Food Restriction In Food Culture Essay

Food restriction

In Malay society, the most important in the postpartum practices is the adherence to the food restriction (Piperata, 2008). At such, certain foods are especially encouraged to promote and restore health, while consuming prohibited foods are thought to cause negative effect on mother or newborn either immediate or in the later years. Malay food culture is believing on “hot and cold” system based on the presumed intrinsic property of the foods. This is usually considered independent of the food’s temperature or its raw or cooked state, except for specific interpretations or idiosyncratic beliefs (Dennis et al, 2007; Hishamshah et al, 2010; Shariffah Suraya, 2013; Jackson, 2000). Malays believed that mother is in the “cold”

Traditionally, vegetables, fruits and certain fish were the foods that very most commonly classified as taboo. Digestive disorders and postpartum hemorrhage might occurrence on new mother as consequences on take of prohibited foods. Thus these foods are often removed from the diet of a new mother. On the other hand, food such as meat and fish were regarded as hot and were thought beneficial to body by promote blood circulation, help recovery, encourage expulsion of the lochia and stimulate lactation which aids in breastfeeding. (Shariffah Suraya, 2013

Some of the Malay womens were limiting intake of water and certain foods such as vegetable and fruit. This practices might put them in a risk of dehyration, constipation and malnutrition. However, some studies reported that intake of traditional herbs/ jamu might provide the benefits and balance the effect from these practices especially for constipation and jaundice (Hishamshah et al, 2010). Nevertheless, from the paper published by Zamani (2001), she is encouraged to drink plenty of warm water and discouraged from drinking cold water. So, there is not consistent finding between the