Food beliefs and practices among the Kalenjin pregnant women in rural Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Table 2 Food restricted during pregnancy

Food type	Reason	Percentage (N = 154)
Animal organs^a	Preserved delicacy for men and burren or menopouse women, tongue makes baby and women talk much	96
Meat^b	Makes the baby big and brings misfortune to mother or baby	87
Eggs	Makes the baby big, causes high blood pressure and colic pain in the baby	68
Oily food^c	Causes colic pain to the baby and makes the baby’s saliva ooze	25
Avocado	Makes the baby big	20
Alcohol and cigarettes	Results in a retarded, underweight and stunted child	19
Soil/soft stones^d	Causes colic pain to baby and finishes baby’s blood	11
Sugary food^e	Causes colic pain to baby, makes baby’s saliva drool	11
Moboriet ^f	Makes the baby big, makes mother defecate a lot during birth, makes foetus docile	10
Fresh milk	Makes the baby grow big	7
Cabbages and kale	Are not nutritious, give the mother heartburn and nausea, use a lot of chemicals to grow	6
Salt	Makes the baby’s skin crack and peel, increases blood flow/pressure of the mother	5
Sheep’s head	Makes the baby have a blocked nose hence breaths with snoring sound	5
Cold water	Weakens the mother’s back ache after birth and prolongs labour pain	5
Plantain	Makes the baby big	4
Sheep meat	Causes allergies such as rashes to the baby’s skin	3
Vegetables grown on a burned soil	Cause burn-like rashes to the baby’s skin	3
Beans	Give the mother heartburn and nausea	3
Fermented milk	Gives the mother heartburn	3
Fermented porridge	Gives the mother heartburn	3
Rice and Irish potatoes	Supply less energy	3

^aTongue, heart, udder and reproductive organs (commonly obtained from either goat, sheep, cow or chicken)
^bThe common ones are obtained from sheep, goat, cow or chicken
^cUsing excess frying oil on food and food that require a lot of oil in preparation and cooking for example shallow and deep fried food
^dThis is pica, the craving and purposeful consumption of substances not commonly identified as food, is often reported among pregnant women
^eSweet food such as honey, soft drinks, sweet bananas, sugarcane, chocolates, sweets, tea or porridge with sugar
^fCold ugali (a paste of cooked maize flour, millet flour or sorghum flour, sometimes mixed with cassava flour), usually leftovers from the previous night and is normally taken in the morning as breakfast with other accompaniments

ISSN: 1746-4269