The Challenge of Making Dietary Changes
A Cultural Perspective
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Food and diet are closely related to culture. A patient care plan often includes a change in diet. Yet her culture may include dietary restrictions based on age, state of health, and/or gender. For example, some cultures have strict beliefs about the kinds of food a woman can eat during pregnancy or if she has recently given birth. Others follow food guidelines based on religious beliefs. By showing respect and understanding for the patient as an individual and as part of a cultural tradition, you will be better able to elicit relevant information about beliefs and traditions and the personal as well as cultural challenges to adherence. You can then help the patient find ways to gradually change dietary patterns that are harmful to his health.
For example, is it realistic for the patient to significantly reduce the fat in her diet if her family’s culturally appropriate diet is rich in fats? Ask your patient if obesity is a problem for several family members. If so, would it be appropriate to make fat reduction a family goal, rather than a personal one? Perhaps he could begin by reducing the level of oil or fat in three dinners per week instead of every meal.
Reducing sugar intake can be a problem in some families.
- Do they eat dessert with every dinner, or with every lunch and dinner?
- Will the family feel deprived if they change this habit?
- Will they be supportive of a family member who needs to reduce her intake of sweets?
Maybe they would consider having desserts only on Saturday and Sunday, instead of every day—or at one meal a day instead of two. Salt intake is another example. If a family is accustomed to using soy sauce with most meals, it is probably unrealistic to expect them to eliminate soy sauce from their diet. Would they be happy using a reduced-salt soy sauce?
Working with your patient to set these types of smaller goals may lead to greater success with behavior change in the long term.