Table 5 Focus groups discussion concerning food taboos

Taboos

- Our community does not eat crabs, catfish that families do not take. There are family totems.

- The egg is not good when you are pregnant because you can quickly give birth.

- When you breastfeed, you do not eat African eggplant, mango. They give digestive problems.- Don’t give eggs to child frequently. When you have sometimes you can give him if not it is not possible because too expensive.

The reason you have poultry is for herd increasing and sell it after chicken.

- Not everyone has taboos.

- If I eat something and I do not digest well, I do not eat anymore. I don’t have taboos, do not eat catfish.

- Do not eat catfish we do not eat pork, dog, cat, snake meat in my family but I eat as soon as I find.

- When we are pregnant, we do not eat cane rat (giant rats).

- We do not eat wild meat, so children do not become violent and behave like a wild animal.

- We do not eat local eggs because you can have a dead child because they will not be glad that you take his progeny. We can eat imported eggs. Also, kids can break things like hen so it’s best not to eat them.

- We drink maize porridge and dough to have lot of milk.

- Do not eat African eggplant sauce that gives digestive trouble and diarrhoea.

- No eggs during pregnancy. We can eat but whole, we couldn’t share with someone else.

- A pregnant woman should not prepare eggs and give to someone. She must cook for herself and when she removes the shell it should not have any hurt otherwise, she should not eat because she might have birth complications.

- Pork is taboo for Muslims and some families.

- Dog, cat, catfish, jute sauce with palm oil. There are no explanations, we got it from ancestors.

- No taboos only dog and pork meat if not I eat everything. But when pregnant I do not like anything.

- Pork and dog are my family totem.

- Sheep.

- Varanus, crab, anyone in this community don’t eat catfish.

- Pregnant I do not eat fish it gives me nausea just the paste and chilli.

- Pregnant I eat everything. It is said that we should not eat eggs to avoid birth complications.

- When we are breastfeeding, it is recommended to eat maize dough, African eggplant, Bitter leaf, maize fermented porridge.

- For some, they think if you give rice or cowpea to child, he will have digestive problems, but it depends on what you teach to your child.

- When breastfeeding, we do not eat banana, mango, papaya to avoid colic in children.

- We eat a lot of moringa. We were visited by people who taught us that it is good for children.

Catfish, crabs, eggs, pork and African eggplant were cited by many as taboo foods, especially for pregnant women. Some foods which are rich in nutrients are forgotten because of cultural or religious beliefs.