Nutrition and Culture

The practice related to the nutrition has changed dramatically around the globe. Culture plays a very vital role in shaping the nutritional behaviour of the individuals. The eating behaviours which an individual develops are relative to social, biological and physiological derived from the traditions, culture and to the environment were the individual is exposed (Moallemi, 2014). An important phase of nutritional tradition is that they enclose an immense influence on the individual’s health (Abasi & Mohammadkhani, 2016). Though various cultures encompass a number of dietary behaviour that endorses good health, may have the practices related to high-risk. Such tradition is largely connected with certain elements of culture such as belief systems ad historical perspectives (Dehghan Dehnavi, Parsamehr & Naseri, 2014). In this paper will discuss the high-risk nutritional behaviour that is associated with the different cultures.

 Such nutritional behaviours are adopted in the early stages of life among the Southeast Asian and developed gradually form the adolescent age till adulthood. The risky nutritional behaviours act are damaging to the individual as they result to cause the public health restricted access of this result increased cost in campaigns and health (Sutfin, 2009). The individuals of Indochinese are in great way affected by the different chronic disease which is due to the result of risk nutritional behaviours that are adopted among the individuals from various cultures (Samadypoor & Kord Tamini, 2016). Planing for the interventions related to the nutritional behaviour is crucial; however, the initial step is to understand the behaviour related to the risky nutritional habits among the different culture around the globe (Noori & Ahmadipour, 2016).

Over the precedent years, the majority of youth and children in African American culture include the gradually more developed habit of consuming junk food.  The culture of racism and pervasive are certain factors which are responsible for risk nutritional behaviour among the  Indigenous Australians (Dehghan Dehnavi, Parsamehr & Naseri, 2014). Nevertheless, no clear belief systems or historical perspectives that impacted the tradition of consuming junk food. This resulted in obesity among the population of American since the era of the 80s and is estimated that this number has been tripled at the present time (Keller, 2014). The discrimination faced by the African Americans, they progressed in a poor environment.  The Mexican culture relates to the binge feeding where the individual is overfeed and is affected by the bulimia (Keller, 2014). In Mexico, more of the women as compared to men are found to be effected by bulimia, where the around 1.8 % women and only 0.6% men follow it. The level of obesity among the individuals is endorsed due to the dietary adoptions and mainly among the women’s (Noori & Ahmadipour, 2016). The Chinese culture believes to consume the food that is steamed or only fried. According to them having cold drinks in the diet can damage their body and may also interrupt the body balance. the Cuban heritage culture under practices the high risk behaviour which is have the unsafe sex and this is also in a great way among the young individual which make their body to be more prone towards illness. 

Risky Nutritional Behavior and Public Health

The sedentary lifestyle of the people is also concluded as one of the causes for such nutritional behaviour among the Mexican community (Keller, 2014). Current studies of the effects and causes of such tradition made known that this is very much prejudiced by education, family roles, advertisements, and availability. In the olden times, the youth and the children are to eat the healthy and fresh food that is prepared at home and now the hectic schedule the people more prefer the junk food (Bakhshani, 2014). Shortage of time due to busy schedules of education and challenging careers of the parents are one of the major causes for the risky nutritional behaviour among the individuals. Such eating behaviour resulted in an increased prevelance of the obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes (Bakhshani, 2014).

The American youth follows the different culture which is associated with certain high-risk nutritional behaviours. The frequent practices amongst them consist of overeating, alcohol consumption and smoking. The reason for such behaviours is basically lifestyle-related. Though, they contain a constituent of chronological belief or perception (Lewis, Boutrin, Dalrymple & McNeill, 2017). Number of indulging in smoking and alcohol consumption as a result of the stressful lifestyles both at home and work (Haque, 2014). The conception that drinking alcohol and smoking help to alleviate stress and put off over thinking that is support for the historical belief system and perception.  The overeating in a great way contributes as a result of the profusion of food. Certain adults consume at what time they are tensed, stressed or time enjoying with family and friends. This results in the excess consumption as required (Haque, 2014).

It is recognized widely that culture results in shaping the consumption of the food and physical activities of the individuals, as culture represents a certain set of values, traditions, social norms, conducting things and to engage with the humanity that is spread across generations and manipulate behaviours. Individuals’ physical and social environment changes, the influence of culture and also itself the culture can be changed as well (Swierad, Vartanian & King, 2017). Therefore, it is also significant to distinguish that culture exemplifies not only the fixed but also flowing traits. Since African Americans are in the right place together with the mainstream and ethnic cultures and exposed certain sets of cultural norms that surround physical activity and food intake. Such numerous cultural norms are able to potentially contain negative or positive pressure on individual health behaviours. The negative influence is associated with the thought that different culture norms can argument with each other. The cultural norms influence health behaviours, bicultural groups, such African Americans, may be at the same time exposed to discrepant intellectual lifestyle-related custom, and such norms unfavourably affect the physical activity and food intake (Swierad, Vartanian & King, 2017). There is also possible positive influence of mainstream and ethnic cultures on one’s wellbeing, and this is connected to the thought that bicultural persons may have additional access and knowledge related to health behaviours that are appreciated in such cultures and shaping the health practices (Swierad, Vartanian & King, 2017).

Conclusion:

The nutritional behaviours of African Americans are as a result of the economic and health inequality among such cultural group. African Americans are unreasonably more likely as compared to White Americans to experience an issue such as negotiation access to healthy food, restricted access of the desired places for the physical activity and squat affordability of nutritious food, and such factors impact the likelihood to engage in nutritional behaviours (Debnam, 2012). Therefore, the nutritional behaviours of African Americans require being observed in the framework of personal factors, persons instant social environment, and physical environment. 

References

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