KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE FOOD HABITS OF MAN IS PROVIDED BY MANY DISCIPLINES. THE SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, ANTHROPOLOGISTS, SOCIOLOGISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CULTURAL GEOGRAPHERS HAVE BEEN CONCERNED WITH MAN’S CULTURE, SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND FOOD HABITS. A NUMBER OF FACTORS INFLUENCE THE FOOD HABITS. THESE INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS, EDUCATIONAL AND ECONOMIC LEVEL OF THE COMMUNITY, AVAILABILITY AND COST OF FOODS AND SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PRACTICES. ONCE THE FOOD HABITS ARE ESTABLISHED, THEY ARE HANDED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. IN THE PRESENT CHAPTER, THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS OF THE PROBLEM HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED:·
GEOGRAPHIC·
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ·
TRADITIONAL BELIEFS·
FOOD FADS AND CULTS ·
CHANGING FOOD HABITS
EARLY MAN ATE WHATEVER FOOD HE COULD GET TO SATISFY HIS HUNGER. THE FOOD HE COULD GET CONSISTED OF WHAT HE COULD CULTIVATE IN THE LOCALITY. SOIL, CLIMATE, WATER AND LOCAL AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES DETERMINED THE TYPES OF FOODS THAT CAN BE GROWN IN THE LOCALITY. THIS MAY EXPLAIN THE LARGE SCALE AND MAIZE (CORN) IN MANY COUNTRIES OF AFRICA, CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA OVER THE PAST SEVERAL CENTURIES.CONSUMPTION OF DIETS BASED PREDOMINANTLY ON THIS STAPLE FOOD HAS GIVEN RISE TO LARGE SCALE INCIDENCE OF PROTEIN CALORIE MALNUTRITION AMONG PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN THIS REGION. PELLAGRA WAS ALSO WIDELY PREVALENT AMONG POOR MAIZE EATERS.RICE IS THE MAIN FOOD CROP IN THE TROPICAL COUNTRIES WHERE RAINFALL IS HIGH AND WATER IS AVAILABLE FOR IRRIGATION, WHILE MILLETS ARE CULTIVATED IN AREAS OF LOW RAINFALL. INCIDENCE OF BERI BERI WAS HIGH AMONG THE POPULATION CONSUMING HIGHLY MILLED RAW RICE. WHEAT IS MAINLY CULTIVATED IN TEMPERATE REGIONS. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS THE VARIOUS RELIGIONS OF THE WORD HAVE HAD SOME INFLUENCE ON THE FOOD HABITS. FOR EXAMPLE,MUSLIMS ARE FORBIDDEN FROM EATING PORK AND HINDUS FROM EATING BEEF. SUCH RELIGIOUS BELIEFS HAVE BEEN PRACTICED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS. TRADITIONAL BELIEFS TRADITIONAL BELIEFS IN FOOD HABITS ARE STILL PREVALENT WITH A LARGE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION WHO ARE ILLITERATE OR IGNORANT REGARDING THE NUTRITIVE VALUE OFF FOODS. THESE BELIEFS INFLUENCE PROFOUNDLY THE PATTERN OF FOOD EATEN. IN SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS, IT IS BELIEVED THAT CERTAIN SHELL FISH EATEN DURING PREGNANCY WILL CAUSE THE CHILD TO BE BORN WITH SCALES ON ITS HEAD. IN ETHIOPIA, PREGNANT WOMEN MUST AVOID ROASTED MEAT AS IT IS BELIEVED TO ABORTION. EGGS ARE THOUGHT TO CAUSE BALDNESS AND STERILITY AND HENCE NOT CONSUMED BY PREGNANT WOMEN.
IN INDIA, CONSUMPTION OF PAPAYA FRUIT BY WOMEN IS BELIEVED TO LEAD TO ABORTION,AND CONSUMPTION OF GARLIC BY LACTATING WOMEN WILL INCREASE MILK PRODUCTION.MILK, WHICH IS AN ESSENTIAL PROTECTIVE FOOD IN WESTERN COUNTRIES, IS DISLIKED IN MANY ASIAN AND AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND NOT EVEN WEANED INFANTS AND PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
IN SOME PART OF INDIA (WEST BENGAL),IT WAS BELIEVED THAT CONSUMPTION OF MILK AND FISH AT THE SAME MEAL WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEPROSY AND LEUCODERMA. OTHER SIMILAR BELIEFS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:·
CONSUMPTION OF BRAIN WILL LEAD TO PREMATURE GREYING OF HAIR AND BALDNESS OF HEAD.· CONSUMPTION OF TONGUE OF GOAT BY CHILDREN WILL MAKE THEM TALKATIVE, ·
EATING GOAT’S LEG BY CHILDREN WILL LEAD TO IMPROPER DEVELOPMENT OF KNEES AND ANKLE JOINTS·
CONSUMPTION OF PIG’S STOMACH BY GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN WILL DARKEN THEIR COMPLETION · CONSUMPTION OF MEAT FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF AN ANIMAL BY YOUNG MARRIED WOMEN WILL PREVENT CHILDBEARING. IN SOME PARTS OF AFRICA, IT IS BELIEVED THAT EGGS, IF GIVEN TO CHILDREN BEFORE THE TEETH HAVE ERUPTED, WILL LEAD TO STUPIDLY, FISH WILL PRODUCE SKIN RASHES AND MEAT WILL MAKE CHILDREN GREEDY. HOT AND COLD FOODS .
FOODS ARE CLASSIFIED AS HOT AND COLD BY DIFFERENT CULTURES IN MANY COUNTRIES. ‘HOT’ FOODS ARE BELIEVED TO PRODUCE MORE HEAT IN THE BODY AND LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOILS. ‘COLD’ FOODS ARE SUPPOSED TO LOWER THE HEAT PRODUCTION AND LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF COLD, SORE THROAT, ETC. MEAT, EGGS, LEGUMES, NUTS AND OILSEEDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ‘HOT’ FOODS, WHILE FRUITS, VEGETABLE AND MILK ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ‘COLD’ FOODS. PICA IS A COMMON PRACTICE AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN MANY COUNTRIES. PICA IS THE HABIT OF EATING MUD, CLAY, CHALK, LIMESTONE, PLASTER, ASHES, STARCH, ETC.THIS HABIT HAS BEEN REPORTED SINCE ANCIENT TIMES FROM ASIA, AFRICA, EUROPE AND NORTH, CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN. THERE IS A BELIEF THAT THE BABY WILL NOT BE NORMAL IF ONE DOES NOT EAT CLAY OR STARCH. FOOD FADS AND CULTSEXAGGERATEDCLAIMS FOR SOME FOODS: HIPPOCRATES WROTE OF THE HEALTH VALUE OF CERTAIN FOODS. FOOD FADS OF VARIOUS KINDS HAVE PERSISTED EVER SINCE. ACCORDING TO INDIAN AYURVEDIC SYSTEM OF MEDICINE MANY FOODS ARE REPUTED TO HAVE CURATIVE PROPERTIES FOR SOME DISEASES. FOR EXAMPLE, BITTER GOURD IS REPUTED TO CURE DIABETES MELLITUS, BUT WITHOUT ANY SCIENTIFIC BASIS. YOGURT, WHEAT GERM, BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES, BREWERS YEAST AND HONEY HAVE BEEN WIDELY PROMOTED BY SOME FOODFADDISTS AS POSSESSING EXTRAORDINARY NUTRITIONAL AND MEDICINAL QUALITIES.FRUITS AND VEGETABLES CULTIVATED USING ORGANIC MANURE (COMPOST ETC.) AREBELIEVED TO POSSESS GREATER NUTRITIVE VALUE THAN FOODS GROWN WITH INORGANICFERTILIZERS. BROWN SUGAR IS REPUTED TO POSSESS HIGHER NUTRITIVE VALUE THANWHITE SUGAR.
A SURVEY MADE BY A COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN DIETETICS ASSOCIATION SHOWED THAT THE FOLLOWING TO BE MORE COMMONLY OBSERVED FOOD FALLACIES IN USA.