Low Daily Intake of Fruits and Vegetables in Rural and Urban Bangladesh: Influence of Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors, Social Food Beliefs and Behavioural Practices

Bangladesh is facing a large burden of non-communicable diseases. As a possible remedy, the WHO/FAO recommends consuming 400 g or five servings of fruits and vegetables every day; however, only a small proportion of the population practices this. The present study sets out to determine the sociodemographic factors that affect this low intake of fruits and vegetables, and the roles that beliefs and behavioural practices play in influencing food consumption. Logistic and ordered logistic regressions were used to identify what sociodemographic factors are significantly influencing fruit and vegetable intake, and to explain the role of social food beliefs. It was found that in Bangladesh 75% of urban and 92% of rural populations consume less than five servings a day. While gender was not found to be a significant factor, housewives appeared to be more at risk of a lower intake of fruits and vegetables. People with higher income, higher education, and who are older were all less likely to have problems with a low intake of fruits and vegetables. Higher education assisted in attaining positive beliefs and behavioural practices regarding food, while residing in a rural community was found to be a significant constraint.

An assessment of dietary intake, food avoidance and food beliefs in patients with ulcerative colitis of different disease status

Background/Aims: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing and remitting inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Little is known about the link between dietary intake, food avoidance, and beliefs among UC patients of different disease severity. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the dietary intake, food avoidance, and beliefs among active and inactive UC patients.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among UC patients from a tertiary medical center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Demographic, anthropometric, dietary intake, food avoidance and beliefs were assessed. Disease activity of UC patients was evaluated using the Powell Tuck Index. Results: UC patients were recruited (64.1% inactive UC and 35.9% active UC). As compared to inactive UC patients, active UC patients were likely to lose weight (75.0% vs. 0%), possess certain food beliefs (95.7% vs. 39.0%), and frequently practiced dietary avoidance (95.7% vs. 43.9%). The dietary intake among inactive UC patients was higher than active UC patients. However, neither of them met the standard nutrients recommendation for protein, calcium, iron, folate, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin B₁₂, and vitamin E. Conclusions: Active UC patients had poorer dietary intake, were more prone to practicing food avoidance and exhibited certain food beliefs as compared to inactive UC patients. Both macro- and micronutrients intakes were inadequate regardless of patient’s disease status. These findings emphasized the importance for patients to be provided with the nutrition-related knowledge as part of strategies to avoid nutritional inadequacies.

Food beliefs and practices during pregnancy in Northern Ghana: Implications for nutrition counseling

Cultural practices and beliefs are important factors that could influence a woman’s dietary choices during pregnancy. We investigated food beliefs among pregnant women in Northern Ghana. In-depth interviews were conducted with thirty women, selected from three districts. We describe food beliefs regarding ‘recommended’ and ‘prohibited’ foods during pregnancy. There was a general agreement among participants about the recommended foods but not on the prohibited foods. For example, for some banana was regarded as prohibited, while for others it was recommended. Hypersensitivity to smell was attributed to nausea, vomiting and spiting and was largely the most important factor that could modify dietary habits of those who experienced it. Pregnancy is a sensitive phase and thus requires critical care and attention. Therefore, individualized counseling during antenatal clinics instead of the ongoing mass education is recommended as this will help address conditions peculiar to individual pregnancies.

Parental Food Beliefs on Pre-School-Aged Children in Kaski District of Nepal: A Qualitative Review

Background: This study explores food beliefs among poor mothers related to feeding their offspring. Mothers’ misconception of a healthy diet is one of the major causes of nutritional problems in preschool-aged children in Nepal and these beliefs and attitudes can result in the inappropriate feeding of young children. Objectives: The main objectives of this study were:• identify major barriers for recommending healthy food that are associated with existing cultures, religions and ethnic divisions;• assess the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about nutritious food amongst mothers;• assess health-seeking behaviour for children of low socio-economic status. Methods: Study used a qualitative focus group discussion. Fifty participants took part in seven focus groups to explore their food beliefs. The qualitative focus groups aimed to collect in-depth information around food beliefs and data were thematically analysed. Results: The study identified six key themes: (a) poverty; (b) knowledge; (c) policy; (d) beliefs about breastfeeding; (e) food beliefs: and (f) health-seeking behaviours/cultural influences. Many participants thought that illiterate and underserved populations are generally exposed due to financial scarcity, poor knowledge and strongly rooted in cultural practices, and beliefs. This study found ‘diversified views’ as a major barrier to food and health-seeking behaviours. Some groups recognised the negative effects of existing beliefs and taboos. However, the spiritual healers highlighted the importance of linking beliefs with cultural and religious norms and values. They showed the complex relationships between food and health-seeking behaviours and food recommendations with financial status and the perceived cultural practices of society. Conclusions: This study suggests that a public health approach is needed to address nutrition problems associated with behaviour and revealed major barriers which were associated with poverty, resources, and mothers’ education level.

Generational Differences in Perceptions of Food Health/Risk and Attitudes toward Organic Food and Game Meat: The Case of the COVID-19 Crisis in China

In December 2019, a novel laboratory-confirmed coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection, which has caused clusters of severe illnesses, was first reported in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, China. This foodborne illness, which reportedly most likely originated in a seafood market where wild animals are sold illegally, has transmitted among humans through close contact, across the world. The aim of this study is to explore health/risk perceptions of and attitudes toward healthy/risky food in the immediate context of food crisis. More specifically, by using the data collected from 1008 respondents in January 2020, the time when China was hit hard by the “Corona Virus Disease 2019” (COVID-19), this study investigates the overall and different generational respondents’ health/risk perceptions of and attitudes toward organic food and game meat. The results reveal that, firstly, based on their food health and risk perceptions of healthy and risky food, the respondents’ general attitudes are positive toward organic food but relatively negative toward game meat. Secondly, older generations have a more positive attitude and are more committed to organic food. Younger generations’ attitude toward game meat is more negative whereas older generations attach more importance to it because of its nutritional and medicinal values. In addition, this research also indicates that the COVID-19 crisis influences the respondents’ perceptions of and attitudes toward organic food and game meat consumption. However, the likelihood of its impact on older generations’ future change in diets is smaller, which implies that older generations’ food beliefs are more stable.

Bootstraps and Turbans

Food—enjoying it, preparing it, serving it, distributing it, and using it for healing purposes—is central to life in the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO). In 3HO’s early years, food beliefs and practices were instrumental in creating community, shaping members’ identities, and establishing group boundaries. Over time, members created a variety of organizations linked to 3HO, and many members became Sikhs. They created businesses, several involving food production and sales, and some quite successful. In 2010 representatives of one of their organizations, Sikh Dharma International, sued the managers of one of the businesses, Golden Temple Bakery, accusing the managers of “misappropriation of valuable assets.” This paper examines the growth of 3HO businesses within the context of national food production and distribution, and it considers the internal stresses of 3HO institutions revealed via the trial.

Food in fashion modelling: Eating as an aesthetic and moral practice

This paper investigates the relation between food, the body and morality in fashion modelling. More than has been recognized so far, eating is a continuous form of body work that is decidedly essential to aesthetic labour. Against the backdrop of slender aesthetics, models are purposefully socialized into remaining or becoming slender, through food beliefs inducing them to eat in specific ways. Food is classified into good and bad categories, and believed to affect male and female bodies differently. But other than to aesthetics or gender, considering ‘what (not) to eat’ links to morality, enabling models to draw symbolic boundaries between themselves and others. These show two main moral imperatives: models should eat controlled and effortlessly. Solving this moral paradox, models normalize and conceal controlled eating. Ultimately, the fashion modelling food system preoccupies models with self-surveillance and reinforces power inequalities between models and other professionals.