Food taboos during pregnancy

Abstract

Observing food taboos during pregnancy might have impacts on maternal and neonatal health outcomes. The author's purpose in this review was to explore the most common food taboos during pregnancy and potential health implications. PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched. We identified more than 50 types of tabooed food during pregnancy with examples such as fresh meat, eggs, and different varieties of fruits and vegetables. While observing food taboos may predispose women to poor nutrition outcomes, some taboos could potentially protect women against unhealthy eating habits. Our findings highlight the need to understand the dual impact of food taboos to develop effective, culturally sensitive, community-based nutrition programs.