Are You What You Eat?Are You What You Eat?Food, Culture & YouFood, Culture & You

Carmen D. Samuel-Hodge, PhD, MS, RDCarmen D. Samuel-Hodge, PhD, MS, RD

September 13, 2007September 13, 2007

Food for ThoughtFood for Thought

““Tell me what Tell me what you eat, and you eat, and I’ll tell you I’ll tell you who you are.”who you are.”

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, 1825Savarin, 1825

Today’s PresentationToday’s Presentation

Food & Culture – Who are You?Food & Culture – Who are You? What is What is ‘culture‘culture’?’? Diversity of cultures in AmericaDiversity of cultures in America Food in Different Cultures Food in Different Cultures

Your Food PerceptionsYour Food Perceptions How Food Perceptions Influence Our How Food Perceptions Influence Our

Work as Nutrition CounselorsWork as Nutrition Counselors

What is ‘Culture’?What is ‘Culture’?

DefinitionsDefinitions

CultureCulture – a shared, learned, symbolic – a shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shapes and influences perceptions that shapes and influences perceptions and behaviorsand behaviors

Cultural valuesCultural values – standards people use – standards people use to evaluate themselves and others; to evaluate themselves and others; widely held beliefs about what is widely held beliefs about what is worthwhileworthwhile, , desirabledesirable, or , or importantimportant for for well-beingwell-being

More DefinitionsMore Definitions

Ethnic GroupEthnic Group – a group of people of the – a group of people of the same race or nationality who share a same race or nationality who share a common and distinctive culturecommon and distinctive culture

EthnicEthnic – pertaining to a group of people – pertaining to a group of people recognized as a class on the basis of recognized as a class on the basis of certain distinctive characteristics such as certain distinctive characteristics such as religion, language, ancestry, culture or religion, language, ancestry, culture or national origin. national origin.

Cultural DiversityCultural Diversity

America & NCAmerica & NC

Who’s Living in America?Who’s Living in America?Whites (non-Hispanic)Whites (non-Hispanic) 66.9%66.9%

BlacksBlacks 12.8%12.8%

Hispanics or LatinosHispanics or Latinos 14.4%14.4%

AsiansAsians 4.3%4.3%

American Indian & Alaska American Indian & Alaska NativesNatives

1.0%1.0%

Native Hawaiians & Pacific Native Hawaiians & Pacific IslandersIslanders

0.2%0.2%

Source: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html

Who’s Living in NC?Who’s Living in NC?Whites (non-Hispanic)Whites (non-Hispanic) 68.3%68.3%

BlacksBlacks 21.8%21.8%

Hispanics or LatinosHispanics or Latinos 6.4%6.4%

AsiansAsians 1.8%1.8%

American Indian & Alaska American Indian & Alaska NativesNatives

1.3%1.3%

Native Hawaiians & Pacific Native Hawaiians & Pacific IslandersIslanders

0.1%0.1%

Source: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html

How has this cultural How has this cultural diversity in American diversity in American

affected our food choices?affected our food choices?

In the last month…In the last month…

What foods have you had from each What foods have you had from each of these ethnic groups?of these ethnic groups?

Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc.)Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc.) IndianIndian Greek or MediterraneanGreek or Mediterranean ItalianItalian Cuban, Mexican or other Spanish-speaking Cuban, Mexican or other Spanish-speaking

groupgroup African or CaribbeanAfrican or Caribbean Other group?Other group?

Food & CultureFood & Culture

Trivia QuizTrivia Quiz

Food for ThoughtFood for Thought

This spice was used as a method This spice was used as a method of exchange for Roman soldiers.of exchange for Roman soldiers.

What is it?What is it?

Food for ThoughtFood for Thought

Related to the mint family, this herb’s Related to the mint family, this herb’s name is Greek for ‘name is Greek for ‘joy of the joy of the

mountainmountain’’

What is it?What is it?

Our Food ExperiencesOur Food Experiences

Eating is an important part of Eating is an important part of expressing and initiating ties of expressing and initiating ties of friendship, kinship and community.friendship, kinship and community.

Sharing foods signifies togetherness Sharing foods signifies togetherness and defines insiders as socially and defines insiders as socially similar.similar.

Are You What You Are You What You Eat?Eat?

Small Group Activity: Food for Thought

10 Factors10 Factors that Influence Our that Influence Our Food ChoicesFood Choices

1.1. Food availabilityFood availability

2.2. Cultural eating patternsCultural eating patterns and and family traditionsfamily traditions

3.3. Cultural attitudesCultural attitudes

4.4. Role of foodsRole of foods

5.5. Food and health beliefsFood and health beliefs

10 Factors10 Factors that Influence Our that Influence Our Food ChoicesFood Choices

6.6. Food preparationFood preparation

7.7. Economics (socioeconomic status)Economics (socioeconomic status)

8.8. GenderGender

9.9. Age Age

10.10.Degree of Degree of acculturationacculturation

Changing Food PatternsChanging Food Patterns

AcculturationAcculturation – process of adopting – process of adopting the beliefs, attitudes, values and the beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviors of a dominant or behaviors of a dominant or mainstream culturemainstream culture

May involve changing traditional May involve changing traditional eating patternseating patterns

Non-immigrantsNon-immigrants can also go through can also go through ‘acculturation’‘acculturation’

Changing Food PatternsChanging Food Patterns Factors that influence Factors that influence

acculturationacculturation LanguageLanguage EmploymentEmployment EducationEducation AgeAge Ties with family and involvement with Ties with family and involvement with

ethnic groupethnic group Family structureFamily structure History of cultural group in the communityHistory of cultural group in the community Length of time in the communityLength of time in the community

Your Food Thoughts Your Food Thoughts

How They Shape Your Role How They Shape Your Role as a Nutrition Counseloras a Nutrition Counselor

Counseling Across CultureCounseling Across Culture

First know yourself …First know yourself … What are your cultural values and What are your cultural values and

beliefs and how do they influence beliefs and how do they influence your behaviors?your behaviors?

Then gain some understanding of Then gain some understanding of your clients’ cultural values and your clients’ cultural values and beliefsbeliefs

Cultural ValuesCultural Values

Anglo-AmericanAnglo-American Mastery over natureMastery over nature Personal Personal controlcontrol

over the environmentover the environment Doing– activityDoing– activity Time dominatesTime dominates Human equalityHuman equality Individualism/privacyIndividualism/privacy YouthYouth Self-helpSelf-help

Other Ethno-cultural Other Ethno-cultural GroupsGroups

Harmony with natureHarmony with nature FateFate BeingBeing Personal interaction Personal interaction

dominatesdominates Hierarchy/rank/statusHierarchy/rank/status Group welfareGroup welfare EldersElders Birthright inheritanceBirthright inheritance

Cultural ValuesCultural ValuesAnglo-AmericanAnglo-American

CompetitionCompetition Future orientationFuture orientation InformalityInformality Directness/Directness/

openness/ honestyopenness/ honesty Practicality/Practicality/

efficiencyefficiency Materialism Materialism

Other Ethno-cultural Other Ethno-cultural GroupsGroups

CooperationCooperation Past and present Past and present

orientationorientation FormalityFormality Indirectness/ritual/’face’Indirectness/ritual/’face’ IdealismIdealism Spiritualism/detachmentSpiritualism/detachment

Successful Cross-Cultural Successful Cross-Cultural CounselingCounseling

Build rapport by asking about food Build rapport by asking about food experiencesexperiences Ask about foods used for special occasions Ask about foods used for special occasions

and celebrationsand celebrations Keep an open mind (and a sense of humor)Keep an open mind (and a sense of humor) Tell your own food storiesTell your own food stories Find out what foods are used to promote Find out what foods are used to promote

health or as medicinehealth or as medicine Ask about favorite foods, meals, and Ask about favorite foods, meals, and

recipesrecipes

Successful Cross-Cultural Successful Cross-Cultural CounselingCounseling

Respect personal Respect personal spacespace Ask clients to sit where they feel most Ask clients to sit where they feel most

comfortablecomfortable Learn the cultural rules about Learn the cultural rules about touchingtouching

Head and hands Head and hands Establish Establish rapportrapport Ask questionsAsk questions if you don’t understand if you don’t understand

Open-ended and respectfulOpen-ended and respectful

Successful Cross-Cultural Successful Cross-Cultural CounselingCounseling

ListenListen to the answers to the answers Appreciate and use Appreciate and use silencesilence

Observe what other cultures find acceptableObserve what other cultures find acceptable Notice Notice eye contacteye contact

Some cultures find it impolite to look directly at Some cultures find it impolite to look directly at the person speakingthe person speaking

Pay attention to Pay attention to body movementsbody movements Look for cues to identify gestures that should Look for cues to identify gestures that should

be avoidedbe avoided Note client Note client responsesresponses

When is ‘yes’ just a polite response? When is ‘yes’ just a polite response?

Communicating with Communicating with Clients and FamiliesClients and Families

Sticky SituationsSticky Situations

What What factors factors should you should you consider?consider?

What What questionsquestions would you would you ask? ask?

Cultures are heterogeneous Cultures are heterogeneous and dynamicand dynamic

In some ways…In some ways… All individuals are like All individuals are like all otherall other

individualsindividuals All individuals are like All individuals are like some othersome other

individuals or members of a cultural individuals or members of a cultural groupgroup

All individuals are like All individuals are like no otherno other individualsindividuals

What Are Your What Are Your ‘Keepers’?‘Keepers’?

The next time you The next time you counsel counsel across cultureacross culture, what will you , what will you

do differently or better?do differently or better?

Resources & Resources & ReferencesReferences

ReferencesReferences

Eliades DC. And Suitor CW. (1994) Eliades DC. And Suitor CW. (1994) Celebrating Diversity: Approaching families Celebrating Diversity: Approaching families through their foodthrough their food. Arlington VA. National . Arlington VA. National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Center for Education in Maternal and Child HealthHealth

Randall-David E. (1989) Randall-David E. (1989) Strategies for Strategies for Working with Culturally Diverse Communities Working with Culturally Diverse Communities and Clientsand Clients. Bethesda, MD. Association for the . Bethesda, MD. Association for the Care of Children’s HealthCare of Children’s Health

ResourcesResources

Websites with resources:Websites with resources: http://healthliteracy.worlded.org/docs

/culture/matl_websites.html http://www.health.utah.gov/cmh/cult

ure.html http://ohioline.osu.edu/lines/food.htm

l http://depts.washington.edu/pfes/cult

ureclues.html