Regional Dietary Restrictions

The types of food that people all over the world eat are heavily influenced by the kinds of ingredients that are grown and found locally. The type of available food also plays a role in many of the restrictions to the foods that different cultures eat. In many parts of the world food that isn’t grown or found locally is feared to be unsafe and … Keep Reading → its use restricted. This can be seen in some third world nations that won’t eat anything from the ocean because they fear that the water is not clean. A similar phenomenon is that some regions will not eat raw foods for fear that they are unsafe. In these areas even fruits and vegetables are deemed unsafe to eat raw. The fact that they are only eaten cooked results in much of the nutritional value being lost. Regional dietary restrictions may be based on folklore that is passed down by generations or it may be based on legitimate environmental conditions and concerns.