Looking for a great book about Culture, Foodways, and Counseling? Here it is!
How important is understanding various cultures and foodways for nutrition communicators and counselors to provide quality care? Very.
No matter where we live and work, we are among people representing a wide variety of cultures.
Did you know…?
According to the US Census Bureau, there are more than 1500 different racial, ethnic, and tribal groups in the United States.
Over 350 different languages are spoken in this country, with approximately 1 in 5 households speaking a language other than English at home.
Our natural tendency is to think people think and behave as we do. That is not a helpful assumption. To communicate and counsel others with excellence, we must understand their culture and foodways. Thankfully, there is expert help.
In this post, I will review the second edition of the book, Culture, Foodways, and Counseling: A Guide to Culturally Sensitive Nutrition Care in the United States, published in 2025 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Similar to Communicating Nutrition: The Authoritative Guide, this book was written by dozens of contributors and reviewed by dozens more, lending credibility to the content.
How does this book enhance culturally sensitive nutrition care?
The book focuses on creating understanding – of both yourself as the counselor and of the people you counsel. The opening section provides a thorough discussion of culture as well as multiple opportunities for self-reflection and personal assessment. Here are a few examples of the self-reflection questions:
What do I know about a person’s culture and/or faith practice?
Do I have biases (implicit and explicit), prejudices, or stereotypes about this culture or religion?
How do I overcome them? How do I show cultural humility and sensitivity?
The book also includes helpful questions for assessing a client or patient's food and health during a cultural encounter, covering topics such as everyday foods and routines, food access and availability, food preparation and handling, nutrition, health, and more; starting with asking permission (“Can we talk about…?”) to communicate respect and to build trust.
The book recommends using the LEARN Model for Cultural Humility in Health Care, which stands for:
LISTEN ...with empathy and understanding to the person’s perception of their health concern.
EXPLAIN ...your perception of their health concern.
ACKNOWLEDGE ...and respectfully discuss the differences and similarities in your perceptions.
RECOMMEND ...a person-centered nutrition plan.
NEGOTIATE ...agreement on a plan that fits the culture and respects their perceptions of health and healing.
What content is included in Culture, Foodways, and Counseling?
The book is composed of 11 sections, the first serving as an introduction; 9 covering various geographic regions of the world from which people immigrated to the U.S.; and 1 covering various religions.
What will you find in each section?
This is how the book introduces each section…
Section 1: Introduction to Culture, Foodways, and Counseling
When nutrition professionals and other health care practitioners strive to understand and respect the food-related cultural, religious, and health practices of their patients and clients, they are better able to help them approach food choices and preparation methods that promote better nutrition without losing food’s cultural flavors and appeal. Achieving this may sometimes involve working alongside cultural informants, interpreters, translators, cultural anthropologists, and even native healers. The result: culturally sensitive nutrition care with guidance for dishes and meals that are nourishing and more likely to prevent or manage heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other food-related health conditions.
Section 2: American Indians and Alaska Natives
The chapters in this section address the common food practices, related health conditions, and nutrition counseling considerations for many American Indians and Alaska Natives—America’s Indigenous people who link their ancestry back to those who settled in the Western Hemisphere at least 15,000 years ago and to their forebearers, likely much earlier.
Section 3: Oceania
This section addresses the common food practices, related health conditions, and nutrition counseling considerations of Native Hawaiians and many Pacific Islanders who live in the US, including Hawai‘i, and in US territories and freely associated states in the Pacific Islands. These islands span the North and South Pacific Ocean region known as Oceania.
Section 4: Sub-Saharan Africa and African Americans
Those in the US with roots in the African Diaspora are not a monolith. The African American community is diverse culturally, ethnically, and racially and has acquired new attributes over the past four centuries. Despite this diversity, African Americans developed a strong cultural identity.
Section 5: Latin America
This section addresses the common food practices, related health conditions, and nutrition counseling considerations of many Latino and Hispanic people in the US who have their origins in or are descended from Mexico or countries in Central America or South America.
Section 6: Caribbean
This section addresses the common food practices, related health conditions, and nutrition counseling considerations of people in the US who identify with Caribbean heritage, including Hispanic Caribbean American people (from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean archipelagos) and non-Hispanic Caribbean American people (from the primarily English-speaking Commonwealth Caribbean).
Section 7: South Asia
Eight nations make up the geographic region of South Asia: the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Bhutan, the Republic of India, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Maldives, and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Section 8: East Asia
Historically called the Far East, East Asia is the most populated region in the world: one-fifth of the world’s population calls it home. East Asia comprises China (People’s Republic of China, PRC), Japan, Mongolia (Mongolian People’s Republic), North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), South Korea (Republic of Korea), and Taiwan (Republic of China). Hong Kong and Macau, both Special Administrative Regions of China, are also part of this region.
Section 9: Southeast Asia
This section addresses the common food practices, related health conditions, and nutrition counseling considerations of many Southeast Asians in the US who identify with one of these five countries: Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as the Hmong culture.
Section 10: Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East is often linked politically and culturally to the larger transcontinental MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). Extending across two continents, MENA includes West Asia (Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine including the West Bank and Gaza, and Syria), South Central Asia (Iran), Southwest Asia (Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates [UAE], and Yemen, all on the Arabian Peninsula), North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia), North Africa and Southwest Asia (Egypt), and sometimes Southeast Europe (Türkiye).
Section 11: Religious Food Practices
The religion chapters in this section focus specifically on major Eastern and Western religions and their associated and common food behaviors, health concerns, and practices that affect nutrition counseling and care in the US.
What will you find in each chapter?
Each chapter focuses on a specific country or religion. Chapter content is organized under the following general headings:
Overview of culture or religion
Common Health Concerns
Health Practices and Beliefs
Dietary Beliefs and Practices
Traditional/Current Food Practices
Special Occasion Foods, Traditional Rituals, Celebrations, Observances, and Holidays
Counseling Strategies and Considerations
Tips and Strategies for Nutrition Counseling and Care of People
Resources and References
No matter which cultural groups you work with, this book will be your go-to guide to successfully navigate counseling and communication with knowledge, respect, and empathy.
Other posts about Culture:
“Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
~ Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, 1825
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