“We Never Ate Like That, Not Fast Food, or Junk Foods”: Accounts of Changing Maternal Diet in a Tourist Community in Rural Costa Rica

Abstract

This investigation examines maternal diet in rural Costa Rica in the context of recent political economic changes. Results show that increased availability of non-local food items, (i.e., pizza and processed foods) has influenced maternal dietary choices. Information pathways, which have traditionally provided women with knowledge about maternal diet from family members, are also shifting. Younger women turn to the local clinic and the media for information about maternal diet, and traditional practices, such as cuarentena (40-day postpartum period), are no longer being observed. Changing practices may be linked with shifting information pathways, as well as self-reported weight gain among women.

Keywords:

• Costa Rica
• Latin America
• maternal diet
• nutrition transition
• pregnancy
• tourism

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the Anthropology Department at the University of Nevada Las Vegas for funding this study, as well as Dr. Daniel Benyshek, the advising faculty. Thanks goes to the Monteverde Institute for receiving the project and providing support for all research components at the field site. Thank you to the University of South Florida for supporting this investigation with the help of faculty and students, namely Dr. Nancy Romero-Daza, Ernesto Ruiz, and Kate Brelsford. Also, thank you to all the participants in this study who were eager to share their experiences.