Diets in different cultures

Through the many different cultures in the world, throughout history and since the written word, we have governed our morals and ideologies into ways of life, this sweeping title is used to incorporate the diet's influenced by religious doctrine, spiritual belief or philosophical understanding. Some are still practised on mass to this day, others will only be used by fundamentalists or those that take religious scripture as Law.

It should be noted that these kind of diets are not limited and could be created on a whim, then incorporated into a belief structure, however for the sake of ease only the more commonly acceptable ones will be mentioned.

• The Ahimsa Belief - More commonly followed by the people of Hinduism and Jainism, it is based a belief to do no harm.
  

• The Buddhist Diet - While there is no strict rules or dietary considerations in the Buddhist faith, their diets are based off the first Five Precepts of Buddhism, an equivalent to a code of ethics.
  

• The Bible Diet - This is also known as The Maker's diet, it is actually a Jewish diet focusing on the words in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
  

• The Edenic Diet - A Christian based diet for vegetarians and vegans. It practices only eating what would have been eaten in the Garden of Eden by Adam & Eve during their stay.
  

• The Hallelujah Diet - Another Christian based diet that focus's on a particular verse from the bible. Created in the 1970's, this vegetarian based diets follows the belief that, man should only eat seed bearing plants and fruits.
  

• Halal - Based around Islamic Law, Shariah is the moral codes and religious law of Islam, this includes what foods are acceptable and how they should be prepared.

• I-tal  - An African-based belief, sometimes concluded as religion but should be looked upon as more of a spiritual ideology. Arising in the 1930's primarily advocating vegetarianism.

• A Kosher Diet - Commonly known, Kosher is the term for acceptable foods under Jewish dietary law. Proper food preparation and acceptable ingredients are underlined in Kashrut.

• The Latter Day Saint's Words of Wisdom - Covered by a section in Doctrine and Covenants it is a health code that has specific restrictions and advice, including the discouragement of hot drinks and the removal of narcotics from the body.
  

You will find common ground between the diets, some having historical evidence to support their beliefs on good health others are more a spiritual notion, however the key thing to remember with these diets is that they are followed because of a specific belief, one that is often personal in choice.

Each diet will have it's own debatable benefits and risks but it comes down very much to what the individual chooses to follow for their own personal reasons.

It is always recommended when taking up a new diet, especially one that has very little scientific grounds, to seek medical advice and consult your doctor with how you are changing your usual habits.