Culture and nutrition
Dr. Minoo Forouzanfar believes that opinions about food and eating habits are formed during childhood. People’s beliefs and eating habits change over time and under the influence of socializing with friends and acquaintances.
Nutrition in different cultures
Learning from friends and acquaintances about nutrition is faster and more effective than learning from nutritionists. Different cultures may offer food to relieve hunger, pleasure, proper nutrition, or health.
The existence of such differences in different cultures causes people in a community to have lunch quickly and in restaurants; While people in the other community take a break from work for two hours or more so they can have lunch with their family.
Culture has taught us when and for what to have an appetite. For example, “for breakfast, we generally do not want to eat meat or sausages, while at this time of day we enjoy eating bread and cheese, butter and jam, or eggs. Regardless of economic factors, whether or not appetite is suppressed It also depends on the culture.
For example:
In developed countries, although millions of women are eager to eat desserts, sweets and cream and butter with bread; But because of their fitness, which their culture relies on, they refrain from consuming the above substances. The emphasis in recent years, especially in Europe and the United States, on the speed and adequacy of the workforce can also affect food choices. Here, for example, we can drink fruit juice or sandwiches instead of a detailed lunch.
Nutrition in Islam
In our Muslim culture, nutrition is also given special importance; as in the Qur’an, more than 300 verses have been directly or indirectly discussed about nutrition. Imam Reza (AS) says; indeed, the body is like a clean bed.
When you cultivate and irrigate that land, of course, as much water as it needs, no more to ruin that land and no less to make the land thirsty. Certainly, “that land will remain prosperous, its cultivation will increase, and its produce will be good and clean, but if you neglect the development of that land, that land will rot and grass and plants will not grow in it.”
The similarity of the earth and the human body
So the body is like this earth that should be considered in feeding and watering it. When you nourish and nourish your body with refreshing food and drink, it stays healthy and all its members do their job well.
Nutrition pattern
Based on this, it can be said that eating patterns and eating habits derived from nutrition culture and knowledge affect people’s health. Therefore, awareness of food quality and its impact on health and meeting the needs of the body, as well as people’s beliefs about the use of food, the way they are stored, play a major role in household nutrition.
Research shows that despite the knowledge of some women about the best ways to consume food, the use of desirable methods is still not very common.
In general, in food selection, the availability of materials and the taste of family members are more important than the needs of family members. In view of the above, any attempt to continue or change existing diets should be based on a thorough understanding of effective cultural factors.
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