Table 2.
Food restricted during pregnancy
| Food type | Reason | Percentage (N = 154) |
|---|---|---|
| Animal organsa | Preserved delicacy for men and burren or menopouse women, tongue makes baby and women talk much | 96 |
| Meatb | 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 foodc | 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 stonesd | Causes colic pain to baby and finishes baby’s blood | 11 |
| Sugary foode | 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