editor:

Robert

B. Bradfield,

Ph.D.

international

nutrition

Nutritional preferences
0. Ogbeide, B.Sc., M.Sc.

hazards of food taboos in Mid-West Nigeria

and

Downloaded from ajcn.nutrition.org at COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCE LIBRARY on October 13, 2013

All communities of every degree of technical sophistication, urbanization, and industrialization, have evolved their own cultural pattern.
The culture on pattern the by part incidental of a group is based on

the nutritional status of the could result in suggestions solution to the problems. Methods
Twenty-seven elderly people were randomly selected from population within Benin City. ethnic groups were represented subjects. From personal visits sions and interviews with them,

community. for a

This possible

learned
instruction

behavior,

acquired
of

partly
parents,

by deliberate
but mostly of the

subconsciously

observation

behavior of relatives of the community. Mid-West State,

Nigeria, has an

and a

other developing

close

members region

in 2.5 million according to the 1963 census (3). At the predicted rate of population increase of 2.5% per annum, the population is expected to be 3.0 million now. The people belong to
estimated population of approximately twelve different ethnic groups,

aged 60 years and over a compiled list of the Each of the major by at least two to their homes, discusthe following informa-

tion

and observations

were

noted.

All the subjects were friendly though reluctant at times to give detailed answers to some questions. They were always suspicious about our intentions and

consequently,
the food taboos

the reason
were not

for their
given.

believing

in some

of

most Each
taboos,

ofwhich have their of these groups

affecting mostly

own distinct language. have different food

the children, pregnant

Results The Tables results I and of our

2. In most

women, and mothers. Irrational behavior and harmful practices are, of course, found in all cultures including those of the so-called Western World. A sympathetic appreciation of cultural relativity is a prerequisite of success for work in a community. Knowledge of food taboos in an area can throw more light upon the etiology, therapy, and preventive aspects of some of the important health problems in any
community. The lack of accurate information

survey parts

are as shown in of the state, meat

because children in that is too Meat are afford reared unless

and eggs are parents believe steal. quantity the small and The

not given to children that it will make the

people rather than of satisfy eggs the

are more interested quality and believe and and meat available appetite. childrens

amount to eggs are

expensive

if children

on
food

expensive
habits

food,
which

they
they

will
cannot

acquire

expensive are

on the food and nutrition situation is one of the main obstacles to planning measures for the proper improvement of the nutrition status of the population. This study was therefore undertaken to discover the different food taboos in the Mid-West State, to enumerate the potential value of the foods that are not eaten, to
determine the overall nutritional significance of

they
eaten

steal.
by

Gizzards
the elderly

and
people

thighs
only;

of chicken
the children

can only have the lower legs and; at times, the head. In Benin, Igarra, the Delta, and Owan Divisions, coconut milk and liver must not be given to children, because it is believed that
Research Fellow, Department of Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. 1974, pp. 213-216. Printed in U.S.A. Community University

all these
The American

taboos,
Journal

and

to relate

the
Nutrition

findings
27:

to
FEBRUARY

of Clinical

213

214
TABLE 1

OGBEIDE

Summary

of results
Group of people

who

are forbidden

Food
Meat

taboos

to eat them
Children

Reasons
Makes them acquire habits which they
unless they steal

expensive food cannot afford

Eggs
Gizzard

Children
and of chicken Children Children

Makes
Not Causes

them
given abscess

steal

thighs
Liver

of the

liver

Coconut Snails
Milk

milk

Children Pregnant
Children

women

Renders them unintelligent Prevents excessive salivation newborn baby

Develop bad habits

in the

Pounded

yam

Pregnant

women

Pounding

might
birth

affect

the childs

Large mushrooms
Porcupine Fresh meat
Oil

Pregnant women Pregnant women Newly delivered

mothers Newly delivered mothers

brain after Not given

Causes Causes
Causes

delay in labor severe abdominal

jaundice in babies

pains

Snails

Men

Decreases
in war

physical
time

stamina

milk renders them unintelligent, whereas liver (meat) causes abscesses in their livers. Snails are not eaten by pregnant women parts of Ishan, Afemai, and Isoko Divisions
prevent excessive salivation in the newborn

the in to

TABLE

Food entire
population

not

eaten by Area Reasons

baby. In Asaba Division, pregnant women are neither allowed to eat eggs nor to drink milk because it is feared that the children may develop bad habits after birth. Pounded yam is
restricted during pregnancy because the pound-

Partridge Porcupine

Ishan
sion

Divi

I
Divi.j
Have legendary ground in ous the vandivisions back-

Owan
sion

ing might have an effect on the childs brain after birth. In some parts of Benin, Urhobo, and Owan Divisions, pregnant women are also forbidden to eat the larger mushrooms. In Ika Division, they are forbidden to eat porcupine because it is supposed to cause a delay during labor. In some parts of Urhobo, it is believed that when a pregnant woman eats the remnants of food left over by a rat, her labor becomes easier because rats have easy deliveries (an example of sympathetic magic). In parts of Benin and Ishan Divisions, oil and fresh meat are forbidden to newly delivered mothers. The meat is believed to cause severe abdominal pains, whereas the oil causes jaundice in the baby. After childbirth, palm nut soup is forbidden for 30 days in some parts of
Ishan.

Some water
reptiles

Urhobo Ishan

Sheep

I J

In some areas of Urhobo snails are not eaten by men

decrease the warriors strength

and Wa Divisions, because they may

during war time.

Generally, men always have their share of the family meal first. The women and children have theirs last, which means that the best part of any meal is always for the men.
Some taboos have a legendary background.

Examples of these Ishan, the partridge

in Owan, the

are that or bush

is

in some parts of fowl is not eaten;

not eaten, and in

porcupine

Urhobo, forbidden.

some types of water reptiles are It is said that during the intertribal

NUTRITIONAL

HAZARDS

OF

FOOD

TABOOS

215

wars, these animals helped the villagers to defeat their enemies, and it is believed that when eaten, they cause different types of diseases. In some parts of Ishan Division, sheep are not eaten because, as it is explained, in the days gone by, it was the sheep that dragged away the corpse of somebody condemned for a crime punishable by death. Some people said that as sheep are prolific, it is wrong to kill them. In areas inhabited by Moslems, pigs are forbidden for religious reasons. Dogs and snakes are forbidden in most parts of the Mid-West. Food preferences in a majority of cases are due to ignorance and poverty. Pounded yam and Akpu (a mixture of yam and cassava), for instance, are preferred to rice because they are more filling and considered energy-giving food. Beans and vegetables are not eaten because they are believed to cause stomach disorders.
Discussion

It is interesting to note that these taboos primarily affect foods of animal origin. The value of these different foods can be enumerated. The great majority of mankind have a natural appetite for meat, and as meat contains approximately 18% protein, it is, of course, the most valuable source of protein of high biological value. It is rich in phosphorus, moderate in iron content, and is an important source of niacin and riboflavin. The meat in a
typical British diet contains one-half the niacin

and one-quarter the riboflavin of their daily requirements (2). Meat also contains thiamin; pork perhaps contains the most. Fresh meat contains just sufficient ascorbic acid to protect against scurvy (10 mg). Liver contains more vitamins and absorbable iron than muscle (beef) and so it is an especially valuable food. As the egg forms a complete food for the embryo chick, it is naturally rich in essential nutrients. An average hens egg contains 6 g protein of high biological value, 6 g fat, and 80 kcal. The yolk of the egg is a rich source of vitamin A and also contains a sufficient amount of thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin. Fats have high caloric value and thus are a concentrated source of energy, as well as being essential for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Apart from the protein content, little is known about the nutritive value of snails and

mushrooms. Dr. A. Tella of the University of Lagos Medical School has been working on a systematic and in-depth investigation into the therapeutic potential of snails. He has claimed that snails have a dramatic therapeutic effect on patients who have severe or moderate hypertension (unpublished observation). As a rich source of iron, snails could be useful in diet therapy in anemia of pregnancy. There are the other foods like dogs, snakes, and water reptiles that might cause revulsion to any civilized person at the thought of eating them, yet some of these foods could be palatable and nutritious. The extent to which these food restrictions affect the nutritional status of a community is often not fully realized. The forbidden foods could play an important part in the diet of an unsophisticated people. Among primitive people, these foods may contribute significantly to the total protein content of the diet and so improve the health status, especially of children. Where there is a shortage of protein, as is obvious in many developing countries, there are bound to be problems of protein malnutrition. The optimal growth and development in childhood requires good nutrition and health protection. The pattern of ill health also extends to women, not only in form of a high maternal mortality rate but, in some parts of the world, to what may be termed maternal depletion. This is the result of early mating, continuous cycles of pregnancy and lactation, and madequate diets often made worse by food prejudices that forbid the intake of certain protein foods. Uninterrupted overwork and child bearing can lead to such cumulative disorders as general malnutrition, premature aging, and early death. It is the women who often perform much of the manual labor within the village, including the cultivation and production of food. In addition, the nutritional strain of reproduction upon the mother requires emphasis. Women may be in a constant state of protein drain. With the world protein shortage worsened by restrictions on what little is available, pregnant
women and mothers are bound to face the

problem of malnutrition. Although there is an calories in most developing

overall shortage of countries, the most

216

OGBEIDE

severe problem which faces us in this state is that of protein deficiency, particularly among young children. Four consumer groups are of particular interest as far as the problem of protein malnutrition is concerned. They are the weanlings , preschool children , nursing mothers, and the pregnant women. These are the groups primarily affected by protein shortages. The sources of high protein foods in the diet of children in this region are meat, (beef, liver, et cetera) eggs, milk, and a few plant proteins such as legumes and cereals. When children are denied practically all these proteins, there is little or nothing left to meet the protein requirements needed for their rapid growth and development. This may give rise to deleterious effects as far as health is concerned. It may be concluded, therefore, that these food taboos could be one of the causes of the common protein-calorie malnutrition found in the MidWest. Omololu (1) has shown that poor nutrition has significantly contributed to most of the deaths from measles and other childhood communicable diseases in Nigeria. Apart from malnutrition, it is pathetic to note that some pregnant women are made to eat the food left over by rats. This is most unhygienic and may well be a source of salmonella infection. These taboos now pose a problem. There is already a food shortage in the Mid-West of especially proteins. It may be more disastrous if the little available is not properly utilized due to ignorance and lack of education. The best way to solve the problem is to remove the menaces to health, show people what they can do for themselves to protect their families, give them confidence in the survival of their children, and their attitude and receptivity will change. Apathy and fatalism can be replaced by confidence and responsibility. If the people are ignorant and prejudiced in food matters, an educational, sympathetic, and persuasive approach is better than an authoritative and dictatorial one. Good customs and neutral customs may be encouraged and harmful ones explained and discouraged. More sound nutrition education is required both in the medical schools and of paramedical personnel so that doctors and nurses are better able to give sound and simple, practical advice

to the lay public. New methods of communication must be more widely used. People have well-entrenched ideas about their nutrition , and the best way to produce changes in dietary habits is by showing, in a practical way and applied to their day-to-day living, the benefits of sound nutrition, and by adapting the technique of the applied social psychologist to modern nutrition.
Summary

A study of the food taboos and food preferences in the Mid-West Nigeria shows that the protein intakes (especially animal protein) of children, and of pregnant and lactating women are directly affected by the native customs. The diet of the population provides approximately 50 to 60% of the protein requirements (3). The effects of a low protein intake could be directly related to the public health problems in the region and require further investigation. A lack of adequate protein in the diet, further depleted by food prejudices that forbid eating what is available, can adversely affect the health status of a population, i.e., cause protein-calorie malnutrition in children, maternal depletion, premature aging, and general malnutrition in women. To prevent these effects from escalating, the lay public should be educated by medical and paramedical personnel who themselves must first be given the necessary sound nutrition education.!!
I wish to Unit, Ministry thank Mr. of Health, D. M. Egbikuadje, Benin City and his Nutrition colleagues

for their valuable

I also wish to and Professor D. Medicine, University suggestions.

discussions

and assistance.
B. of

thank Professor R. W. Haddock of Benin,

Benin

E. V. Lambert the Faculty of City for their

References 1. OMOLOLU,
A. Malnutrition as a cause of death in children in Nigeria. The Food and Nutrition Bulletin of the Joint FAO/WHO/OAU Regional Food and Nutrition Commission for Africa No. 11, 1972. DAVIDSON, PASSMORE. Nutrition Nutrition S., A. P. MEIKLEJOHN and R. Meat, fish and eggs. In: Human and Dietetics. Edinburgh: 1959, p. 315. Survey. A report by the Nutrition

2.

3.

Section,
Institutes

Office

of International
Bethesda,

Research,
Maryland,

National
1965.

of Health,