Food and Nutrition in Diverse Cultures and Communities

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Food and Nutrition in Diverse Cultures and
Communities

• Allie Hanson
• Concordia College, Moorhead, MN

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Food and Religion

• Food, because it sustains life, is an important
  part of religious symbols, rites, and customs
  those acts of daily life that are intended to
  bring about an orderly relationship with the
  spiritual or supernatural realm.

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Judaism
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Judaism

• Kashrut, the Jewish Dietary Laws
• Kosher or Kasher means fit
• Glat Kosher strictest dietary laws
• Orthodox Jews vs. Reform Jews
• Spiritual health, not physical health, is sole
  reason for dietary observance

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Judaism

• Dietary Law Categories
• Animals which are/are not permitted
• Method of slaughtering animals
• Examination of slaughtered animals
• Forbidden parts of permitted animals
• Preparation of the meat
• Law of milk and meat
• Products of forbidden animals
• Examination for insects and worms

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Judaism
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Jewish Religious Holidays

• The Sabbath
• Rosh Hashanah
• Yom Kipper, the Day of Atonement
• Sukkot, Feast of Tabernacles
• Hannukkah, the Festival of Lights
• Purim
• Shavout, Season of the Giving Torah
• Passover

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Passover Seder Table

• Zroah
• Beitzah
• Marrot
• Haroset
• Karpas
• Special Decorative Cup

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Jewish Fast Days
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Christianity Roman Catholicism
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Christianity Roman Catholicism

• Feast Days
• Food Traditions depend on family
• Feast Days Include
• Christmas
• Easter
• Annunciation (March 25)
• Palm Sunday (Sunday before Easter)
• Ascension (40 days after Easter)
• Pentecost (50 days after Easter)

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Christianity Roman Catholicism

• Dietary Restrictions
• Before 1966, abstinence from meat on Fridays
• Also on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday
• Abstinence vs. Fasting
• In 1966, abolished most dietary laws except
  during the time of lent
• Avoid liquids and food 1 hour before communion

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Christianity Eastern Orthodox
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Christianity Eastern Orthodox

• Feast Days
• Easter is most important holiday
• 3rd Sunday before lent (Meat Fare Sunday)
• Sunday before lent (Cheese Fare Sunday)
• Lenten fast broken after midnight services on
  Easter Sunday

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Christianity Eastern Orthodox

• Fast Days
• Abstain from food and drink before Holy Communion
• On fast days, no meat or animal products are
  consumed fish is also avoided
• Shellfish is allowed
• Older or more devout Greek Orthodox followers do
  no use olive oil on fest days, but will eat
  olives.

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Christianity Eastern Orthodox

• Fast Days include
• Every Wednesday and Friday except during fast
  free weeks
• Week following Christmas till Eve of Theophany
  (12 days after Christmas)
• Bright Week, week following Easter
• Trinity Week, week following Trinity Sunday
• Eve of Theophany (Jan. 6 or 18)
• Beheading of John the Baptist (Aug. 29 or Sept.
  27)
• The Elevation of the Holy Cross (Sept. 14 or 27)

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Christianity Eastern Orthodox

• Fast Periods include
• Nativity Fast (Advent) Nov. 15 or 18 to Dec. 24
  or Jan. 8
• Great Lent and Holy Week 7 weeks before Easter
• Fast of the Apostles May 23 or June 5 to June 16
  or 29
• Fast of the Dormition of The Holy Theotokos Aug.
  1 or 14 to Aug 25 or 28

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Protestantism Mormon
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Protestantism Mormon

• Dietary Restrictions
• Basted on the idea that the body is a temple of
  God and should not be harmed by stimulants
• No tobacco
• No strong drinks (alcoholic beverages)
• No hot drinks (tea and coffee)
• Many do not consume products with caffeine
• Advised to eat meat sparingly

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Protestantism Mormon

• Dietary Practices
• Base their diets on grains, especially wheat
• Store a years supply of food and clothing for
  each person in the family
• Many fast 1 day per month
• Donate the money that would have been spent on
  food to the poor

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Protestantism Seventh Day Adventist
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Protestantism Seventh Day Adventist

• Dietary Restrictions
• Overeating is discouraged
• No meat (some may eat red meat but avoid pork and
  shellfish)
• No tea, coffee, or alcohol
• No tobacco
• No highly seasoned food
• No condiments (e.g. mustard, pepper)
• Eating between meals is discouraged (food must be
  properly digested)

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Protestantism Seventh Day Adventist

• Dietary Practices
• Sabbath is observed from sundown on Friday to
  sundown on Saturday and is wholly dedicated to
  the Lord.
• Food must be prepared on Friday and dishes washed
  on Sunday
• Adventists follow Apostle Pauls teaching that
  the human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
• Most are lacto-ovo-vegetarians

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Protestantism Seventh Day Adventist

• Dietary Practices
• Mrs. White advocated
• Using nuts and beans instead of meat
• Substituting vegetable oils for animal fat
• Using whole grains in breads
• Water is considered the best liquid (not consumed
  during a meal)
• 5 or 6 hours should elapse between meals

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Islam/Muslim
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Islam/Muslim

• Islamic Dietary Laws
• Halal, Permitted or Lawful Foods
• Haram, Unlawful or Prohibited Foods

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Islam/Muslim

• Feast Days
• Eid al-Fitr (Feast of Fast Breaking)
• Eid al-Azha (Festival of Sacrifice)
• Shab-l-Barat (Night in the Middle of Shahban)
• Nqu-Roz (New Years Day)
• Maulud nNabi

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Islam/Muslim

• Fast Days
• Ramadan
• Shawwal
• Muharran
• Zul Hijjah
• Voluntarily on Mondays and Thursdays
• No Fasting Excessively or on Fridays

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Islam/Muslim

• New American Perspective

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Hinduism
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Hinduism

• Dietary Practices
• Avoid foods (e.g. flesh, alcohol) that are
  believed to hamper the development of the body or
  mental abilities
• Vegetarian
• Encouraged to practice moderation in their food
  practices
• The cow is considered sacred and is not to be
  killed or eaten
• Pork is also avoided

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Hinduism

• Dietary Practices
• Fish that have ugly forms (e.g. catfish) and the
  heads of many animals are forbidden
• No fish or meat should be eaten until it has been
  sanctified by offering it to the gods
• May abstain from drinking alcohol
• Garlic, turnips, onions, mushrooms and
  red-colored foods (e.g. tomatoes) and red lentils
  may be avoided

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Hinduism

• Feast Days
• 18 Major Festivals
• May be the only days that the poor eat adequately
• Feast Days include
• Holi
• Dusshera
• Divali

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Hinduism

• Fast Days
• Vary according to each individual
• Numerous fast days
• 1st day of the new and full moon of each lunar
  month
• 10th and 11th days of each month

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Buddhism
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Buddhism

• Dietary Practices
• Vary considerably depending on the religious
  group and country
• Buddhist doctrine forbids the taking of life
  therefore, many are lacto-ovo-vegetarians
• Some eat fish, and others abstain only from beef
• Others believe that if they were not personally
  responsible for killing the animal, it is
  permissible to eat its flesh

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Buddhism

• Feasts and Fasts
• From July to October, Buddhist monks are directed
  to remain in retreat and meditate
• The first and last of the retreat is a time for
  worshippers to bring gifts of food for a feast
• Many fast twice a month and/or on the days of the
  new and full moon
• Do not eat any solid food after noon

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Hispanic Mexican Americans
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Traditional Health Beliefs and Practices

• Includes elements of Indian supernatural rituals
  combined with European folk medicine introduced
  from Spain
• Health is a gift from God, and illness is almost
  always due to outside forces
• Health care sought from a hierarchy of healers

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Traditional Health Beliefs and Practices

• Illness is believed to be due to
• Excessive emotion
• Dislocation of organs
• Magic
• Imbalance in hot or cold
• Is considered an Anglo disease, such as pneumonia
  and appendicitis
• Treatment is based on the cause of the disease
• Seek hospital care only when needed, and then
  families play a large role
• Consult with the male head of household

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Traditional Food Habits

• Very proud of culinary heritage
• Aztec foods
• Spanish Contributions

• Staples
• Tortillas
• Beans
• One dish meals
• Meats prepared over high heat
• Stuffed food items
• Vegetables
• Sweets popular
• Coffee