When culture trumps health
Why is it that today, when so much is known about health and disease, so many people continue to eat the way they do? I find it so fascinating that one's culture can hurt their health.
Recently I was giving nutrition education to patient. In her culture it is practice to eat several times during the day, not measure portions, eat until they have no room left and eat basically junk! (She didn't realize it was junk.)
But, I have to ask, when you taste something made entirely of chemicals and nothing at all like it's components, how can you NOT know it's junk?!
A Twinkie may in fact have "corn" in it, and "wheat," but the final product resembles none of those items, hell, it's meant to last though an atomic bomb!
But, I was sitting on a plane the other day, next to this Hawaiian couple, and thank goodness I was thin, otherwise, there would have been no room for a 3rd person! These two people were so obese, and yet in their culture that is readily accepted.
My patient who i was educating, while not obese, she is overweight, though her father, sister, and husband were not, but it sounded as though she had the worst diet, the worst understanding, and was the most accepting of depriving her body of the nutrients she needs rather than the ones that taste good.
I can understand that culture is importnat, but culture will not save you life unless that culture is amenable to change.
Recently I was giving nutrition education to patient. In her culture it is practice to eat several times during the day, not measure portions, eat until they have no room left and eat basically junk! (She didn't realize it was junk.)
But, I have to ask, when you taste something made entirely of chemicals and nothing at all like it's components, how can you NOT know it's junk?!
A Twinkie may in fact have "corn" in it, and "wheat," but the final product resembles none of those items, hell, it's meant to last though an atomic bomb!
But, I was sitting on a plane the other day, next to this Hawaiian couple, and thank goodness I was thin, otherwise, there would have been no room for a 3rd person! These two people were so obese, and yet in their culture that is readily accepted.
My patient who i was educating, while not obese, she is overweight, though her father, sister, and husband were not, but it sounded as though she had the worst diet, the worst understanding, and was the most accepting of depriving her body of the nutrients she needs rather than the ones that taste good.
I can understand that culture is importnat, but culture will not save you life unless that culture is amenable to change.
posted by Dana M. Ellis, MPH, R.D. @ 1:32 PM
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