Learning to eat the “right” way: examining nutrition socialization from the perspective of immigrants and refugees

Unequal foodwork: Situating the sociology of feeding within diet and nutrition disparities

“…Within the context of immigration to the United States, nutrition discourses often frame immigrant populations as undergoing a process of "dietary acculturation" whereby they increasingly adopt dietary practices characteristic of their destination country, often to the detriment of their health and the health of their children (Fox et al, 2017;Lopez-Class et al, 2011;Satia, 2003). Aware of the negative health implications of the "Americanization" of immigrants' diets, U.S.-based nutrition interventions work alongside doctors, resettlement agencies, and federal food assistance programs to socialize immigrant communities towards mainstream nutrition principles outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans-a process Mycek et al (2020) call "nutritional socialization." Sociological research works alongside anthropological scholarship to reveal the challenges of such approaches.…”

“…Ethnic and racial positions also intersect with gender and class to structure food and foodwork's meanings in important ways. Peoples' racial and ethnic identities, experiences of racism and xenophobia, transnational connections, and histories of racism and colonialism all inform their understandings of mainstream nutrition discourses and ideas about what constitutes a healthy diet (Ewoodzie, 2021; Mycek et al., 2020). Purely nutrition‐based standards around “healthy eating” that largely ignore the role of culture, tradition, or practicality can marginalize alternative understandings of the relationship between food and health (Ristovski‐Slijepcevic et al., 2008).…”

“…Aware of the negative health implications of the “Americanization” of immigrants' diets, U.S.‐based nutrition interventions work alongside doctors, resettlement agencies, and federal food assistance programs to socialize immigrant communities towards mainstream nutrition principles outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans—a process Mycek et al. (2020) call “nutritional socialization.”…”

Urban food environments and cultural adequacy: the (dis)assemblage of urban halal food environments in Muslim minority contexts

“…Critical voices, however, have argued that much of the work on urban food environments has neglected the sociocultural complexity that produces specific food environments (e.g., Slocum and Saldanha 2013). This includes the fact that the concept of healthy, nutritious food is not universal (though it is often treated as such) but defined differently in distinct cultural contexts (Mycek et al 2020). For example, many Muslims do not consider nonhalal foods healthy.…”

“…They strive to follow Islamic dietary laws by consuming only religiously adequate foods and beverages, meaning those considered "halal" (lawful, permitted; for a detailed definition see the section "Cultural adequacy and halal food"). In countries where Muslims represent a minority, this is not always easy; sometimes it is hardly possible at all (Mycek et al 2020;Vallianatos and Raine 2008). Today, one may assume that halal food is available at least in internationalized cities and metropolitan areas with considerable Muslim populations, as is the case with "ethnic" food (Shaw, Bagwell, and Karmowska 2004).…”