The Danger of Losing Your Identity Through Food

For many, our cultures are a part of our identities. They shape our passions, actions and thoughts. If an aspect of your identity was taken away, how would you react? More importantly, how would your body react? With the existence of such a wide array of diverse, it’s a topic of interest to illustrate the significance of nutritional foundations set by culture.

Moreover, it’s important to understand the effect that assimilating to another region, where the food is completely different, can impact our nutrition and neglect the foundations of our childhoods.

Immigrant Populations | As large immigrant populations have immigrated to the United States for decades, many have been pressured into assimilating into what a “typical American” should be like. This includes compromising cultural actions to blend into a predominantly white society, like changing food choices based upon “traditional” American meals.

Many immigrant communities are composed of:

➔ interdependent qualities represented in social psychology as socially and community based among their people. They create traditional foods that have become intertwined with identity dynamics.

American-born communities tend to be more:

➔ independent, being driven to be unique and stand out as an important part of the story. They have a contemporary approach to the foods consumed. Understanding cultural food differences can help us see how they shapes different nutritional behaviors.

Biology | Changing diet, both short and long term, affects the gut’s reaction to certain foods. Shifting to different sources of energy in adults causes bacteria in the microbiome to modify the way they metabolize nutrients. The gut thrives with diverse bacteria, enhanced by a wide array of foods. However, completely assimilating to new diets may cause this diversification to decrease. [1]

Cultural Variation | Cultural variation in diet should be highlighted in clinical and public health interventions - especially in regions hosting significant immigrant populations. “Food habits are among the oldest and most deeply entrenched aspects of many cultures and cannot, therefore, be easily changed, or if forcibly changed, can produce a series of unexpected and unwelcome reactions.” [2]

Nutritionists | Nutritional assessment can be difficult by cultural variation, but necessary to be inclusive to the relationship between ethnicity and nutrient sources. Appreciating and recognizing the interaction of culture and nutrition can impact the health care team to:

➔ Implement accommodating dietary plans

➔ Create diverse solutions to differing diets

➔ “Elucidate the pathogenesis of nutrition-related chronic diseases” [3]

In an article by Self, highlighted are stories of dietitians from differing cultures. [4] Each illustrates treating culturally different patients, an intriguing resource for those wanting to learn more about the connection between inclusivity and nutrition.

My Proposal | To combat the challenges we face with diversity and inclusion within the nutritional field, it’s important to recognize how instrumental cultural foods can be to certain communities; not only for what food represents, but looking into the impact it can have on gut health, mentality and cultural importance in an individual’s life is key to implementing the most beneficial dietary plans in today’s society.

[1] Conlon, Michael A., and Anthony R. Bird. "The Impact of Diet and Lifestyle on Gut Microbiota and Human Health." Nutrients. December 24, 2014. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4303825/.

[2] Fox, K. R. "The Influence of Physical Activity on Mental Well-being." Public Health Nutrition. September 1999. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10610081.

[3] Freimer, N., D. Echenberg, and N. Kretchmer. "Cultural Variation--nutritional and Clinical Implications." The Western Journal of Medicine. December 1983. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6364578.

[4] Byrne, Christine. "Your Nutrition Advice Won't Help If It's Not Culturally Sensitive." SELF. January 2018. https://www.self.com/story/culturally-sensitive-nutrition-advice.