Download Handout 5 Dietary Practices

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Handout 5: Dietary practices
Links to Learning outcome 3 Assessment criteria 3.1
Diet can be the focus of both cultural and religious beliefs as well as personal values and
beliefs.
Different faiths have different dietary requirements for those who follow those faiths.
While this can be said, it must also be remembered that individuals choose the way they
abide by dietary requirements.
We must not presume that because an individual follows a certain faith they will be
orthodox in relation to food.
Each person must be consulted and his/her preferences and choices discovered.
Some religious dietary practices:
Christian: members of the Christian faith do not have any specific foods which are
forbidden. Some Catholics may still decline to eat meat on Fridays although this is not a
tenet of the Church now. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only two feast days
where the Church recommends abstinence from eating meat.
Islam prohibits Muslims from consuming any of the following items:
 Alcohol: This includes alcoholic beverages such as wine and liquor, as well as
any food items that contain alcohol. Islam forbids the use of any mind-altering
substances, whether in the form of food, drink or smoking. Muslims believe that
maintaining health, Allah's gift, requires mastering full control over one's mind,
body and spirit at all times.
 Pork or any pork products, such as lard, ham and pepperoni: This includes
consuming any food that contains these items in any concentration or amount.
Therefore, all foods containing animal shortening are forbidden, since this
shortening is usually made from pork fat. It is permissible to eat foods containing
vegetable shortening.
 Blood: Raw meat must be soaked in water to drain out the blood before cooking.
Muslims are permitted to eat only well-done cooked meat where no trace of
blood can be found after cooking.

Islam also forbids cooking, eating or drinking from any pans, dishes, cups or
table utensils that were used to prepare food containing pork or alcohol. They
cannot be used to prepare or serve food for Muslims until they are thoroughly
washed. Fasting is required at certain festivals eg Ramadan when adults fast
during daylight.
Jewish dietary practices
Jewish dietary laws are known as kashrut and food that adheres to these standards is
called kosher. Many mandates of the kosher diet are similar to those found in Islam.
Eating any pork or pork products, including animal shortening, is prohibited. All blood
must be drained from meat and poultry before cooking.
Dairy products and meat products cannot be eaten together, because this is considered
unhealthy. Cooking equipment and eating utensils that have come into contact with dairy
products cannot be used with meat, and vice versa.
Animals and poultry must be slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law.
Different religious holidays also have significance for food and its preparation. At
Passover all cooking utensils, cutlery and crockery are changed for special Passover
sets. At Passover only unleavened bread is eaten. Fasting is required on certain feast
days most importantly Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
The only types of fish that may be eaten are those that have fins and scales. Therefore,
shellfish, such as lobster, shrimp, oysters and crab, are prohibited.
Birds of prey and birds that are scavengers may not be eaten. Typical fowl, such as
chicken, ducks and turkeys, are permissible.
Hindus: Strict Hindus are vegetarian, they have strict religious instructions to do no
harm to any living thing and so most will be vegetarians. Some Hindus may not even eat
eggs or fish, although most will probably accept dairy products. Those who normally eat
other meats will not eat anything that contains beef or beef products, because the cow is
considered to be a sacred representation of the bounty of the gods.
It is important to make sure that there is no cross-contamination between meat and
vegetarian food or containers, and not to use the same utensils to serve meat and
vegetarian food. It is also important to consider the ingredients of food; for example,
some cheese is still made with rennet (an animal product) and ice cream may contain
animal fats. Alcohol is usually avoided.
Sikhs: do not eat any ritual meat prepared by either sacrificing the animal to please
God or by killing the animal slowly to drain out the blood. Halal meat, (meat prepared the
Islamic way), is forbidden for Sikhs to partake. Vegetarian or non-vegetarian meals are
individual preferences. Sikhs do not observe fasting for any religious reasons.
Buddhism: In the Buddhist religion, eating a vegetarian diet (no meat) is a natural and
logical ramification of the moral precept against the taking of life espoused by Lord
Buddha.
Veganism: prohibits not only the eating of animals, animal products and their
derivatives, including milk, cheese and honey, but also the use of animal furs, leathers,
skins etc. Vegans believe these products and even their by-products must be avoided at
both the physical and mental levels to ensure true liberation that facilitates the attaining
of enlightenment. Diets comprise grains, vegetables, vegetable oils, cereals, pulses such
as beans and lentils, nuts, fruit and seeds.
Vegetarian: A diet that includes no meat. Between 3-7% of the UK population are
vegetarian, with women more likely to be so than men. There are many interpretations of
vegetarian diets; ranging from ‘semi’ vegetarian to vegan, fruitarians and macrobiotic.
Provided a vegetarian diet is well balanced, it should provide all of the nutrients needed
by the body throughout life. Most vitamins can be provided by foods of plant origin, with
the exception of vitamin B12. Dietary supplements and/or fortified foods are a source of
this vitamin for individuals who do not eat foods of animal origin.
Rastafarianism: followers should avoid all fruits of the vine eg grapes, currants,
sultanas, raisins and wine. Pork in any form is forbidden and herring and sardines are
considered unwholesome.
There are also the individual’s food allergies and intolerances and medical conditions
to consider. Some people have Diabetes, are Lactose intolerant, have allergies to nuts,
find wheat products cause digestive discomfort, have allergies to shellfish or
strawberries. There are a number of medicines which preclude the eating of certain food
eg cheese, grapefruit, this must be checked before planning a menu. All of this
information can be discovered by accessing the Care Plan and/or consulting the service
user.