Food plants and associated food taboos: systematic review on restriction factors

To understand the interconnections between food consumption and social, cultural, and traditional aspects, the field of human sciences has come to encompass dietary precepts and taboos, investigating universal customs and perceptions, and promoting ethnographic studies on dietary practices with the aim of deciphering and culturally understanding them, considering integrative and complementary debates. From this perspective, this systematic review sought to understand the practices that perpetuate knowledge about taboos, unraveling the factors of restriction associated with food taboos, and identifying the impact of traditions, cultural values, belief systems, and perceptions on the restricted consumption of food plants. To achieve this, the systematic review was conducted based on the Cochrane guidelines and the PRISMA tool. Studies were selected through searches in the ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, using syntax: “food taboos” and “food plants.” Studies that met the eligibility criteria were included: 1) published in English; 2) the subject of study referenced plants containing: related, presence of food taboos, and food use. A total of 2,674 published studies were found, with 121 articles read in full and 12 studies included in this review. Although there are restrictions regarding the identified plants, the causes that give rise to and establish taboos remain poorly understood. However, this review shows that such practices are primarily directed at women during specific life stages (nine species), such as pregnancy and breastfeeding, representing the group with the most food restrictions regulated by taboos compared to men. Even though most of the identified plants are used in daily food consumption, some plants influence food preferences and behaviors being consumed on special occasions, indicating the sporadic use of plants and their parts. This observation may inspire future studies on this behavior associated with food taboos, the origins of these customs, and the restrictions attributed to them. We hope that health policies can benefit from this publication on food taboos associated with food plants, contributing to and supporting the promotion of health practices, especially for women and children.