Ethnic foods and ethnic diets Georgine Leung Nutrition Scientist British Nutrition Foundation
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What are ethnic foods? • Wide range of definitions • All non-European cuisines and covers all commercially available products: – – – – –
ready meals; cooking and table sauces; accompaniments and snacks; meal kits; seasonings (powder, spices etc.).
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Presence of ethnic foods in the UK • First introduced by early migrants in the 19th Century. • Growing immigrant and expatriate populations. • Increased travels to Asia, the Far East and the Caribbean. • Globalisation of the food market.
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Market trends UK retail sales of ethnic foods in 2008, by cuisine
(Mintel, 2009)
What is the dominant cuisine of ethnic foods? Š Food – a fact of life 2011
Mode of consumption
Ready meals 48% Retail sales of ethnic foods, by type in 2008 (Mintel 2009)
What is the most popular way of consuming ethnic foods?
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Characteristics of consumers • Men > women • 25 to 44 years old • More likely to have young children • Higher socioeconomic status • Mostly from London (Mintel 2009) © Food – a fact of life 2011
Emerging issues in ethnic foods • Health and nutrition • Ethics and animal welfare • Cost • Authenticity • Communication and promotion
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Emerging issues in ethnic foods • Health and nutrition - using of lower fat alternatives; - replacing fats and oils high in saturates; - cutting down on salt; - adding extra vegetables (as whole or purée); - adopting healthier cooking methods.
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Emerging issues in ethnic foods • Ethics and animal welfare - Halal and Kosher foods • Cost • Authenticity - starter kits; - develop new products and flavours; - latest travel destinations for local cuisines. • Communication and promotion © Food – a fact of life 2011
Minority ethnic groups in the UK • Made up 7.9% of the UK population in 2001. • Tend to concentrate in specific areas and big cities. • Some ethnic and religious groups are closely related.
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(both adapted from Office for National Statistics 2005)
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Minority ethnic groups in the UK
South Asians © Food – a fact of life 2011
Black African-Caribbeans
Chinese
Health profiles Some groups have shown higher rates of coronary heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and central obesity (Health Survey for England 2004). Certain disease risks may be tracked from childhood.
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) Men and women from Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups were more likely to suffer from CHD compared with the general population (30% to 140% higher for men and around 50% to 90% higher for women). Black African respondents had the lowest risk, while the Chinese and Black Caribbeans also had lower risks than the mainstream population.
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People of African-Caribbean ethnicity are 6-7x more likely to suffer from stroke compared with the general population. South Asian and Chinese groups were also more likely to suffer from stroke than the mainstream population.
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Prevalence of type 2 diabetes
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(adapted from Mindell & Zaninotto 2006)
Obesity rates and cut-off points International BMI cut-off points for overweight and obesity are 25kg/m2 and 30kg/m2 respectively. Asians have been found to have a higher amount of body fat compared with the White population at the same BMI. Suggested lower cut-off points for overweight and obesity to be 23kg/m2 and 27.5kg/m2 respectively. Š Food – a fact of life 2011
Obesity rates using different measurements
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Hirani & Stamatakis 2006
Health profiles Possible reasons for health inequalities: 1. Genetic predisposition. 2. Developmental programming. 3. Health behaviour patterns.
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Health behaviour patterns • Minority ethnic groups have found to be more physically inactive and more likely to smoke. • Dietary patterns and nutrient status: > Higher fruit and vegetable intakes. > Higher salt intakes (also in weaning). > More likely to breastfeed but later onset of weaning. > Lower iron and vitamin D status.
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Traditional diets of minority ethnic groups South Asians
African-Caribbeans
Chinese
Various types of bread and rice
Rice, plantains, cassava, yams and potatoes
Noodles, buns and rice
Vegetables, beans and pulses (dhals), meat or seafood in a curry
Various vegetables with meat or fish dishes Tropical fruits
A wide range of herbs and spices for flavouring Foods commonly eaten also vary by season and between those from different regions and religious groups
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Common snacks, e.g. beef patties, salt fish fritters and fried dumplings Important to understanding the terminology used in different sub-groups
Lots of green, leafy vegetables and funfaltype vegetables Reliance on soy milk and soy products Variety of fruits Differences between types of foods consumed and cooking styles Special occasion foods
Factors affecting food choice • Income and socio-economic status • Food availability and access • Awareness of healthy eating • Time and cooking skills • Generation and gender • Religious beliefs • Food beliefs © Food – a fact of life 2011
A guide to religious and cultural influences on diet Food/ drink
Muslims
Hindus
Sikhs
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Rastafari Movement
Buddhists
Eggs
(to some)
(to some)
Milk and yogurt
(to some)
(to some)
(to some)
Cheese
(not with rennet)
(not with rennet)
(to some)
Pork
(to some)
Beef
Halal only*
(to some)
Lamb
Halal only*
(to some)
(to some)
Chicken
Halal only*
(to some)
(to some)
(to some)
Fish
(with fins and scales)
(with fins and scales)
(to some)
(with fins and scales)
(to some)
Alcohol
Fasting
Ramadan: no food or liquid from sunrise to sunset
On special occasions to personal Gods
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(adapted from de Wet et al. 1995)
Food beliefs For example, Chinese communities also consider balancing the ‘yin’ (coldness) and ‘yang’ (hotness) of the body as particularly important.
Yin or yang?
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Key characteristics to successful nutritional interventions • tailoring interventions to specific minority ethnic groups; • understanding the lifestyles of different minority ethnic groups and targeting sub-groups; • recognising the relationships between individuals, families and households; • reinforcing changes in knowledge, behaviours and attitudes by using a variety of activities; • involving a trusted and recognised community worker health professionals from the same ethnic background; • using approaches such as community development and peer education which have proven relatively successful. (adapted from Stockley 2009)
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Supporting resources Video podcast available on our Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/britishnutrition
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Further reading Ethnic foods in the UK Leung G (2010) Nutrition Bulletin 35:226-234.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2010.01840.x/ab
Diets of minority ethnic groups in the UK: influence on chronic disease risk and implications for prevention
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For further information, go to: www.nutrition.org.uk www.foodafactoflife.org.uk
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