Documentation of indigenous beliefs and practices related to food intake and food avoidance during pregnancy in Kangra and Una district of Himachal Pradesh

Introduction

A healthy and well-nourished society is widely regarded as a moral obligation, a fundamental human right, and an essential foundation for sustained social, economic, and optimum human development. As such, it is a key indicator of a nation's progress. Inadequate nutrition leads to poor health outcomes, undermining human dignity and wellbeing. Food insecurity and malnutrition remain significant global challenges, with pregnant women and children under five being particularly vulnerable. During pregnancy, maintaining a nutritious diet is of paramount importance. Research has established a clear link between inadequate maternal nutrition and adverse outcomes such as preterm birth, small for gestational age, low birth weight, and foetal macrosomia (Black et al., 2013) [4] . Furthermore, poor maternal nutrition has been associated with long-term consequences, including increased susceptibility to disease and delayed physical and cognitive development in offspring (Christian et al., 2010). Additionally, inadequate diets during pregnancy have been linked to a higher risk of maternal complications, such as eclampsia, caesarean delivery, and postpartum difficulties (Black et al., 2013) [4] .

In many societies, pregnant women are advised to modify their diets for various reasons, and information about necessary dietary practices during pregnancy is obtained from diverse sources. Some women seek knowledge from healthcare providers and scientific resources, while others rely on religious, cultural, or familial traditions. For instance, pregnant women may choose to reduce caffeine intake based on information about its effects on pregnancy outcomes. However, a significant number of women receive dietary advice from cultural, religious, or tribal sources, or from family elders who pass down traditional knowledge. In line with these cultural, traditional, or religious beliefs, some women may avoid certain foods during pregnancy, even when such restrictions might be detrimental to maternal and fetal health. Food taboos, cultural practices or norms that prohibit or discourage the consumption of specific food types are prevalent across both rural and urban settings. Although some of these taboos may have health benefits, they can also lead to significant nutritional deficiencies and health risks for mothers and fetuses. Understanding local dietary taboos during pregnancy is therefore crucial for public health interventions. It will help to avoid certain nutritional deficiencies in pregnancy. This study aims to examine the dietary taboos, associated misconceptions, and influencing factors among pregnant women in Himachal Pradesh. Therefore, this study was planned with the objective to: Objectives 1. To document and validate the indigenous practices in Kangra and Una district of Himachal Pradesh. 2. To compare the practices between the selected districts.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted in two districts of Himachal Pradesh. Kangra and Una district were selected randomly for the study. Two blocks namely Bhawarna and Bhedu Mahadev were selected randomly from Kangra district and similarly two blocks were selected from Una namely Amb and Haroli from each block 5 villages were selected. A total sample of 150 was taken for survey. A door-to-door survey was conducted and data were collected through personal interview method by visiting each respondent personally at home. After the collection of data gathered information was tabulated on the excel sheet. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for the comparison of different practices. Whereas from district Una, the one third of respondents were from the general and SC categories, i.e., 37.33 per cent each followed by 25.33 per cent from OBC. Majority of the respondents from both the districts belonged to joint families, i.e., 72.00 per cent and 74.66 per cent were from district Kangra and Una respectively. Respondents from district Kangra were qualified up to post-graduation (24.00 per cent), followed by (16.67 per cent) respondents qualified up to primary, 13.33 per cent respondents from each district www.extensionjournal.com were qualified up to ITI and graduation, 12.00 per cent were PhD, 10.67 per cent were matric, 8.00 per cent were senior secondary pass and only 2.66 percent of respondents were illiterate. Whereas in Una 22.60 per cent of respondents were qualified up to senior secondary, followed by 21.33 per cent who were graduates, 15.00 per cent from ITI, 13.30 per cent were post-graduate, 9.00 per cent were qualified up to primary, 8.00 per cent were illiterate, 6.66 per cent were matric pass and only 4.00 per cent were having PhD degrees. Perusal of data in table 2 shows that the coconut (58.00 per cent), panjeeri/sundh (100.00 per cent) (mixture of dry fruits), saffron (80.00per cent), and fruits (100.00 per cent) were recommended by the majority of respondents in both the districts. The reason behind consumption of coconut and saffron was to improve the skin colour of children. Parmar et al. 2013 [1] said consumption of saffron results in fair skin of the child. Whereas amla murabba (60.00 per cent) and walnut (100.00 per cent) were recommended in district Kangra only. Ghee and sago were recommended in district Una only. In case of, the food restrictions during pregnancy, papaya (100.00 per cent) was restricted during pregnancy as it is believed that its juice can cause miscarriage. (Chakrabarti, 2019) [2] stated that generally, foods such as papaya and fruits with multiple seeds were avoided during pregnancy because of three possible causes: miscarriage, difficulty in labor, and fear of abnormality in child. Raw rice (100.00 per cent) was restricted by the majority of respondents in both districts. Whereas cucumber (53.30 per cent), watermelon seeds (100.00 per cent), ghee (24.00 per cent), and curd (70.70 per cent) were restricted in Kangra district only. The reason behind these food restrictions was to prevent miscarriage, as it is believed that cucumber or watermelon seeds and curd have thandi taaser that can cause miscarriage. Whereas consumption of ghee, makes the child weigh more, that can cause complication during delivery. www.extensionjournal.com Perusal of table 3 shows that foods recommended in both the districts were nutritious, rich source of vitamin C, rich source of antioxidants, protein rich, source of starch and provides instant energy. They only recommended restriction was consumption of raw rice as it causes anemia and could leads to stomach ache.

Results and Discussion

Conclusion

The dietary preferences and restrictions reflectes the local beliefs and traditions related to food and pregnancy. From the recent study it was concluded that walnut was recommended in district Kangra only. Whereas Ghee was recommended in Una only. Intake of panjeeri/sundh was recommended in both districts. Avoidance of foods like papaya and raw rice was restricted in both districts and even doctors validate restriction of these food items as the craving of raw rice indicates anemia and papaya was needed to be avoided in the first trimester. People followed these practices religiously as these practices are a part of their cultural belief.

References

1. Black RE, Victora CG, Walker SP, Bhutta ZA, Christian P, de Onis M, et al. Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet. 2013;382:427-51.
2. Chakona G, Shackleton C. Minimum dietary diversity scores for women indicate micronutrient adequacy and food insecurity status in South African towns. Nutrients. 2017;9:812.
3. Chakona G, Shackleton CM. Household food insecurity along an agro-ecological gradient influences children's nutritional status in South Africa. Front Nutr. 2018;4:72.
4. Development Initiatives. 2018 Global Nutrition Report: Shining a light to spur action on nutrition. Bristol: Development Initiatives; 2018. https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/2 018_Global_Nutrition_Report.pdf