\Chapter 1: Nutrition — Culture, Economics, and Religion
Here are several factors affecting a person’s access to food, food selections, and the way they consume food. These include cultural, economic, and religious considerations.
- Cultural; describes the ideas, customs, skills, and art of a group of people in a period of civilization. In some cultures, food is prized, and in others, it is spurned.
- Economic; availability of food can change based on the local economic status of a city or neighborhood.
- Religious; selection of foods and the way they are prepared can vary between religious groups. For example, Buddhists consider it uncompassionate to eat the flesh of another living creature, and many, though not all, are vegetarians. Hindus do not believe in injuring or killing an animal for its meat. Cows are sacred in that culture. Thus, the devout Hindu diet rejects poultry, eggs, and meats.
A strong exemple in food customs is the Jewish religion, which follow different recipe, preparation and diet:
Mormon church discourages parishioners from drinking coffee, alcohol, and tea. Orthodox Judiasm requires the consumption of kosher foods. Kosher foods include ruminant animals (sheep, cows, and goats), chicken, goose, fruits, and vegetables. The allowed animals are considered kosher if their slaughter is supervised by a rabbi or authorized individual to ensure the blood is removed properly. Similarly, halal foods are permitted foods in Islam. Halal foods do not allow animal blood, improper slaughter, intoxicants, or decay.
KOSHER:
Foods “fit” for consumption per the requirements of Jewish law.
HALAL FOODS:
Foods deemed “acceptable” for consumption by Muslim law.
Holidays for religious groups like Passover, Ramadan, or Lent can affect the foods consumed or the frequency and timing of food consumption. Many religious holidays involve fasting or food restrictions during a set period.
