Table 6 Statements on myth and taboos towards the consumption of specific food items in children under 2 years of age, pregnant and lactating women gathered during the focus group discussions
Type of food | Statement |
|---|---|
Egg | “When the child eats it causes stomachache and defecates feces the color of yolk and egg white” |
"When a pregnant woman eats it, a hairless baby is born" | |
Banana | "When the child eats it causes general weakness and increases the volume of the abdomen, may have diarrhoea, also the skin becomes pale" |
Moringa leaves | "When the child eats, they get stomach pains, reddened eyes, abdominal cramps, tonsillitis and bad mood" |
Liver of all kinds of animals | "When the child eats it, he feels stomach pains and defecates dark stools" |
"When the child eats it, he gets very sick, vomits of yellowish color and dizziness" | |
Leftovers from the previous day | "When the child eats it causes symptoms of malaria and abdominal distension" |
Honey | "When the child eats it makes the skin yellowish and causes anaemia in the child, it can also cause abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea with yellowish feces" |
"When the lactating woman eats it, the child breastfed becomes mentally retarded and defecates honey-colored feces" | |
Sugarcane | "When the pregnant woman eats it, she moans at the time of delivery. The new-born baby trembles and becomes weak during the first week after delivery. A baby is born with reddish spots and itchy eyes" |
"When the lactating woman eats it makes breast milk that causes weakness and stomachache in the baby. The child defecates white feces" |