Pregnancy Fasting in Ramadan: Toward a Biocultural Framework

Ecol Food Nutr. 2021 Apr 23:1-25. doi: 10.1080/03670244.2021.1913584. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTPregnancy fasting poses a paradox: why would a woman restrict her diet during a period of increased nutritional need? This qualitative, cross-sectional study applied biological and cultural evolutionary theories of pregnancy diet to emic models of fasting with the aim of establishing a testable biocultural framework of pregnancy fasting. The research took place with Muslim women residing in Mysore, India. In-depth interviews were conducted with pregnant women who have experience and knowledge of fasting during during the holy month of Ramadan. Our findings indicate that pregnancy fasting is socially acquired via multiple modes of transmission and that women do not fast according to mainstream evolutionary theories of pregnancy diet, but perhaps to gain moral capital.PMID:33890529 | DOI:10.1080/03670244.2021.1913584
Source: Ecology of Food and Nutrition - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: research