Page 261 - Nutrition Essentials for Nursing Practice

C H A P T E R 1 0 Cultural and Religious Influences on Food and Nutrition 249

tofu, small fish (bones are eaten), and soups made with bones that have been partially dis-
solved by vinegar in making stock. Sodium intake is generally assumed to be high because of
traditional food preservation methods (salting and drying) and condiments (e.g., soy sauce).

Health Beliefs

Asian cultures believe that health and illness are related to the balance between yin and
yang forces in the body. Yin represents female, cold, and darkness; yang represents male,
hot, and light. Digested foods turn into air that is either yin or yang. Diseases caused by yin
forces are treated with yang foods, and diseases caused by yang forces are treated with yin
foods. Pregnancy is considered a yang or “hot” condition, so women following traditional
practices during pregnancy eat yin foods such as most fruits and vegetables, seaweed, cold
drinks, juices, and rice water. Yang foods include chicken, meat, pig’s feet, meat broth, nuts,
fried food, coffee, and spices. The hot–cold theory of foods and illness also exists in Puerto
Rico and Mexico, but the food designations are not universal within or across cultures.

Nutrition-Related Health Problems

The traditional Chinese diet is low in fat and dairy products and high in complex carbohy-
drates and sodium (Kittler et al., 2012). With Americanization, the diet becomes higher in
fat, protein, sugar, and cholesterol. In general,

■ Asian American women have the highest life expectancy of all ethnic groups in the United
States (OMH, 2012b). Life expectancy varies among Asian subgroups: Filipino women,
81.5 years; Japanese women, 84.5 years; and Chinese women, 86.1 years.

■ The prevalence of obesity is low at 11.6% for Asians age 18 years and older (OMH,
2012b). However, Filipino adults are 70% more likely to be obese compared to the over-
all Asian population.

■ Asians Americans have the same rate of diabetes as Whites (OMH, 2012b).
■ The leading cause of death among Asian Americans is cancer. Asian/Pacific Islander men are

40% less likely to have prostate cancer than White men, but they are twice as likely to have
stomach cancer. Asian/Pacific Islander women are 20% less likely to have breast cancer than
White women but are almost three times as likely to have stomach cancer (OMH, 2012b).

FOOD AND RELIGION

Kosher: a word com- Religion tends to have a greater impact on food habits than nationality or culture does (e.g.,
monly used to identify Orthodox Jews follow kosher dietary laws regardless of their national origin). However,
Jewish dietary laws religious food practices vary significantly even among denominations of the same faith.
that define “clean” National variations also exist. How closely an individual follows dietary laws is based on
foods, “unclean” foods, his or her degree of orthodoxy. An overview of religious food practices follows. Table 10.7
how food animals must outlines major features of various religious dietary laws.
be slaughtered, how
foods must be pre- Christianity
pared, and when foods
may be consumed (e.g., The three primary branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox
the timing between eat- Christianity, and Protestantism. Dietary practices vary from none to explicit.
ing milk products and
meat products). ■ Roman Catholics do not eat meat on Ash Wednesday or on Fridays of Lent. Food and
beverages are avoided for 1 hour before communion is taken. Devout Catholics observe
several fast days during the year.

■ Eastern Orthodox Christians observe numerous feast and fast days throughout the year.