Libyan Social Norms and Food Choice

In Libya, where I come from, lamb is a favorite meat and it’s a main ingredient in many dishes such as Shorba (Libyan Soup) and Couscous. Lamb meat is used in preparing the sauce of the Libyan version of Couscous for its rich flavor. People from Libya enjoy eating lamb meat because it is juicy and tastes good. Enjoyment of foods that taste good is a component of the food-agriculture system and that seems to be of emphasis in the Libyan social norms. For example, Couscous with lamb meat is served at most Libyan weddings and in Eid-Al-Adha, a religious festival, Libyans grill meat with their families and enjoy eating it outdoors. As a result, sheep livestock play an important role in the animal agriculture in Libya where it’s a major income source for farmers.

 

Given that Libyans consume large amounts of lamb meat, this leads to a diet that is high in saturated fat. High amounts of saturated fat can cause several health issues such as increasing the risk of heart disease and increasing blood cholesterol levels. Lamb meat is also high in calories and thus frequent consumption can lead to weight gain and obesity. In Libya, I think that food enjoyment is weighted more than nutrition as an end use of food. In my opinion, the social norm towards eating food in Libya should shift to focus more on nutrition as an end use of food. This could be achieved primarily by eating less meats and eating more vegetables as the Healthy Eating Pyramid suggests. That doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t eat food that tastes good rather prioritize having diets that provide the most nutritional value from food.

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