Transcript Document

We are What We Eat - Culture and Food
Janet Schwartz, MS. RD. LDN
June 27, 2012
"People all over the world are looking - this is human nature
- you want to find a better lifestyle for you and your children
and your family." - Lebanese immigrant, Detroit
• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story
.php?storyId=5005952
Connections on a Personal Level

Own background
–What does it mean to you?
– When you were growing up and you caught a cold, what were you
told about why you caught cold, and how you should treat it ?
–What have you learned from encounters with other cultures ?

Geography map challenge
– www.lizardpoint.com for interactive map
www.eduplace.com/ss/maps
So, what is culture?
Think
about
–When an individual says, I am Italian American
–When we refer to the Greek culture
–When a student is from a family that follows Islam
Understanding other cultures and religions
 Requires
that you understand you own cultural
beliefs and values.
 How
do you know your own cultural norms?
Comparison of Some Common Values
American Values
Other Cultures’ Values
Personal control over the environment
Fate
Change
Tradition
Time dominates
Human interaction dominates
Human equality
Hierarchy/Rank/Status
Individualism/Privacy
Group Welfare
Self-help
Birthright inheritance
Competition
Cooperation
Future Oriented
Past oriented
Action/Goal oriented
‘Being’ orientation
Informality
Formality
Directness/Openness/Honesty
Indirectness/Ritual/ “face”
Practicality/Efficiency
Idealism/ Theory
Materialism
Spiritualism/Detachment
Culture determines

Cultural practices, attitudes, beliefs
–Chinese: filial piety is #1, teachers held in high regard
 See the principal as able to accomplish anything
–Importance of education for children
–Status of guests in home, community, and country

Ideology and world view
–View of America in different countries
–Hmong driving test - When the Spirit Catches You , You Fall Down
–Given a photograph, North American students of European background paid
more attention to the object in the foreground of a scene, while students from
China spent more time studying the background and taking in the whole science.
Culture determines how you solve problems
 Point A to Point B to Point C to Point D
 Linear approach to nutrition and health intervention
 Point A

Point D
 Point C
 Point C to Point B to Point C to Point A to Point D
 Linear approach to health intervention
Culture determines how you perceive time




What is considered ‘on time.’
When does a party start?
When is an appointment?
When does a health fair begin?
Culture Determines
 Behavioral
characteristics and social networks
–Importance of godparents, friends
 When
and how to interact
–Health care professionals often seen as ‘outside’
–Family members have more influence
 Who
is involved in addressing dietary concerns
–Samoans
–Mexicans
Culture determines
 Cognitive
style or how to solve problems
 Bring someone how for dinner without informing
 Problems stay in the family
 Prevention and self-treatments as concepts
 Religious
beliefs and practices
 Often provide direct advise on health
–Islam – no alcohol and drugs
–Seventh Day Adventists – same with vegetarianism
–Catholic – fast periods
–Lots more
Culture determines

Degree to which encourage or reject different emotions
–Korea: show love by doing small things

How we perform to expectations, role performance
–- Co-madres, godmothers, Godfathers, baby naming
–Role of elderly in the family and community

Language characteristics
–Tu vs Usted
–Words for relationships
 No English word for the relationship bw the parents of the wife and parents of the
husband
 “Only one person lives there.”
Health disparities are real

Hispanic
–Diabetes 2 X population.; Hypertension is higher
–Overweight and obesity are common in some Hispanic groups

Afro Americans (AA)
– The combined overweight and obesity rates for AA are higher than for European Americans
– In the US, 38% of African-American adults are hypertensive, compared to 29% of European
Americans.
– Diabetes among AA is substantially higher than among the majority population, and the
incidence of complications, including lower-limb amputations and end-stage renal disease is
double.

Eastern Europeans
–Diseases of the digestive system in men are more common in this population than in the majority
population.

Sub-Saharan Africans
– Lactose intolerance is common among Africans.
– Recent immigrants may be suffering from dental caries as a result of poor dental care in their
home country or increased consumption of processed foods in the United States.
Health is a cultural construct

Arises from beliefs about the nature of disease and the
human body

Cultural issues are actually central in the delivery of health
services.

Need to support a health care system (and educational
system) that responds appropriately to, and directly serves
the unique needs of populations whose cultures may be
different from the prevailing culture.
Culture defines
Kleinman, Eisenberg, and Good (1978)

the definition of health

what causes diseases

how health care information is received

how rights and protections are exercised

what is considered to be a health problem

how symptoms and concerns about the problem are
expressed

who should provide treatment for the problem

what type of treatment should be given
Kleinman’s Explanatory Model of Illness
Depending upon the situation, wording and number of question
used will vary.

What do you think has caused your problem?

Why do you think it started when it did?

What do you think your sickness does to you? How does it work?

How severe is your sickness? Will it have a short or long course?

What kinds of treatment do you think you should receive?

What re the most important results you hope to receive from this
treatment?

What are the chief problems your sickness has caused for you?

What do you fear most about your sickness?
Culture is Learned
 Acculturation
– process in which we learn the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors
of the culture
–occurs early in life and passed on through generations
–Cultures maintain institutions to acculturation children.
• Ethnocentrism
– acceptance of own value system and lifestyle as
appropriate
– failure to view alternative practices as alternatives
• Cultural relativism requires understanding
Cultural Pluralism vs. Cultural Mosaic

Cultural Pluralism
physical and spiritual
blending of all cultures

Cultural Mosaic
each cultural group stays
within itself and exists next
to other cultures
Cultural Changes

Acculturation
–

Bi- or multi- culturalism
–

adaptation to the new majority society
majority and minority cultures are seen as
complementing, not competing
Assimilation
–
cultural group sheds its ethnic identity and
fully merges into the majority culture
Culture and ethnicity

Culture
–
knowledge, traditions, beliefs and values that are
developed, learned, and shared by members of a society
–
passed down generation to generation
–
a communal group that views the world in the same way
Ethnicity

–
–
a way of living shared by a socially identifiable group
Ethnic groups may live in different cultures, adopt
elements of the dominant culture while maintaining
elements of their ethnicity.
Migration Policy Institute Accessed 12.5.11
http://www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/charts/final
.fb.shtml
Region of birth of all immigrants
(Center for Immigration Studies 2007)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Massachusetts 2009
Cultural influences….

what is a food and what is not a food

how food is prepared and by whom

who eats the food and with whom

how often and when foods are eaten

taste preferences

special meaning of food.
Core Foods are staple foods


Core foods
–
staple foods
–
usually maintained through assimilation
Secondary Core Foods
–

foods eaten frequently but less often than core foods
Peripheral Foods
–
foods eaten sporadically
Core Foods

Irish Americans
potatoes

Mexican Americans
tortillas, beans

Asian Americans
rice/noodles

Korean Americans
kimchi

Italian Americans
pasta, ‘gravy’

Greek Americans
lamb
Food as a Symbol

For immigrants, food is a strong
tie to identity

Symbolism in food crosses
cultural and religious groups

Pomegranates are eaten in the
Middle East and signify prosperity

Black eyed peas are eaten by
southerners to signify good
fortune in the new year
Celebrating New Year’s Eve
though Food Symbols
Americans, South black-eyed peas and collards: bring luck and money
Japanese
eat rice and long noodles for prosperity and long life
Swedes
creamy rice pudding in which a whole almond is
placed. It's lucky food for all and particularly good luck
for the one who gets the almonds
Spaniards
eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight, one for good
luck for each month of the year
Greeks
eat vasilopita, a cake baked with a coin insides. Extra
luck for the finder of the coin
Italians
toss old things out windows eat cotechino con lenticcie,
pork sausage served over lentils which symbolizes
abundance because the pig is rich in fat and money
because lentils are shaped like coins
Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish

Food shows strong Portuguese and African influence
–Portuguese: dried salt cod, linguica (sausage) spicy meat stews
–African: okra, palm oil and peppercorns

Common foods: manioc, rice, black beans, corn, sweet potatoes, quinoa, grilled meats

Feijoda completa: cooked beans, smoked meats, sausages, rice, oranges, boiled greens,
not sauce, toasted cassava

Table manners are important
–Never eat with hands, forks and knives for pizza
–Use glass for beverages; do not drink from bottle or can

Gregarious, outgoing people, family oriented
–Opinionated and passionate; this is not anger
–Touch and maintain eye-contact
–Family and friends kiss for hello and kiss for goodbye; both cheeks
Maxixi
Passion Fruit
Codfish
Pasteis
Churrasco
Feijoada
Culture, ethnicity, and religion

Culture: knowledge, traditions,
beliefs and values that are
developed, learned, and shared by
members of a society; passed
down generation to generation

Ethnicity: a way of living shared by a socially
identifiable group

Ethnic groups may live in different cultures, adopt
elements of the dominant culture while maintaining
elements of their ethnicity.

Religion is separate from ethnicity; different ethnic
groups practice the same religion differently.
Latino Culture -Don’t offer a
tortilla to a Puerto Rican

Very family oriented – challenge to include family members to make
dietary behavior change; men may buy food

Diet traditionally includes lots of veggies and fruit, spices can replace
salt

Show pix of correct portion control – hands-on activities

Be aware of folk remedies – add on
diet to these remedies

May shun exercise – love dance
www.latinonutrition.org/
“No Come Nada”

The view that overweight babies are
healthier babies is culturally imbedded,
reinforced by friends, grandparents and
history.”

Child doesn’t eat anything = child doesn’t
eat as much as Mama would like him to –
that he doesn't eat as much as he did when
he was a hungry, rapidly growing, normal
infant.”

Richard Garcia, MD Health Affairs – Volume
23, Number 2, March/April 2004
Afro-American Culture

Very connected to church and fraternal and
sorority organizations; community
organizations VERY important – barber shops
and salons

Older members care deeply about younger
family members

Build on sisterhoods

Pray for disease – God gave the disease

Women spend money on hair and don’t want
to sweat

Need to own problem; not told this is your
problem
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/sisterstogether/hair.pdf
Some foodways are developed from a
sense of cultural nostalgia
 Corned beef
and cabbage
are not eaten in Ireland on
Saint Patrick’s Day
 Fortune cookies are
found in China
not
Islam
6 million Muslims live in the U.S.
– Koran – sacred writings, words spoke by Allah to
Mohammed the prophet
– Five Pillars of Islam Faith, Prayer-5x/day, Almsgiving-sakat,
Fasting, Pilgrimage to Mecca-hadj

No priests, communicate directly to God

Mufti gives legal advice based on Koran

Imam leads prayer and delivers sermon

If can’t get to a mosque prayers are said on a prayer rug
facing Mecca
The concept of Halal in Islam
has very specific motives

To preserve the purity of religion.

To safeguard the Islamic mentality.

To preserve life and to safeguard property

To safeguard future generations.

To maintain self-respect and integrity.
Halal – permitted or lawful foods M
Haram – not permitted, unlawful
Food Laws of Islam
 Eating
is considered worship
 Swine,
animals and birds of
prey are forbidden
 Improperly
slaughtered
animals are forbidden
 Alcoholic beverages,
caffeine,
and intoxicating drugs are
forbidden
 Eat with right
hand; left hand is
used for toileting
Islamic Feast and Fast Days

*Ramadan 9th month of the Islamic calendar
– > 15 yo must fast
– Exclusions can make up days later: sick, traveling, pregnancy, lactation,
menstruation, elders, insane, hard labor
– Dine with friends after sunset (gain weight)

*Eid al-Fitr
–

Maulud n’Nabi
–

Feast of Fast Breaking,end of Ramadan, give alms
Mohammed’s birthday
Eid al-Azha
–
Feast of Sacrifice Abrahams’ willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael
for God, distribute sacrificial sheep to friends, relatives, and needy
Definition of Cultural Competence
 Culturally competent health teachers
consistently and systematically:
 understand and respect their students’ and
parents’ values, beliefs, and expectations;
 understand the disease-specific epidemiology
and treatment efficacy of different population
groups;
 adapt the way they teach to each student’s
needs and expectations.
Cultural competence
 is
a set of attitudes, skills, behaviors, and policies that
enable organizations and staff to work effectively in crosscultural situations.
 reflects
the ability to acquire and use knowledge of the
health-related and educational beliefs, attitudes, practices,
and communication patterns of clients and their families to
improve services, strengthen programs, increase
community participation
 can
close the gaps in health status among diverse
population groups

Cultural competence is a developmental process that evolves
over an extended period. Both individuals and organizations
are at various levels of awareness, knowledge and skills
along the cultural competence continuum

National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown
University

http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc/inde
x.html
Organizational Continuum of Cultural
Competence
Cultural Competency
Cultural Pre-competency
Cultural Blindness
Cultural Incapacity
Cultural Destructiveness
Georgetown University: A Guide to Infusing Cultural and Linguistic Competence in
Health Promotion Training
http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc/projects/sids/dvd/view_onli
ne/index.html
Campinha-Bacote Model of Cultural
Competency
 Awareness: Am I aware of my biases and prejudices towards other
cultural groups, as well as racism and other "isms" in healthcare?
 Skill: Do I have the skill of conducting a cultural assessment in a
sensitive manner?
 Knowledge: Am I knowledgeable about the worldviews of
different cultural and ethnic groups, as well as knowledge in the
field of bio-cultural ecology?
 Encounters: Do I seek out face-to-face and other types of
interactions with individuals who are different from myself?
 Desire: Do I really "want to" become culturally competent?
Travel the world - Visit the local ethnic food
store

What foods are familiar ?

What foods are new to you?
–types of cheese and milk
–fruits and vegetables/canned or fresh
–cuts of meat or types of fish/poultry

What appears to be staple foods ?

What other services are offered ?
Cultural Soup Exercise

Think of your childhood and a soup your
mother/grandmother/aunt prepared.

If your father/grandfather/uncle prepared it, think about why.

Think of the ingredients.

Think of sayings about the soup.

Think of when and how it was served.

Think of who prepares it now.

Think of how you prepare it or why you don’t.
Online Resources

Unnatural Causes PBS
–http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/ short video clips available online

Framingham State College
–http://www.framingham.edu/dgce/opdce/ online course

Management Sciences for Health The Providers Guide to Quality
and Culture
–http://erc.msh.org/aapi/cc1.html

HRSS Celebrating Diversity
–http://www.mchlibrary.info/pubs/pdfs/CelebratingDiversity.pdf

Boston Healing Landscape Project
–http://www.bu.edu/bhlp/pages/country_index/index.htm

Nat’l Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University
–http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc/index.html
There is no substitute for listening

A deaf ear is followed by death and an ear
that listens is followed by blessings.
–
Samburu (Kenya) proverb
www.afriprov.org/index.php/welcome.html

So when you are listening to somebody,
completely, attentively, then you are
listening not only to the words but also to
the feeling of what is being conveyed to the
whole of it, not part of it.
–Jiddu Krishnamurti Indian theosophist (1895-198)6
Who in your school
environment would you select
to be your teacher?