ArticleNutrients2019
Food Taboos and Cultural Beliefs Influence Food Choice and Dietary Preferences among Pregnant Women in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Article in Nutrients, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers.
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Who cites it
67 citing papers in PubMed, 172 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trial
- Exploring life cycle and health-related food taboos and their associated reasons among Puntland - Somalia communities: a mixed methods cross sectional study.BMC nutrition · 2026Article
- Understanding donkey value chain in Kenya: mapping, governance, challenges, and equity.Tropical animal health and production · 2026Article
- Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals Regarding the Cultural Food Practices of African Migrant Women During Pregnancy and Postpartum in Australia.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Article
- Dietary knowledge, beliefs and taboos affecting pregnancy outcomes: a qualitative study in Jimma, South-West Ethiopia.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Food taboos and other cultural taboos in history of miscarriage: a hospital-based study from India.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Understanding maternal nutrition through the voices of community health workers and mother mentors in Limpopo Province, South Africa.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Cultural Food Practices During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period Among African Migrant Women Living in Australia: A Qualitative Study.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2025Article
- Dietary Diversity in Pregnant Women and Its Association With Household Food Security in Rural Southern Angola.Maternal & child nutrition · 2025Article
- Motivators for Adherence and Drivers of Taboo-Breaking Behaviour Regarding Food Taboos Among Rural Pregnant Women in Bangladesh: Findings From Formative Research.Maternal & child nutrition · 2025Article
- Nutritional status and household food security of pregnant women: insights from the Nutritional Status of Expectant Mothers and their Newborn Infants (NuEMI) study in South Africa.Public health nutrition · 2025Article
- The Ten Dietary Commandments for Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Narrative Review with Pragmatic Indications.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Nutritional Composition and Acceptability of Egg Powder-Fortified Tom Brown Among School-Aged Children in the Wa Municipality.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- Nourishing Beginnings: A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach to Food Security and Healthy Diets for the "Forgotten" Pre-School Children in South Africa.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Causes of delayed antenatal care at an urban community health centre in Gauteng, South Africa.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2025Article
- Factors Influencing Iron Levels Among Women of Reproductive Age and Children 6-48 Months in Livestock-Keeping Communities in Narok County, Kenya.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- Article
- Exploring cultural factors contributing maternal mortality among pregnant women: an ethnographic study in the Banjarnegara community, Central Java, Indonesia.Frontiers in global women's health · 2025Article
- Minimum dietary diversity and its determinants among lactating mothers in five Sub-Saharan African countries: A multilevel analysis.PloS one · 2025Article
- Sex differences in severe acute malnutrition in children under 5 years in Zambia.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
A well-nourished and healthy population is a central tenet of sustainable development. In South Africa, cultural beliefs and food taboos followed by some pregnant women influence their food consumption, which impacts the health of mothers and children during pregnancy and immediately afterwards. We documented food taboos and beliefs amongst pregnant isiXhosa women from five communities in the Kat River Valley, South Africa. A mixed-methods approach was used, which was comprised of questionnaire interviews with 224 women and nine focus group discussions with 94 participants. Overall, 37% of the women reported one or more food practices shaped by local cultural taboos or beliefs. The most commonly avoided foods were meat products, fish, potatoes, fruits, beans, eggs, butternut and pumpkin, which are rich in essential micronutrients, protein and carbohydrates. Most foods were avoided for reasons associated with pregnancy outcome, labour and to avoid an undesirable body form for the baby. Some pregnant women consumed herbal decoctions for strengthening pregnancy, facilitating labour and overall health of both themselves and the foetus. Most learnt of the taboos and practices from their own mother or grandmother, but there was also knowledge transmission in social groups. Some pregnant women in the study may be considered nutritionally vulnerable due to the likelihood of decreased intake of nutrient-rich foods resulting from cultural beliefs and food taboos against some nutritious foods. Encouraging such women to adopt a healthy diet with more protein-rich foods, vegetables and fruits would significantly improve maternal nutrition and children's nutrition. Adhering to culturally appropriate nutrition education may be an important care practice for many pregnant women in the Kat River Valley.
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