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Food taboos are dietary laws observed within specific cultures, communities, or groups, dictating what foods are permissible or forbidden. These prohibitions often occur with major events or particular stages of the human life cycle, such as illness, menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation. It is widely acknowledged that food taboos can contribute to and both directly and indirectly cause malnutrition (1). The UNICEF Food-Care Health framework emphasizes that cultural practices, norms, and beliefs are key contextual factors contributing to malnutrition (2).
In Ethiopia, pregnancy-related food taboos are widespread, which studies show lead to higher rates of anemia among pregnant women who follow these restrictions. They tend to avoid iron-rich foods like dark green leafy vegetables, organ meats, and green chili peppers, mainly due to traditional myths and misinformation (3). Similarly, in Makassar City, Indonesia, over 78% of pregnant women living in slum areas suffer from iron deficiency. Dietary restrictions linked to food taboos and limited dietary diversity are often at the root of these deficiencies (4). In Kenya, certain beliefs during pregnancy lead women to limit their intake of starchy, high-calorie foods, and some parts of cow, chicken, and egg consumption are also common. Interestingly, women with higher levels of education tend to have better dietary diversity and nutrient intake than those with less education (5).
To confront these challenges, UNICEF emphasizes the expansion of nutrition interventions during the critical 1,000-day window from pregnancy through the first two years of life, when rapid physical and mental development occurs (2). Education emerges as a key strategy are effective intervention tools. Incorporating comprehensive nutrition education into school curricula and increasing awareness among women with lower education levels can play a critical role in overcoming harmful food taboos among pregnant women (5).
References:
- Mengie, T., Dessie, Y., Egata, G., Muche, T., Habtegiorgis, S. D., & Getacher, L. (2022). Food taboos and associated factors among agro-pastoralist pregnant women: A community-based cross-sectional study in Eastern Ethiopia. Heliyon, 8(10), e10923. //doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10923
- Ekwochi, U., Osuorah, C. D. I., Ndu, I. K., Ifediora, C., Asinobi, I. N., & Eke, C. B. (2016). Food taboos and myths in South Eastern Nigeria: The belief and practice of mothers in the region. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 12(1). //doi.org/10.1186/s13002-016-0079-x
- Mohammed, S. H., Taye, H., Bagher Larijani, & Esmaillzadeh, A. (2019). Food taboo among pregnant Ethiopian women: magnitude, drivers, and association with anemia. Nutrition Journal, 18(1). //doi.org/10.1186/s12937-019-0444-4
- Magfirah, N., Ansariadi, A., Amiruddin, R., Wijaya, E., Maria, I. L., Salmah, U., & Ibrahim, E. (2024). Inadequate food diversity and food taboo associated with maternal iron deficiency among pregnant women living in slum settlements in Makassar City, Indonesia. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 13(1). //doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_824_23
- Kariuki, L. W., Lambert, C., Ratna Chrismiari Purwestri, Maundu, P., & Biesalski, H. K. (2017). Role of food taboos in energy, macro and micronutrient intake of pregnant women in western Kenya. Nutrition & Food Science, 47(6), 795–807. //doi.org/10.1108/nfs-09-2016-014
Posted : September 17, 2025 11:47 am
A widely controversial topic, food, the choices, preferences, suggestions and taboos depend on communities to communities varying by country to country especially during crucial times like pregnancy, driven by communities' beliefs and myths, often restrict the intake of nutrition rich foods which may also result in maternal malnutrition and anemia. Strengthening nutrition education and awareness, particularly in the crucial 1000 days window can aid in dismantling these dangerous practices and promote healthier maternal outcomes and the same time. Some good reads in the related domain are:
//www.who.int/publications/m/item/the-state-of-food-security-and-nutrition-in-the-world-2023
Posted : October 8, 2025 11:15 am
Food taboos and traditions represent culturally prohibited dietary practices found universally across human societies, serving as powerful mechanisms through which social order, identity, and power relations are constructed and maintained (Hong, 2024). These practices reveal broader societal patterns, with food rituals, choices, and distributions mirroring class stratification, gender roles, and ethnic identities, as demonstrated by Mary Douglas and Claude Lévi-Strauss's seminal work on how food reflects social classification systems (Patra, 2022). Food taboos emerge within processes negotiated along multiple axes of power, particularly affecting vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children, with gendered food restrictions often disproportionately limiting women's nutritional status while reinforcing patriarchal social structures (Placek & Hagen, 2019). While some taboos demonstrate adaptive functions, others persist primarily as markers of cultural identity and social belonging, sometimes restricting the consumption of protein-rich foods like eggs, fish, and meat among pregnant women and children in developing nations, potentially exacerbating malnutrition (Meyer-Rochow, 2009; Pradeilles et al., 2024). Understanding food taboos through a sociological lens reveals them as complex social phenomena that simultaneously maintain cultural identity, reinforce power hierarchies, and impact population health, requiring that effective public health interventions recognize food choices as embedded in social relations and address underlying structural inequalities rather than merely providing nutritional information (Rawat & Kumar, 2025; Sharma, 2025).
References
Hong, J. (2024). The cognitive origin and cultural evolution of taboos in human societies. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 30(1), 27-47. //doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.14098
Meyer-Rochow, V. B. (2009). Food taboos: Their origins and purposes. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 5(18), 1-10. //doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-5-18
Patra, J. (2022). Food as a social symbol and exploring its cultural role: View from sociology of food. IJFANS International Journal of Food and Nutritional Sciences, 11(13).
Placek, C. D., & Hagen, E. H. (2019). Food taboos, health beliefs, and gender: Understanding household food choice and nutrition in rural Tajikistan. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 38(17). //doi.org/10.1186/s41043-019-0170-8
Pradeilles, R., Holdsworth, M., Olaitan, O., Omodara, D., Aderibigbe, M., Ogunkunle, M. O., & Lakhanpaul, M. (2024). Food taboos and preferences among adolescent girls, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children aged 6–23 months in mainland Tanzania: A qualitative study. PLOS Global Public Health, 4(8), e0003513. //doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0003513
Rawat, S., & Kumar, R. (2025). Food plants and associated food taboos: Systematic review on restriction factors. Discover Food, 5(1), Article 390. //doi.org/10.1007/s44187-025-00390-x
Sharma, M. (2025). Cultural influences on dietary choices. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. //doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2025.02.002
Posted : October 23, 2025 11:08 am