Food habits and their Effect on Nutrition
By food habits, we mean the behaviour acquired by people towards food. They include
food fads, religious beliefs, food fallacies, and the frequency and pattern of eating. Food habits
must be understood by the nutrition counsellor so that if her client requires a change in eating
pattern, she will know how to bring this about successfully without spoiling her client's
enjoyment of eating.
A food fad, or craving for a particular food, is usually temporary and can often occur in
pregnant women. However, it is harmless in such women provided that all the necessary
nutrients are obtained daily. Food fads may occur during an illness which has led to loss of
appetite, but healthy teenagers can also develop cravings, such as those for Coke or ice cream,
every now and again.
Religious beliefs affect the food habits of many people. For instance, the Muslims and
Jews are forbidden to eat pork. It would therefore not be morally correct for people of these faiths
to be forced to go against their beliefs, when there are alternative sources of the nutrients
obtained from pork. Similarly, people of the Roman Catholic faith abstain from eating meat on
Friday, and the Hindus exclude beef from their diets. Vegetarians, on the other hand, do not eat
any animal foods except eggs, milk and their products, although some vegetarians will eat fish.
Whatever the case, if the client's confidence is to be won, his beliefs must be noted and
respected.
Fallacies about food in our society are not only numerous but are also restrictive, and
mainly affect the vulnerable groups in society, usually the women and children. For example,
children are not given meat and eggs because for generations it has been believed that these
items make children steal. It is therefore not surprising that many children suffer from some
degree of kwashiorkor. Also, some people say that a woman should not eat snails during
pregnancy because her baby will then have an excessive amount of saliva. If the woman likes
snails or if snails happen to be the only animal protein that she can afford, then she must either
ignore these tales, or rely on luck to see her successfully through her pregnancy.
The frequency of eating usually varies from once a day to three times a day. This habit is
acquired from childhood. People who eat once a day probably do so for convenience; for
example, farmers, who get up very early in the morning and travel long distances over their
farms, may not have time to eat until the afternoon, when they will consume large amounts of
food. However, this eating pattern will tend to distend the stomach, and can cause discomfort.
Most people eat three times a day but take light refreshment between meals. In this way, the
body is able to cope with the demands made on it during the day. However, children have a
tendency to fill themselves with bread, gari in water, biscuits, cakes and sweets between meals.
This can mean that at meal times they have little appetite for food which is more nutritious than
these snacks. Such habits should therefore be discouraged. Another practice which should be
discouraged is that of serving the food to all the children in the family on one large plate, so that
they all sit round the plate and eat together. When this is done, it is likely that the slow eaters will
not get enough food, and, more important, if one child is suffering from an infectious disease, the
rest will almost certainly become infected. Mumps, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria,
worms, colds, coughs and tuberculosis are some of the diseases that can be spread in this way. In
children, massive distension of the abdomen after meals may be a sign of worm infestation.
Children should be dewormed at regular intervals.
Fasting, as practised annually by the Muslims, may be safe for those who are healthy but
is unwise for those who are not. A sick patient should not be allowed to fast, as adequate
nutrition plays an important part in recovery from disease.
Finally, there is growing concern over advertisements dealing with some classes of food
items. For example, an advertisement for an alcoholic beverage may paint a vivid picture of the
instant happiness to be derived from drinking it, but carefully avoids mentioning its
disadvantages, like the effects of drinking too much of it, drinking it on an empty stomach, and
the loss of one's appetite for food, with its consequent damaging effect on the liver.
An advertisement for a nourishing, non-alcoholic drink will claim to do us a lot of good, but will
not tell us of the caffeine content which can cause palpitations in some people.
Many food habits are believed to be formed in childhood, or sometimes following a
traumatising incident with food. For example, many children develop a dislike for soups after
they have been given over-spiced and peppery ones. On the other hand, children should be intro-
duced to as many foods as possible during the latter part of the weaning period so that they
acquire a taste for a variety of foods. In this way, there is a greater likelihood that there will
usually be something that the child will be willing to eat.