Societal & Cultural Aspects

of Diet
Vegetarianism, Insects as Food,
Cultural Foods

Why Vegetarian?

Economics
Health
Food Safety
Religion
Concern for animal rights
Hunger issues
Environmental issues
Moral issues

Food Safety:
Escherichia coli O157:H7
An emerging pathogen, now causes infection
in more than 70,000 people per year
An extreme case: Video: Tainted Meat
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/10/03/he
alth/1247464978948/taintedmeat.html?scp=1&sq=E.%20coli&st=cse
A young woman developed hemolytic uremic
syndrome and was paralyzed as a result of
eating a hamburger tainted with E. coli
0157:H7

Types of Vegetarians
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians: No red meat,
poultry, or fish. Will consume dairy
products and eggs
Pescetarian: No red meat or poultry;
Fish OK
Vegan: Plant foods only. May also
avoid non-food animal products (such
as leather) as well

Types of Vegetarians
Macrobiotic: 50% diet is whole grains; other 50% is
soups, vegetables, legumes, and seaweed
Raw Foods: raw produce, nuts, seeds, sprouted
grains and beans, raw dairy products
Fruitarian: raw fruits, nuts and seeds
Flexitarian: a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat;
being flexible in practice of vegetarianism or
veganism. A flexitarian might make only vegetarian
dishes at home, but eat dishes including meat at
home of family or friends

Hunger Issues
~70% of U.S. grain harvest vs. 38% of the
worlds grain harvest used to feed livestock
Typical steer consumes 3000 lbs grain to
gain 400 lbs in weight, has an output of 50 lbs
manure daily
Land taken up to grow grain for animal feed
in addition to land used for pasture instead of
to grow food
Almost half of worlds farmland being used as
pasture for livestock

Health Aspects of
Vegetarian Diets
Protection against disease is attributed to:
Diets higher in antioxidants and fiber
Diets lower in saturated fat and moderate in protein
Heart Disease
Antioxidants: higher vitamin C and vitamin E intakes are
protective
Saturated fat: lower levels are protective
Cancer
Colon: associated with high meat and low fiber diet
Breast: risk from low fruits/vegetables, high fat
Hypertension
Minerals in fruits and vegetables may offer protection

Protein
Animal proteins: contains all essential amino
acids
Plant proteins: missing/low in one amino acid;
limiting amino acid
Complementary proteins combining protein
foods with different limiting amino acids
Key to adequate proteins: a diet that is varied
and adequate in calories (so not necessary to
be compulsive about complementary proteins)

Planning the Optimal

Vegetarian Diet
Deficiencies most often seen in those with
overly restrictive diets, so emphasize:
Nuts and seeds provide antioxidants,
calcium, zinc, monounsaturated fats
Legumes protein, zinc, calcium, fiber
Omega-3 fats (canola and walnut oil,
soy, flaxseed)
Calcium fortified OJ or soy/rice milk

Planning the Optimal

Vegetarian Diet
Green leafy vegetables (collard greens, kale,
mustard, turnip and beet greens) for B
vitamins, Vitamin C, beta carotene
If vegan, identify a vitamin B12 source
Increase whole grains (breads, pastas,
cereals, couscous, rice, barley)
Try sea vegetables: wakame, dulce, nori,
kelp, for example (source of beta carotene,
vitamin C, Vitamin K)

Other Tips:
If lacto-ovo, dont rely too heavily on
eggs and cheese
Go easy on sweets and fried foods
Be relaxed about protein combination;
eating a varied diet will help you to get
all the amino acids
Watch caloric intake of children, teens,
pregnant and nursing women

Insects as Food
(Entomophagy)
Are a direct source of nutrients
Can add to rural economy
Can increase food sufficiency of rural
populations

Insect Consumption
Examples
Africa: caterpillars (roasted, boiled,
fried, smoked, dried), canned mopane
worms (added as relish to porridge),
locusts, termites
Asia: silkworm pupae, tarantulas
Thailand: grasshoppers
Bali: dragonflies
Indonesia: stinkbugs

Insect Consumption: Nutrition

For every 100 grams of dried caterpillars:
there are ~ 53 grams protein
~ 15 grams fat
~17 grams carbohydrates
Energy value ~ 430 kilocalories
These insects are also believed to have a
higher proportion of protein and fat than beef
and fish with a high energy value
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)

Agricultural Potential of
Insects
High food conversion efficiency
Insect production can be done without
arable land, chemicals or equipment
Consumption of insects can help with
pest management, eliminating the need
for insecticides

Barriers to Development of
Insects for Food
Food aversions
Habitat destruction and water pollution
Lack of government support and
recognition of concept

Food and Culture

What do Americans eat? What is American
food? Meat and Potatoes?
More beef is consumed than any other protein
food. Franchise restaurants sell $5 billion worth of
hamburgers and French fries each year
But even hamburgers and French fries are not
American - hamburger originates from ground
beefsteak from Germany and French fries from the
style of cut

Food and Culture

1 in every 4 Americans is of non-European
heritage and 1 in every 10 Americans is
foreign born. These figures do not include
the millions of undocumented immigrants in
this country
The population of the U.S is increasingly
heterogeneous and moving towards
numerous and diverse ethnic, religious and
regional types

Food and Culture

Each immigrant groups has traditional food habits
that differ from the so-called American majority
diet
Many customs have been influenced and
modified through contact with the majority culture,
and in turn have shaped the majority food habits
Today a fast food restaurant or street stand is as
likely to offer pizza, tacos, egg rolls, falafel as it is
hamburgers and hot dogs
Globalization is a factor in changing food culture
worldwide

Food and Culture

Humans use food symbolically due to
relationships, association or convention.
What one eats may define who he is. For
example, in the Middle East, a person who
eats pork is probably a Christian, not a Jew or
a Muslim
Food habits, also called Foodways and Food
Culture, refer to the ways in which humans
use food, including everything from how it is
selected, obtained, and distributed to who
prepares it, serves it and eats it

Food and Culture

Cultural foods reflect foods that are available.
Local ecological considerations: weather, soil,
water conditions, geographical features, human
manipulation of these resources
For people who immigrate, culturally based food
habits are one of the last traditions that change
through acculturation
Acculturation: members of one cultural group adopt
beliefs and behaviors of another group; usually in
direction of minority group adopting habits and
language patterns of dominant group, but can be
reciprocal

Hungry Planet: What the

World Eats
By Peter Menzel and Faith DAluisio
Families from around the world photographed
with one weeks food
Following photos: Sicily, Chad and Mexico
More photos:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,16
26519,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,16
45016,00.html

What do you notice?