Category: Cultural studies

According to the World Health Organization, rising consumption of highly processed foods, high in energy, fats, and salt, is a global trend driven by changing lifestyles and globalization. This profound shift illustrates how is nutrition affected by culture, with ancestral foodways increasingly competing with modern, convenient dietary patterns.

While a common stereotype suggests India is a predominantly vegetarian nation, a BBC News report revealed that as of 2018, the majority of Indians are, in fact, meat-eaters. To truly understand what type of diet do Indians follow, one must explore the vast culinary landscape shaped by geography, religion, and modern lifestyle changes.

Genetic studies suggest that DNA can influence an individual's sensitivity to tastes like bitterness, a key factor in why different groups of people have different food preferences. This complex topic goes beyond simple taste, delving into the intertwined roles of biology, culture, environment, and psychology.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), just three crops—rice, maize, and wheat—provide two-thirds of the world's food energy intake, illustrating how deeply ingrained staple foods affect what people eat globally. These core ingredients are not just a source of calories, but a fundamental building block of culinary identity and dietary practice that influences everything from meal structure to nutritional health.

According to the World Health Organization, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are leading global risks to health. With so much conflicting advice available, many people look to long-lived, vibrant populations for guidance, asking: which cultural diet is the healthiest? This exploration delves into the diets of renowned 'Blue Zones' and other healthy cultures to find an answer.

Across the world, food is not merely sustenance, but is deeply intertwined with culture, tradition, and belief. From ancient myths to modern holidays, certain foods have long been attributed symbolic meanings related to life, death, and rebirth. Understanding these culinary traditions provides profound insights into how different societies interpret existence, abundance, and the human condition.

For millennia, Inuit have thrived in the Arctic on a diet primarily composed of hunted animals, a feat that has puzzled many outsiders. The answer to how do Inuit get nutrients reveals a deep understanding of animal anatomy and a reliance on specific preparation methods, such as consuming meat raw or frozen, to access vital vitamins often lost in cooking.

Geophagia, the deliberate consumption of earth, soil, or clay, has been documented across cultures and continents for millennia, noted by figures like Hippocrates as early as the 4th century BC. While sometimes a culturally sanctioned practice, it is medically classified as a form of pica, an eating disorder involving non-nutritive substances.

According to a 2018 study, the average human spends an average of 67 minutes per day eating and drinking, underscoring food's central role in our daily lives. But what are the two uses of food that define this central role? It is far more than simple nourishment, serving both as the fundamental fuel for our biological functions and as a powerful medium for building and expressing social and cultural connections.

According to a 2010 study, 83% of the global population is religiously affiliated, and many of these faiths have specific guidelines regarding food and drink. These powerful influences reveal how diverse cultural and religious factors can cause some to not or be unable to eat and drink, shaping individual diets and community practices around the world.