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C H A P T E R 1 0 Cultural and Religious Influences on Food and Nutrition 243

Box 10.6 SUGGESTIONS FOR CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE CROSS-CULTURAL
NUTRITION COUNSELING

■ Establish rapport; respect cultural differences.
■ Be knowledgeable about cultural food habits and health beliefs.
■ Be attuned to cultural and individual variations.
■ Use culturally appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication.
■ Determine the primary written and spoken language used in the client’s home.
■ Use trained interpreters when necessary.
■ Determine whether the client prefers direct or indirect communication.
■ Pare down information to only what the client needs to know.
■ Emphasize the positive food practices of traditional health beliefs and food customs.
■ Provide written material only after determining reading ability.
■ Communicate consistent messages.

TRADITIONAL DIETS OF SELECTED CULTURAL
SUBGROUPS IN THE UNITED STATES

The U.S. Census Bureau (2008) projects that by the year 2050, about 54% of the U.S. pop-
ulation will consist of minority groups. The nutritional implication of this shift in cultural
predominance is that cultural competence will become increasingly important to nursing
care. Nutrition information that is technically correct but culturally inappropriate does not
produce behavior change. Cultural competence facilitates nutrition care consistent with the
individual’s attitudes, beliefs, and values.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget established seven sociopolitical categories,
which include five racial categories (Whites, African Americans, Asian Americans, Native
Americans, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders) and two ethnic categories
(Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino) (Office of Management and Budget,
1997). Each of these categories has multiple, diverse subgroups. For instance, the category
of Native Americans comprises more than 575 federally recognized tribes and more than
300 other tribes, each with their own language and culture (Kagawa-Singer, Dadia, Yu, and
Surbone, 2010). In addition, multiracial individuals represent a growing population.

Three major cultural subgroups in the United States are highlighted in the following
sections. Their leading causes of death appear in Table 10.3. Although generalizations can
be made about traditional eating practices and dietary changes related to acculturation,
actual food choices vary greatly within a subgroup on the basis of national, regional, ethnic,
and individual differences.

African Americans

The majority of African Americans can trace their ancestors to West Africa, although some
have immigrated from the Caribbean, Central America, and East African countries. Because
most are many generations away from their original homeland, much of their native heri-
tage has been assimilated, lost, or modified.

Traditional Food Practices

“Soul food” describes traditional southern African American foods and cooking techniques
that evolved from West African, slave, and postabolition cuisine. Many soul food customs