A healthy diet is simply eating multiple nutrient-rich food groups to support good health.
Healthy eating is sometimes seen as a necessary evil.
On the one hand, it is essential for physical health, but on the other hand, it implies limitations and self-denial of immersion in Eurocentrism.
Even in the Caribbean, where I come from, many nutrition programs are modeled after the American food pyramid, which means what a healthy diet for local communities looks like.
However, nutrition and healthy eating are not one-size-fits-all dietary prescriptions. Traditional meals and food culture also deserve a place at the table.
In this article, I will explain why cultural foods are an integral part of healthy eating.
What is Cultural Food?
Cultural foods – also known as traditional dishes – represent the traditions, beliefs, and customs of a geographical region, ethnic group, religious group, or intercultural community.
Cultural foods may involve beliefs about how certain foods are prepared or used. They may also symbolize the overall culture of a group.
These dishes and customs are passed down from generation to generation.
Cultural foods may represent a region, such as pizza, pasta, and ketchup from Italy or kimchi, seaweed, and dim sum from Asia. Or, they may represent a history of colonization, such as a fusion of West African and East Indian food traditions throughout the Caribbean.
Cultural foods may play a role in religious celebrations and are often at the heart of our identity and family connection.
Cultural food must be fully integrated into the Western framework
Healthy eating includes cultural foods – but this information is not prominent and often goes unappreciated.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans is among the gold standards of Western nutrition guidelines. It is recommended to meet people – including their cultural cuisine (1).
The Canadian Food Guidelines also emphasize the importance of culture and eating traditions for healthy eating (2).
However, much remains to be done in the field of nutrition to ensure cultural capacity, i.e. to treat people effectively and appropriately, without prejudice, prejudice, or stereotypes (3).
During my training as a dietitian, cultural needs and eating habits were recognized, but interests or practical applications were limited. In some cases, there are few institutional resources for healthcare professionals.
What exactly does a healthy diet look like?
Healthy eating is roughly defined as getting a variety of nutrients from dairy, protein foods, grains, fruits, and vegetables — which is known in the United States as the Five Food Groups.
The main message is that each food group provides the essential vitamins and minerals needed to support good health. THE USDA's MyPlate replaces the food pyramid, stating that healthy plates are half starch-free vegetables, a quarter of protein, and a quarter of grains (4).
However, the Caribbean is a melting pot of six food categories – staple foods (starchy, carbohydrate-rich foods), foods from animals, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and fats or oils (5).
Traditional one-pot dishes cannot always be clearly distributed on the plate. Instead, food groups are combined into one dish.
For example, traditional pan-fried dishes are made with breadfruit (a staple – a starchy fruit that cooks in a texture similar to bread), non-starchy vegetables such as spinach and carrots, and meats such as chicken, fish .
Summary: Dietary guidelines show that cultural foods go hand in hand with healthy eating. However, cultural capacity and institutional resources are needed to promote the practical application of these guidelines.
Healthy eating is smoother than what you see online
Your desire to eat certain foods is often the result of targeted and successful food marketing. This marketing often comes from a European-centric lens that lacks cultural nuance (6).
For example, a Google search for "healthy eating" displays a list and pictures of asparagus, blueberries, and Atlantic salmon — often in the arms or at the dinner table of a white family.
Illustrations that lack cultural representation or ethnic diversity convey the self-evident message that local and cultural foods may not be healthy.
However, a truly healthy diet is a fluid concept that has neither a specific appearance nor ethnicity nor the need to include specific foods to calculate.
Here are some of the foods you'll find on Western health sites, as well as some of the traditional foods:
- While kale is a nutrient-rich vegetable, so are dasheen shrubs (taro leaves) and spinach.
- Quinoa is an excellent source of protein and dietary fiber, but so are rice and legumes.
- Chicken breasts are low in fat and are known as a must-have for a healthy diet, but if you remove the skin from the rest of the chicken, these pieces of meat are also low in fat — higher in iron.
- Atlantic salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, but so are local salmon species and other fatty fish such as sardines.
If your area doesn't have kale, quinoa, and Atlantic salmon, your diet won't naturally get worse. Contrary to mainstream health and wellness messages, healthy plates are not limited to European-centric foods, nor are traditional foods inferior or nutritionally inappropriate.
Depending on food access, sustainability, and food culture, healthy eating in different communities and locations looks different.
Summary: Healthy eating is a fluid concept that varies depending on your region and cultural background. Its messaging needs to be diverse.
The role of cultural food in our lives
Cultural food and traditional food practices have deep links to the community and healthcare. They connect us to the past, promote the socialization of the present, and create memories for the future. In addition, they play an important role in dietary adherence and success.
When my mom taught me how to prepare the oil — a pot of breadfruit, taro leaves, pumpkin, coconut milk, and smoked bones — I simultaneously connected with ancestral dietary traditions brought from West Africa and shared family time.
Similarly, every time I prepare a vegetarian curry dish, I connect with East Indian food traditions such as dhal (peas) with turmeric or saffron.
For those unfamiliar with them, these dishes don't seem to fit the West's image of nutritious or healthy food — but they're rich in fiber, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables.
How does culture affect what you eat?
Culture affects the food you eat, your religious and spiritual practices, and your perceptions of health, healing, and wellness (7).
Research shows that even your ideas about certain foods and your willingness to try new foods are largely influenced by your cultural background. In addition, your classification of food and the classification of non-food are, related to your culture (8, 9).
Therefore, healthy eating must be explained and understood in a cultural context.
In the United States, for example, dinner is likely to be the main meal of the day, while lunch is a light salad or sandwich. In the Caribbean, however, lunch is usually the heaviest meal, while dinner is lighter and often much like breakfast.
When nutrition information and counseling lack inclusiveness, diversity, and understanding, we downplay science and deprive communities of rich culinary perspectives and experiences.
In addition, a breakdown in trust and communication between dietitians and the people they serve can lead to health differences and adverse health outcomes (3).
If you don't trust your dietitian, you're less likely to follow their advice.
Summary: Cultural foods play an important social role and are indispensable to the health of communities and individuals within the community. Understanding cultural food differences is important for successful nutrition counseling and good health outcomes.
What's next?
We must remember that cultural foods fit into the concept of healthy eating, even if they are not gentrified, popularized on social media, or aligned with the Western paradigm.
These are comfort foods, lifestyles, and important sources of nutrition for many immigrant and non-immigrant families in the United States.
These cultural foods embody a healthy diet by combining multiple food groups and containing multiple nutrients:
- · Ugali: Tanzania's staple food, made with cornmeal, usually paired with traditional meat and vegetable dishes
- · Ema datshi: A spicy stew popular in Bhutan, served with yak cheese, which may include mushrooms, green beans and potatoes
- · Pelau: A popular single-pot dish in the Caribbean, made from caramelized chicken, steamed grain rice, pigeon beans, and, a range of vegetables and green seasonings
Summary: Cultural foods conform to healthy eating patterns. Many of these dishes contain multiple food groups and nutrients in one meal.
Conclusion
A healthy diet is simply eating multiple nutrient-rich food groups to support good health.
Contrary to mainstream health and wellness messages, healthy eating in different communities and regions looks different. It doesn't have a specific appearance or require specific foods.
While dietary guidelines in the United States and Canada encourage cultural foods as part of a healthy diet, nutritional information and counseling often lack the ability and inclusivity to emphasize the importance of cultural foods.
Just one thing
For your next dinner or planning to be held with friends, consider having each person bring traditional dishes and recipes from their cultural background.
Participating in a conversation about the origin and meaning of a dish is a great way to learn about other dietary traditions.