Cultural Foods Are Included in Healthy Eating

Healthy eating may be seen as a necessary evil at times.

On the one hand, it is necessary for good health, but on the other, it suggests limitation and self-denial rooted in Eurocentrism.

Even in the Caribbean, where I am from, many nutrition programs are based on the American food pyramid, which then suggests to local populations what good eating looks like.

Nutrition and healthy eating, on the other hand, are not a one-size-fits-all dietary prescription. Traditional foods and culinary culture have a place at the table as well.

In this post, I’ll discuss why cultural foods are important for a balanced diet.

What exactly are cultural foods?

Cultural meals, also known as traditional dishes, reflect a geographic area, ethnic group, religious body, or cross-cultural community’s customs, beliefs, and practices.

Cultural foods may include ideas about how certain foods should be cooked or utilized. They may also represent the general culture of a group.

These foods and traditions are handed down through generations.

Pizza, pasta, and tomato sauce from Italy, or kimchi, seaweed, and dim sum from Asia, are examples of cultural cuisines. Alternatively, they may reflect a colonial history, such as the Caribbean’s mix of West African and East Indian culinary traditions.

Cultural cuisines may play a role in religious festivals and are frequently important to our identities and family relationships.

Cultural cuisines must be completely included in the Western paradigm.

Healthy eating incorporates cultural cuisines, but that message isn’t prominent and is often ignored.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is widely regarded as one of the gold standards for nutrition advice in the Western world. It suggests meeting people where they are, including their traditional foodways.

The Canadian Culinary Guide also stresses the significance of culture and food traditions in promoting healthy eating.

However, there is still much work to be done in the area of dietetics to guarantee cultural competency, which is the effective and appropriate treatment of individuals without bias, prejudice, or preconceptions.

Cultural requirements and dietary habits were recognized throughout my dietitian training, but there was little enthusiasm or practical implementation. There were limited institutional resources for healthcare practitioners in certain cases.

What exactly does healthy eating entail?

Healthy eating is informally described as consuming a range of nutrients from dairy, protein foods, grains, fruits, and vegetables — what are known as the five food categories in the United States.

The important point is that each food category contains vital vitamins and minerals that promote excellent health. A healthy plate includes half nonstarchy vegetables, one-quarter protein, and one-quarter grains, according to the USDA’s MyPlate, which replaced the food pyramid.

The Caribbean, on the other hand, is a melting pot of six dietary groups: staples (starchy, carb-rich meals), animal foods, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and fats or oils.

Traditional one-pot meals are not usually clearly portioned on a plate. Instead, the various food categories are blended into a single meal.

For example, the typical one-pot meal known as oil down is prepared with breadfruit (the mainstay — a starchy fruit that has a texture akin to bread once cooked), nonstarchy vegetables such as spinach, and carrots, and meats such as chicken, fish, or pig.

SUMMARY

Dietary recommendations show that ethnic cuisine and good eating go hand in hand. However, greater cultural competency and institutional resources are required to make these recommendations more feasible.

Healthy eating is much more flexible than what you read on the internet.

Your urge to consume particular meals is often the consequence of effective and focused food marketing. This marketing is often done through a Eurocentric perspective that is devoid of cultural subtlety (6Trusted Source).

Googling “healthy eating” yields a rush of lists and pictures of asparagus, blueberries, and Atlantic salmon – often in the arms or on the tables of a white family.

The absence of cultural representation or ethnically varied images conveys an implicit message that local and traditional cuisine are potentially harmful.

True healthy eating, on the other hand, is a flexible notion that does not have a particular appearance or ethnicity and does not need the inclusion of specific foods to count.

Here are some foods that you’ll find on health websites in the West, as well as some traditional food counterparts:

• Kale is a healthy vegetable, but so are dasheen bush (taro leaves) and spinach.
• Quinoa is high in protein and fiber, although rice and beans are other good sources.
• Bird breast is low in fat and often regarded as a must-have for a healthy diet, but removing the skin from other sections of the chicken results in lower fat and greater iron levels.
• Local salmon types and other fatty fish, such as sardines, are also high in omega-3 fatty acids.

If kale, quinoa, and Atlantic salmon aren’t readily accessible in your area, your diet isn’t necessarily bad. Contrary to popular belief, a healthy plate is not restricted to Eurocentric meals, and traditional foods are neither inferior nor nutritionally unsuitable.

Based on food availability, sustainability, and food cultures, healthy eating looks different in various communities and places.

SUMMARY

Healthy eating is a flexible notion that varies depending on your location and cultural background. Its message should be varied.

The significance of ethnic cuisines in our life

Cultural cuisines and traditional eating habits have a strong link to community and health. They help us connect with our history, socialize in the present, and build memories for the future. Furthermore, they play an important role in dietary compliance and success.

When my mother shows me how to make oil down, a one-pot meal of breadfruit, taro leaves, pumpkin, coconut milk, and smoked bones, I am connecting with ancestral culinary traditions imported from West Africa while also enjoying shared family moments.

Similarly, every time I make a vegetarian curry meal, such as dhal (split peas) with turmeric or saffron, I feel connected to the culinary traditions of East India.

These meals may not seem to match the Western idea of nutritious or healthy cuisine to those who are unfamiliar with them – yet they are packed with fiber, complex carbohydrates, and veggies.

How does your culture influence what you eat?

Culture has an impact on the foods you consume, your religious and spiritual activities, and your outlook on wellness, healing, and healthcare

According to research, your cultural background has a significant impact on your attitudes about particular meals as well as your desire to try new ones. Furthermore, your categorization of what is and isn’t food is influenced by your culture

As a result, healthy eating must be perceived and comprehended in the context of culture.

In the United States, for example, supper is likely to be the major meal of the day, whereas lunch is likely to be a light salad or sandwich. In the Caribbean, however, noon is often the heaviest meal, while supper is lighter and, more often than not, strikingly similar to breakfast.

When nutrition messaging and advice lack inclusiveness, diversity, and understanding, the science suffers, and communities are deprived of valuable gastronomic views and experiences.

Furthermore, a breakdown in trust and communication between a dietician and those they serve may lead to health inequalities and poor health outcomes

If you don’t trust your dietician, you’ll be less inclined to follow their advice.

SUMMARY

Cultural foods have important social functions and are essential to the health of communities and the people who live in them. Understanding ethnic dietary variations is essential for effective nutrition advice and positive health results.

What comes next?

We must remember that ethnic cuisines are nutritious even if they are not gentrified, promoted on social media, or compatible with the Western worldview.

For many immigrant and non-immigrant families in the United States, these are comfort foods, ways of life, and essential sources of nourishment.

By integrating multiple dietary categories and containing a range of nutrients, these ethnic dishes demonstrate healthy eating:

Ugali: a typical Tanzanian dish composed of maize that is often served with traditional meat and vegetable dishes.

Ema datshi: a spicy stew popular in Bhutan, eaten with yak cheese and perhaps mushrooms, green beans, and potatoes.

Kalua Pork: a classic Hawaiian meal that may be accompanied by grilled fish, eggplant, or taro.

Schäufele: roasted pork basted with German beer, often served with potato dumplings, sauerkraut, or creamed savoy cabbage.

Pelau: a famous Caribbean one-pot meal prepared with caramelized chicken, parboiled rice, pigeon peas, and a variety of vegetables and green spices.

SUMMARY

Cultural foods correspond to healthy eating habits. Many of these recipes include many dietary categories and nutrients in a single meal.

In conclusion

Healthy eating is simply the intake of a variety of nutrient-rich food categories in order to maintain excellent health.

Healthy eating looks different in various groups and locations, contrary to popular health and wellness messaging. It does not have a distinct appearance or needs the consumption of certain meals.

Although the American and Canadian dietary food standards promote the use of ethnic foods as part of a balanced diet, nutrition messaging and counseling often lack the competency and inclusiveness to emphasize the significance of cultural foods.