Original Article

FOOD PREFERENCES AND TABOOS DURING ANTE-NATAL PERIOD AMONG

THE TRIBAL WOMEN OF NORTH COASTAL ANDHRA PRADESH

Lakshmi G
Assistant Academic Monitoring Officer, Rajiv Vidya Mission (SSA), Visakhapatnam-03

ABSTRACT
This is an attempt to examine the food preferences and restrictions practiced by the tribal women of
Srikakulam district of north coastal Andhra Pradesh. They have the deep rooted beliefs about the
food preferences and restrictions. The study reveals the respondents' opinion about the preferential
and non-preferential food items and also tried to explain the loss of valuable nutrients during
antenatal period on the name of food taboos. Due to these traditional beliefs they are suffering from
protein-energy malnutrition and other deficiencies which lead to health complications both to the
mother and infants. The present results were discussed in the light of other published data carried
out on different tribal and non-tribal populations from India.

Key words: Food preferences, taboos, antenatal, postnatal

INTRODUCTION genetic, social and economic factors, infections and

environmental conditions, many of which may affect

N utritional practices play a significant role in

maintaining the health status of an individual.
Practices permitting an adequate diet in quality and
quantity contribute to the health of the individual.
Nutritional practices and patterns are developed by
people's tendency to settle into fixed habits. The
basic reasons for this condition are attributed to
malnutrition, which in turn linked with poverty, food
insecurity, unhygienic practices and traditional
beliefs. Particularly among the tribes, these factors
play a major role in the consumption of certain food
items and also the taboo of certain other valuable
nutrients during ante natal and post natal periods
due to cultural reasons. This type of practice used to
leads various complications to the mother as well as
to the newborns. Adequate nutrition before and
during pregnancy has greater potential for a long
term health impact than it does at any other time.
Maternal health is complex, influenced by various
Correspondence
Dr. Lakshmi Geddavalasa
W/o G. Ravi Kumar, Door No: 6-6-8/1,
Peethala Veedhi, Bazar Street,
China Waltair, Visakhapatnam-17.
E-mail: lakshmigeddavalasa@gmail.com
32
the foetal growth Infants, who are well nourished in
the womb, have an enhanced chance of entering life
in good physical and mental health. The effect of
under-nutrition during reproduction will vary
depending upon the nutrients consumed, the length
of time it is lacking and the stage of gestation at
which it occurs. Due to undernourishment of the
mother the baby is at an increased risk of being
premature with low birth weight and developmental
irregularities. Severe anaemia in pregnant women
increases maternal morbidity and mortality and
involves a higher risk of the foetus [7]. Lactating
mother's nutritional requirement should meet her
own daily needs, provide enough nutrients for the
growing infant and furnish the energy for the
mechanics of milk production. Beliefs are crucial in
the acceptance or rejection of certain food items.
The beliefs of any community are the products of
social interactions deeply entrenched in the minds
of that community because of deep faith. Many of
the food fads and fallacies stem from ignorance
about nutritive values of foods and quantitative and
qualitative requirements. Cultural beliefs and
practices are results of such ignorance. Prevailing
beliefs may prevent people from consuming
Journal of Community Nutrition & Health, Vol.2, Issue 2, 2013
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valuable foods even when they locally available at
low cost. Among the tribal populations of north
coastal Andhra Pradesh, certain food items are
preferred for consumption and some are avoided
during pregnancy as well as after the delivery as per
their customs and beliefs [2].
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the study is to examine the
existing food practices during antenatal period
towards mother and child health among Savara and
Jatapu tribal communities.
Specific Objectives:
To study the beliefs, practices and superstitions
towards food existing during antenatal period.
To evaluate the loss of nutrients due to food
taboos among the pregnant women.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted among Savara and
Jatapu tribal communities of Srikakulam District.
The main intension in selecting Srikakulam District
is that the government has recognized this district as
backward in all aspects especially in health and
nutrition. They have low rate of literacy, more
prevalent superstitions. For the present study 600
eligible women in their active reproductive age
group i.e. between 15th and 45th year were selected
at random from 7 mandals of the district.
Respondents were lactating mothers and pregnant
women. Data regarding their food preferences and
the taboo of certain food items during pregnancy
period were collected by employing pre-tested in-
depth interviews and direct observation.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
There are numerous restrictions during ante and
post natal periods. During antenatal period, the
tribal women prefer iron rich and cold food items
which they believe that these foods are good for
growth and development of the foetus. At the same
time they restricted to consume raw papaya,
sesame, coconut water and fermented rice because
they felt that these food items may induce abortion
and create some health problems, like
communicable diseases, green motions etc to the
newborns. In the post natal period, they also
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Lakshmi
consume some hot foods that are mostly useful for
milk production & cleaning of the bad blood after
delivery and restricted to some foods that will lead to
some primary health problems to the newborns.
Due to some magico-religious beliefs they restricted
highly nutritive foods during pre and post natal
periods which lead to anaemia and other micro
nutritional deficiencies to mothers and newborns.
The reasons for their food preferences and taboos
were enquired and its impact on the loss of valuable
nutrients was also assessed and is presented.
Adequacy of food stuffs in sufficient variety is the
essential requisite for satisfactory human nutrition.
Factors such as life style, food taboos, income, and
infection operate the human nutrition.
Food Patterns during Antenatal period
Early marriage, high work burdens, narrow birth
intervals and discriminatory food customs combine
to force the pregnant women at risk of becoming or
remaining malnourished. During pregnancy a
woman should eat a wide variety of body building
food and should follow the healthy practices. The
pregnant woman should not neglect her physical
needs as the life of the foetus is also involved. In this
context, the present women respondents were
interviewed for food practices during pregnancy and
lactation phases.
Of the 600 women surveyed, 60% believed that
certain foods should be specially consumed during
pregnancy. Among the foods recommended almost
all foods such as meat, fruits and vegetables rich
with nutrients and are necessary for the health of
mother and baby (Table 1). With reference to the
consumption of foods during pregnancy, 82.1% of
the total number of women believed that some of the
food items should be restricted to pregnant women.
All the respondents i.e., 100% of them have deep
rooted false beliefs on certain foods, which imply a
negative effect on their health. The tribal people
believe that the herbs collected from the forest and
the meat of wild animals were considered as the
good food for the pregnant women. Cent percent of
the respondents are of opinion that consumption of
heat producing food for lactating women can cause
further complications for their children out of total
sample. 64.2% of the respondents are of opinion
that consumption of papaya, sesame, coconut
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water, fermented rice and foods and heat producing
food stuffs during pregnancy cause abortion. About
20.0% of respondents opined that foods like green
plantains, cluster beans, mushrooms, fruits of
palmyra palms, brinjal, Jack fruits, fowls' eggs,
Physalis minima L-(green fruit-) during pregnancy
causes anasalu (a state in which the patient suffers
with yellowish and green motions), indigestion,
baby becomes skinned with hair and risk of having
twins. Further 13.5% of them opined that citrus
fruits when given to infants cause cold and cough
and 2.6% of them reported that consumption of
heavy meals during pregnancy causes
complications during delivery.

TABLE 1: FOODS CONSUMED DURING PREGNANCY

Sl.no Food Items Reason for consumption
1 Fenugreek seeds, areca nut, wild spider flower plant, Cooling foods for stomach, good for
Sweets , rhizome of date sugar palm/ wild date, cucumber, foetus
lotus tuber, orange, a kind of millet (pelalapindi),
ponnaganni, , rhizome of water lily, amla, rhizomes
available in tanks, cooling foods, Ocimum basilicum.
2 Lablab purpurens L., dove meat , bajra /pearl millet, guana, Energy, strength
chicken, meat, All types of fruits, ragi malt, jowar rice,
dates, rabbit, mutton, Flesh of a local bird (Lakumuki pitta
mamsam)
3 Honey, pumpkin flowers Good for pregnant women
4 Aloe-wood, ragi malt, jowar rice, dates, Indian sorrel, Improves blood
agathi / Sesban, Indian red spinach, Cynodon dactylon,
Barleria cristata, Amaranthus tricolor, Pumpkin leaves,
spinach, common Indian purslane, bengal gramleaves,
radish, wood apple
5 Ginger juice, hot water To control oedema

There are several traditions prevailing among tribes
about food intake by pregnant and lactating
mothers. The pregnant mother is prohibited to eat
ghee, oil seeds, ground nuts, curd and hot foods
(Table 2). Newly delivered mother is given several
types of herbal products and gum with ghee to eat. It
is believed that during pregnancy rich foods
containing ghee and fat is injurious to health of
womb and after the delivery it is good for the health
of the mother as well as child. The tribal people of
Southern Rajasthan especially Kathodi and Garasia
believe that during pregnancy use of forest foods
and animal foods are good for health of mother and
child. Kathodi women eat monkey meat during
delivery [4].
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Durga rao mentioned that some foods are preferred
in tribal populations of north coastal andhra
pradesh. They are bottle gourd, ridge gourd, small
gourd, pumpkin, drumstick, lady fingers, plantain,
cauliflower, beans, dry mango piece, mestha
(Hibiscus Cannabinus), amaranthus, bamboo
shoots, gogu leaves, fruits(yam/ papaya), dates,
niger seeds oil, asafoetida, black gram, bengal
gram, pepper, bread, milk, meat (chicken/ goat/
cattle), prawn powder, ragi gruel, sama gruel,
tamaraind rasam, pippalla kayam, Fried rice with
jeera and chilly powder [5].
Most of the foods restricted are inexpensive and
nutritious. The beliefs stated for each food have no
scientific explanation. Common and inexpensive
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TABLE 2: FOODS RESTRICTED DURING PREGNANCY

S.no Food Items Reason for non-consumption

1 Coconut water, papaya, sesame seeds, fermented rice, Abortion
heat producing foods
2 Jack fruit, pemelmoos, wild hog/ porcupine, maize, Baby becomes skinned with hair,
corn coarse hair
3 Black fruits like grapes, wall nut, jambu fruit Child born with dark complexion
4 Eggs, coconut Child will be born with bald head
5 Custard apple, Achras zapota Cold, cough
6 Cashew fruit, pumpkin fruit, traditional food (pongadalu, Communicable diseases
pakundalu)
7 Heavy meals, fermented rice, hot foods, wild meat Complications during pregnancy
8 Pemelmoos Convulsions
9 A kind of bird (Tuttiri pitta) Disposition of the foetus
10 Beans, Peas, horse gram Gas formation
11 Cluster beans, mushrooms, palmyra palm, plantain, Green motions in children (Anasalu)
green, jack fruit, pemelmoos, green fruit, brinjal,
banana ripe, maize/corn, eggs
12 Oily foods, Goat's milk, pickles, heat producing foods Heat producing
13 Green fruit Indigestion
14 Wild meat Magico-religious
15 Tegalu Stretch marks
16 Pickles Oedema in legs
17 Banana, ripe Offer to god
18 Wild hog/ porcupine Physical pain, vigorous
19 Twin bananas Risk of having twins
20 Maize, corn Stomach pain
21 Cassava, Curries made with tubers, yam wild, brinjal Vata, skin allergy, itching

vegetables like pumpkin and leafy vegetables are
restricted while eggs, horse gram and Bengal gram
are not acceptable during pregnancy. The belief
about custard apple is interesting because it is
avoided as it is cold. Beliefs and restrictions of this
type adversely affect a pregnant woman. Lack of
proper nourishment of the mother may in turn affect
the growth of the baby (Table 2). Therefore, it is
essential that proper measures be taken to see that
these beliefs and practices are not followed in
future. Similarly Meghendra Banerjee reported the
beliefs of people from 19 states, that the eating of
red meat, chicken, eggs, milk, jack fruit, spinach and
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many others are all supposed to harm the baby or
the mother in some manner if taken during
pregnancy [3].
Other studies revealed that during pregnancy some
foods are avoided by the tribal populations like bitter
gourd, snake gourd, potato, fresh tamarind,
coconut, cabbage, chick pea, Momordia dioca,
Cucumis sativa, jack, mango, water melon, fish
(dry/raw/salted), meat(white chicken/wild cat), wild
hog/deer/peacock, eggs, maize, green gram,
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TABLE-3: MOST COMMON NUTRIENTS NEEDED AND THE TABOOED
FOODS DURING ANTENATAL PERIOD
Nutrient Deficiency
Protein Protein- energy malnutrition
Fibre Constipation and colon
cancers
Calcium Mothers bones will be
depleted and her bones
become prone to fractures.
Iron Decreased hematocrit,
anaemia, immune
suppression
Vitamin A Night blindness, blurring of
(carotene) vision, the outer lining of the
eye ball loses its usual moist
white appearance and
becomes dry and wrinkled.
Vitamin C Appetite loss, fatigue,
(Ascorbic acid) bleeding gums, capillary
rupture, immune
suppression
Vitamin B6 Angular stomatitis, anaemia,
(pyridoxine) convulsions, dermatitis,
glossitis, immune
suppression, neuropathy
Folic acid Megaloblastic anemia,
diarrhoea, fatigue,
confusion, forgetfulness,
depression, dementia,
apathy, insomnia, irritability,
immune suppression
Fat Blood from clotting, lowers
cholesterol, and help
prevent cancer cell growth
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Needed for
cell growth and blood
production
Mechanism of digestion and
elimination of waste
During pregnancy to meet
the needs of growing foetus
and during lactation, to
compensate for Ca secreted
in breast milk. Strong bones
and teeth, muscle
contraction, nerve function,
contraction of heart, nervous
activity and blood clotting.
Formation of haemoglobin of
red blood cells and plays an
important role in the
transport of oxygen.(to
prevent anemia)
healthy skin, good eyesight,
growing bones
healthy gums, teeth, and
bones; assistance with iron
absorption
Metabolism of proteins and
fats, red blood cell formation;
effective use of protein, fat,
and carbohydrates
blood and protein
production, effective enzyme
function
body energy stores
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Tabooed Foods during
Antenatal period
Wild hog meat, sesame
seeds, Eggs (hen)
Papaya, guava, custard
apple, corn, beans,
banana, jack fruit, sweet
potato, topioca
Wild hog, sesame, eggs,
cashew, coconut whole,
papaya, wild yam,
amaranth
Sesame, rice, eggs
Eggs, rice, wild yam,
dark leafy greens, sweet
potatoes, pumpkin,
mangoes, papaya
Wild hog, cashew,
papaya green, maize,
sweet orange
Wild hog meat, cahew,
eggs, tubers, yam,
pumpkin, cassava,
plantain
Green vegetables, eggs,
amaranth, beans,
cashew nuts
Wild hog meat, cashew
nuts, sesame, eggs.
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dolichos sps, asmola dal, dolichos dal, barely, curd
(Buffalo), junnu (sweet made of colostrums of
cattle), country liquor, sap of caryota urens and
tablets (except IFA). Prohibited foods during
pregnancy are pumpkin, green gram, papaya,
mushrooms, brinjal and tomato [1].
Nutritional requirements during antenatal
period
Women in the reproductive age group and
growing children continue to be the most
vulnerable groups to malnutrition, despite the
implementation of several nutritional
intervention programmes in the country. Eating
well during pregnancy is more than simply
increasing how much a woman eats. She must
also consider what she eats. Although a
pregnant woman needs about 300 extra
calories a day- especially later in her
pregnancy, when her baby grows quickly-
those calories should come from nutritious
foods, so they can contribute to baby's growth
and development.
The extra food pregnant women eat shouldn't
just be empty calories it should provide the
nutrients growing baby needs. For example,
calcium helps make and keep bones and teeth
strong. During pregnancy, the woman still
needs calcium for her body, plus extra calcium
for her developing baby. Similarly, she requires
more of all the essential nutrients than she did
before become pregnant. Calcium is another
important nutrient. Because the growing baby's
calcium demands are high, she should
increase her calcium consumption to prevent a
loss of calcium from her own bones.
Supplementary vitamins, which contain some
extra Calcium are necessary.
Due to deep rooted traditional beliefs, the
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present tribal women are avoiding many food
items which are locally available, affordable
and rich with nutrients which are essential
during ante and post natal periods. And hence
they are suffering from various nutritional
deficiencies and actually they need these
nutrients during these periods, for keeping
good health of their own and for the healthy
growth and development of foetus and infants
(Table-3).
CONCLUSION
The study reveals that these curious respective
practices shown in the above clearly represents
their innocence, illiteracy and their belief in
unfounded food fads and taboos. It was found that
numerous foods either restricted or tabooed are
actually nutritious and good for both the mother and
child. The cultural beliefs and practices of tribal
communities definitely have much negative effect
on the pregnant and lactating mothers, which can
be eradicated through proper awareness among
the community in general and women in particular
by health interventions and action oriented
research.
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Rao. V.L.,. Persistent traditional practices
among the tribals of North Coastal Andhra,
Stud. Tribes and Tribals, 2006. 4(1): 53-56
3. Meghendra Banerjee and Harish Kumar:
Analyzing Traditional Birthing Practices,
WHO India, New Delhi (Experiences). Solution
exchange Issued 22 March 2006.
4. Nagda , B.L Good nutrition and healthy
mothers, Social welfare, Central Social
Welfare Board, New Delhi. October 1996. 7:43..
5. Nagda , B.L : Social correlates of fertility,
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6. Srilakshmi. B.: Dietetics, New age
international (p) ltd, publishers, Mumbai.1997.
7. Park. K.: Preventive and Social Medicine,
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