Social and cultural practices have a major influence on what we eat, how we prepare our food, and things we prefer to eat. These social food values and practices are rarely the main or even an important cause of malnutrition. On the other hand many practices are particularly modified to promote health; providing women rich and nutritious food during pregnancy and even the first month of child birth. It is also to be noted that some food taboos stop rich in calories food intake by the people living in that society. For instance many societies don’t permit the slaughtering of cows and buffalos. Similarly some regions don’t allow pork meat. Nutritionists of every society must be aware of the food habits and practices of that very community that they are targeting. So, that they have a positive influence on the eating traditions.
Everyone has their own likes and dislikes and their beliefs about foods. Many people are conservative about their food habits. We usually tend to like what our mothers used to cook for us when we were young and food that we ate more frequently on feasts with our friends and close relatives. So parents must focus on how they develop their kids eating habits and things they cook for them.
The food customs a society has developed are based on their local research and are usually good and only minor changes are needed to maintain the nutrient requirements for the whole family. Though in some of the developing countries and societies quantity of food eaten is more common of a problem than quality of food. Different cultures use various methods to provide better foods to its members. In Indonesia and in other parts of Africa, food is fermented partly before consumption; this may improve the quality and also reduce the contamination of food from germs
The change in food habits are not accidental and are modified over a period of time or even can be deliberately initiated. Community, family, school, peer and all other social agents can be an important factor for change. They all form the taste and requirement matrix for all of individuals. If they are introduced to a new item and forced to consume it, soon it will become part of the food custom. School meals can also introduce new foods to kids. This expansion of experience in the early age groups is very important. Children may later influence family and then down the line their own children. So, to maintain a healthy eating chain we must start right form the beginning to socialize the kids about the use of proper and healthy food to get an active society.
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