feeding Humans eat, not feed Eating Animals feed
Gather , hunt and/or cultivate plants, raise livestock Cook Use utensils, have manners Share food Animals feed
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Food Habits (food culture or foodways)
The ways in which humans use food How it is Selected Obtained Distributed Who prepares it Who serves it Who eats it
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The Omnivore’s Paradox
Humans are onmivorous Consume/digest wide selection of plants and animals Adapt easily almost all earthly environments No single food provides all nutrition for survival Must be flexible yet cautious to avoid harmful foods Dilemma: Need to experiment yet be cautious Paradox: Attraction to new foods Preference to familiar foods
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Self-identity Incorporation of food Assumptions about a total diet
“You are what you eat” Assumptions about a total diet Stereotypes Food choice Food likes or dislikes of someone else are accepted and internalized as personal preferences Dining out
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Symbolic Use of Food BREAD Relationship Association Convention
Staff of life Break bread with friends Christian sacrament of communion Association Dark bread vs white bread Wealth Convention Weddings Superstition
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Cultural Identity What one eats defines who one is or isn’t
Religious beliefs Ethnic behaviors Often introduced during childhood Comfort foods May establish that a person is or is NOT a member of a certain cultural group Etiquette
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Status A person’s position or ranking in a cultural group
Economic social standing Status foods Social interaction Commensalism Who can dine together Class relationships
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What is Culture? Values, beliefs, attitudes and practices accepted by members of a group or community Enculturation Adaptation Ethnicity Social identity with shared patterns Intraethnic variation Due to racial, regional, economic divisions
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The Acculturation Process
Adaptation Bicultural Cultures complement each other Assimilation Fully merged Ethnocentric Using your own values to evaluate the behaviors of others Ethnorelativism Assuming all cultural values have equal validity Prejudice Hostility directed toward a person of a different cultural group
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Acculturation of Food Habits
Often the last practice changed through acculturation Lack of available native ingredients Convenience Cost Unpopular traditional foods often first to go Food most associated with ethnic identity are the most resistant to acculturation
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Cultural Food Habits Food Groups Meaning of food Cultural superfood
Prestige foods Body image foods Sympathetic magic foods Physiologic group foods
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Understanding the role of food in a culture
Frequency of food consumption Core and complementary foods model Ways foods are traditionally prepared and seasoned Flavor principles Daily, weekly and yearly use of food Meal patterns and meal cycles Changes in food functions Structural growth in a culture, predicted by developmental perspective of food culture
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Core and Complementary Foods Model
Core foods Staples in the diet Usually consumed daily Typically complex carbohydrates Secondary foods Widely but less frequently consumer Peripheral foods Individual preference
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Core and Complementary Foods Model
Core foods Served with complementary items to improve palatability Add flavor to starchy staples to encourage consumption Legumes When used as complementary or secondary provides nutritionally adequate meal Changes occur with peripheral foods, not core
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Flavor Principles Ways food is flavored and seasoned is very significant Transforms feeding into eating Varies due to location Varies with processing Improves palatability Salt Classifies food culturally
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Meal Patterns and Meal Cycles
All cultures dine on at least one meal each day Reveals clues about complex social relations Significance of certain events in a society. What defines a meal?
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What defines a meal? Must be served in proper order
Foods must be appropriate for meal or situation Who prepares the meal? What culturally specific preparation rules are used? Who eats the meals? What is the portion size?
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Meal Patterns and Meal Cycles
What is the cycle in which meals occur? When does one feast? Special foods or ingredients? When does one fast? Partial or total?
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Individual Food Habits
Eating choices made by What is obtainable What is acceptable What is preferred Dietary domain determined by Availability Edible vs inedible Immediate concerns Cost Taste Convenience Self-expression Well-being Variety
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Food Availability Local ecological considerations
Geographical features Indigenous vegetation Native animal population Human manipulation of these resources Political, economic and social management of food at the local level Seasonal variations Climactic events
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Edible or Inedible? Inedible foods Edible by animals but not by me
Taboos Edible by animals but not by me Insects, corn, oats Edible by humans, but not by my kind Dog meat Edible by humans, but not by me Preferences Edible by me
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Consumer Food Choice Model
Explains factors that influence individual decisions within a predetermined food sphere
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Consumer Food Choice Model
Food selection is primarily motivated by TASTE Color Aroma Flavor Texture
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Consumer Food Choice Model: Taste
Tongue has receptors for: Sweet Sour Salty Bitter Umami? Predisposition for flavors from sugars and fats Bitter is associated with toxic compounds Flavor principles
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Consumer Food Choice Model: Cost
Income level is the most significant sociodemographic factor in predicting selection In poorer societies price more important than taste In wealthier societies food choices change Local dietary domain affects prices
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Consumer Food Choice Model: Other factors
Convenience Especially important in urban societies Self-expression Cultural activities Religion Region Self-identity Vegetarian, gourmet, etc. Physical and spiritual well-being Age, gender, body image, state of health Variety Humans are motivated psychologically to try new foods
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The Need for Cultural Competency
The Campinha-Bacote Model of Competence Outlines a process for cultural competency in health care Cultural awareness Cultural knowledge Cultural skill Cultural encounter Cultural desire
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Towards the future… Move towards cultural competence
Language skills Managerial expertise Leadership Needed for healthy lifestyle changes Serve hard to reach places Effect change in health care system
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Diversity in the US Population
US is moving towards cultural plurality No single ethnic group is a majority
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Diversity in the Canadian Population
Census is conducted so that ancestry is reflected Immigration has significantly increased population growth Recent immigration primarily from Asia and the Caribbean 3 largest minority groups Chinese South Asian Blacks
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Ethnicity and Health Health is not enjoyed equally by all in the US
Disparities are found in Mortality rates Chronic disease incidence Access to care Poor health status Poverty See “Cultural Controversy: Does Hunger Cause Obesity?” Low educational attainment Immigrant status
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Intercultural Nutrition
Obtaining basic nutritional information may have cultural implications Terminology Stereotyping Avoid ethnocentric assumptions Health care providers should become skilled in careful observation of client groups, visiting homes, neighborhoods, markets, etc.
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Evaluate diet within the context of culture
Classify food habits according to nutritional impact (1) food use with positive health consequences that should be encouraged (2) neutral food behaviors with neither adverse nor beneficial effects on nutritional status (3) food habits unclassified due to insufficient culturally specific information (4) food behaviors with demonstrable harmful affects on health that should be repatterned
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The American Paradox Food terminology even employed to describe cultural pluralism! Melting pot Stew Tossed salad American paradox is that even though foods from throughout the world are available and often affordable, there is a need for consistency and conservatism. Similar to the Omnivore’s Paradox
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Percentage of consumers in the United States who have tried a cuisine at least once, 1999.
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Cultural Controversy:
Does Hunger Cause Obesity? Why or why not?
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