Nutritional Practices - Essay Example

Nutritional Practices Nutritional practices and behaviors collectively depend on culture, age, education, economic and social condition, health status, household structure and of course access to food. On the basis of such segregated behaviors in the community, the different subgroups, divided on the basis of ethnicity, age, race, income groups etc possibly will respond differently. Describing and analyzing the nutritional practices of the following ethnic groups living in the U.S, is relatively easy however, at the same time, it is difficult to characterize their net effect to account for the health benefits and disease reduction as each of the ethnic group observes diverse eating practices.

Analyzing the nutritional practices can however identify useful insights to the governments of maintaining health and reducing the disease risks (Health.mo.gov). As more and more ethnic groups have come into existence in the United States, more trends to nutrition are prevailing among these culture groups including diverse eating habits and food practices. These diverse eating lifestyles are not innate rather they are formed and learned through different societies’ setups. However the essence of individual ethnic culture is still reflected in the mainstream of food culture hence, enriching the American diet with various cuisines from diverse cultures.

United States inhabits few of the most popular ethnic groups including African-American, Asian-Indian, Mexican-American, among the others. The diet of African-American group consists of items that largely derive from the ancestral generations. Their food fare is known as Soul Food that contains dietary customs and food practices that largely depend on the socio economic levels of income and status. The staple of soul food consists of “greens” which collectively includes green leafy-vegetables, dandelion greens, pokeweed spinach and kale etc whereas their mainstay food item is corn.

Grains are also considered as basic in their nutritional plan such as grits, rice, muffins, cooked macaroni and biscuits etc. They also take “sweet milk” as whole milk as well as butter milk. Variety of meat items compensate for their protein diet including beef, pork meat, fish, poultry that are either fried or breaded. Though, short cooking time restricts them to go for frying meat. Another ethnic group in the U.S is actually of the immigrants from different Asian lands giving rise to Asian-Indian ethnicity.

This ethnic group is quite diverse because of its composition by various cultures such as Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity and Sikhism etc. As a result if different religions, they frequently observe their respective dietary laws as permissible by their religions. They frequently access to food that is non alcoholic and prefer rice, chapatti and food items made of grounded wheat and flour grains (Riskfactor.Cancer.gov). They also eat protein diet to fill in their nutritional practices including meat, fish, and poultry.

They also take chips and curried vegetables. Residents spending a longer time also start including alcoholic beverages in their diet. However, their diet is changed to foods containing high levels of saturated-fat from high fiber low fat foods. The Prima Indians forms another ethnic group who mainly focused their nutritional diet on food items that fuel obesity causing diabetes. Mexican-American life gives enough priority to Food, including it as a big part of their life. Their traditional diet is composed of low fat and high fiber food items.

Their diet includes beans, rice, corns, tortillas etc. however their eating habits have resulted in diabetes type 2. Eating healthier foods and returning to conventional eating practices may possibly benefit them (Kulkarni). Each of the three ethnic groups has varying priorities to nutritional practices depending on the cultures they reflect. However, a balanced nutritional diet is significant to satisfying the psychological needs of every one. The food nurtures the human body as well as to satisfy the biological urge of hunger so that the human body can withstand the illnesses and continue a healthier longer life.

Satisfying hunger has been a common aim for the nations however which is deeply prioritized in the U.S. as part of the necessary and essential policies manifested for the U.S citizens and health care services. Any decision regarding the nutritional practices followed and pursued by each of the ethnic groups, largely depend on the cultures and inherited policies each of them are following. However, instances from their traditional practices and ethnic backgrounds also help in deciding for the food and eating habits retained by them (Mightystudents.com). References Mightystudents.com (n.d.). a report on nutrition practices among ethnic groups in the US Essay by Mightystudents.com. Retrieved from http://www.

mightystudents.com/essay/a.report.on.125436 Kulkarni, D. K. (n.d.). Food, Culture, and Diabetes in the United States. Retrieved from http://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/content/22/4/190.full Health.mo.gov (n.d.). Nutrition in Different Populations. Retrieved from http://health.mo.gov/data/interventionmica/Nutrition/index_2.html Riskfactor.Cancer.gov (n.d.). Preventive Nutrition Issues in Ethnic & Socioeconomic Groups in the United States. Retrieved from http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/prs/summaries/summary1.html