Mealtime and meal patterns from a cultural perspective

Abstract

The meal is universal, existing in every society, culture and social class, but its symbolic meanings differ across individuals and groups. Encyclopaedias define a meal as a certain amount of food eaten at a specific time, some researchers define the meal as part of the eating space, and some by nutritionally distinguishing meals from eating events, such as snacks. Meal patterns and meal orders in Sweden have changed considerably over the centuries according to historical evidence. In modern society there is a tendency towards increased grazing behaviour and perhaps also towards a decrease in sharing family meals, but these phenomena require further investigation. Research on meals, or ''meal research'', has been developed and now represents two new academic disciplines in Sweden. The first department to establish this new academic discipline by establishing a professorship was the Department of Domestic Sciences, Uppsala University. The aim of meal research is to take a holistic perspective on nutrition and food studies, to which studies at the department have contributed during the past decade.

Living alone, receiving help, helplessness, and inactivity are strongly related to risk of undernutrition among older home-dwelling people

“…To be able to participate in this study by using a mailed questionnaire, a necessary qualification for the participants, was a sufficient cognitive ability. It is also an important aspect to be aware of that eating habits may be difficult and too personal to report 27,51…”

Recognizing new perspectives in eating difficulties following stroke: a concept analysis

“…Under normal circumstances, eating is an enjoyable, taken-for-granted event that is essential for creating and sustaining social relations [7]. Eating is a central part of our lives and socializing during eating enhances a sense of belonging and provides a forum for dealing with feelings and communicating emotions [8][9][10][11]. It is well acknowledged that chronic impairments as occurring following stroke may cause serious alterations in health and interfere with patients' quality of life [12,13].…”

Facilitating ADLs by Caregivers of Persons with Dementia: The C3P Model

“…Acquiring adequate nutrition is one of the desired outcomes of all meals as it directly affects the overall health of all persons, especially older adults, who tend to be at higher nutritional risk due to altered metabolic rate related to sustained inflammation from chronic illness, change in satiety, oral health issues, inadequate strength to manage the process of preparing and eating an entire meal, and increased risk for both hospitalization and nursing home placement (Alagiakrishnan et al, 2013; Bell et al, 2013; Haumschild & Haumschild, 2009; Jensen et al, 2013; Wang et al, 2013). Furthermore, the other prominent outcome of meals that relates to socialization and quality of life is compromised by loss of mealtime companionship, life-long routines, and favorite foods especially when an older adult moves to a residential facility, and depression related to loss of function and severe chronic disease (Fjellstrom, 2004a; Rasheed & Woods, 2013; Young et al, 2011) For those older adults with progressive loss of memory and function through dementia, the caregiver bears responsibility for assuming components of both the task and process components of meals as behavior changes.…”

“…Meals are an excellent venue in which to explore the interaction between these dyads, as most people prefer to eat with another person. For some caregivers of PWD, it can be both the most pleasant, yet most frustrating ADL since lack of ingestion of food at meals directly results in compromised nutrition and in most cultures rejecting food is seen as a social rejection (Fjellstrom, 2004b; Robinson & Gallagher, 2008). Both the Katz Index of ADLs and the Functional Assessment Staging Test place the loss of the ability to self-feed at the end of the dementia behavior trajectory (Auer & Reisberg, 1997; Katz et al, 1970).…”