Heritage to health: The socio-cultural and health impacts of traditional ethnic foods in Saudi Arabian society

The nutritional assessment of traditional foods is essential for precisely determining dietary intakes because they constitute a substantial portion of the average Saudi Arabian population's diet. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the nutritional value of 25 traditional meals that...

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Main Authors: M. Amin Mir, Duaa Hefni, Neha Chauhan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Food Chemistry Advances
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772753X25000437
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author M. Amin Mir
Duaa Hefni
Neha Chauhan
author_facet M. Amin Mir
Duaa Hefni
Neha Chauhan
author_sort M. Amin Mir
collection DOAJ
description The nutritional assessment of traditional foods is essential for precisely determining dietary intakes because they constitute a substantial portion of the average Saudi Arabian population's diet. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the nutritional value of 25 traditional meals that are widely consumed in Saudi Arabia. The study concentrated on the quantities of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, iron, phytate, and oxalate as well as the proximate composition. The food items under analysis had 1.32–10.5 % protein, 1.14–14.14 % fat, 3.67–6.20 % carbohydrate, 1.16–3.15 % dietary fiber, 0.52–5.24 % ash, and 5.11–109.21 g moisture content on a fresh weight basis. The range of vitamin B content in g was 0.01–0 .87 g. Calcium, iron, and sodium had respective mineral contents (mg/100 g) of 1.02–23.13, 0.07–2.12 mg, and 1.00–45 mg. The concentrations of oxalate and phytate (mg/100 g) were 1.02–48.63 mg and 3.15–71.13 mg, respectively. We also looked at the connection between the prevalence of diabetes in Saudi Arabia and the intake of these foods. According to the study, traditional Saudi meals are a wonderful source of healthful Carbohydrate since they are frequently eaten whole grain, which makes them high in fiber, certain vitamins, and minerals. Furthermore, the majority of traditional Saudi foods have a glycemic index (GI) in the low range. These foods may be beneficial for postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses due to their decreased GI and glycemic load. Given Saudi Arabia's high diabetes prevalence, these advantageous qualities of traditional Saudi foods could greatly enhance dietary management and prevent diabetes mellitus.
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spelling doaj-art-8bd3277b83594f679c99a3c2a2de36a42025-08-20T02:52:24ZengElsevierFood Chemistry Advances2772-753X2025-03-01610092710.1016/j.focha.2025.100927Heritage to health: The socio-cultural and health impacts of traditional ethnic foods in Saudi Arabian societyM. Amin Mir0Duaa Hefni1Neha Chauhan2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, AL Khobar, Saudi Arabia; Corresponding author.Department of Science & Human Studies, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, AL Khobar, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Microbiology, School of Paramedical & Allied Health Sciences, Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Patel Nagar, Dehradun 248001, Uttarakhand, IndiaThe nutritional assessment of traditional foods is essential for precisely determining dietary intakes because they constitute a substantial portion of the average Saudi Arabian population's diet. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the nutritional value of 25 traditional meals that are widely consumed in Saudi Arabia. The study concentrated on the quantities of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, iron, phytate, and oxalate as well as the proximate composition. The food items under analysis had 1.32–10.5 % protein, 1.14–14.14 % fat, 3.67–6.20 % carbohydrate, 1.16–3.15 % dietary fiber, 0.52–5.24 % ash, and 5.11–109.21 g moisture content on a fresh weight basis. The range of vitamin B content in g was 0.01–0 .87 g. Calcium, iron, and sodium had respective mineral contents (mg/100 g) of 1.02–23.13, 0.07–2.12 mg, and 1.00–45 mg. The concentrations of oxalate and phytate (mg/100 g) were 1.02–48.63 mg and 3.15–71.13 mg, respectively. We also looked at the connection between the prevalence of diabetes in Saudi Arabia and the intake of these foods. According to the study, traditional Saudi meals are a wonderful source of healthful Carbohydrate since they are frequently eaten whole grain, which makes them high in fiber, certain vitamins, and minerals. Furthermore, the majority of traditional Saudi foods have a glycemic index (GI) in the low range. These foods may be beneficial for postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses due to their decreased GI and glycemic load. Given Saudi Arabia's high diabetes prevalence, these advantageous qualities of traditional Saudi foods could greatly enhance dietary management and prevent diabetes mellitus.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772753X25000437EthnicTraditionalNutritionGlycaemicMinerals
spellingShingle M. Amin Mir
Duaa Hefni
Neha Chauhan
Heritage to health: The socio-cultural and health impacts of traditional ethnic foods in Saudi Arabian society
Food Chemistry Advances
Ethnic
Traditional
Nutrition
Glycaemic
Minerals
title Heritage to health: The socio-cultural and health impacts of traditional ethnic foods in Saudi Arabian society
title_full Heritage to health: The socio-cultural and health impacts of traditional ethnic foods in Saudi Arabian society
title_fullStr Heritage to health: The socio-cultural and health impacts of traditional ethnic foods in Saudi Arabian society
title_full_unstemmed Heritage to health: The socio-cultural and health impacts of traditional ethnic foods in Saudi Arabian society
title_short Heritage to health: The socio-cultural and health impacts of traditional ethnic foods in Saudi Arabian society
title_sort heritage to health the socio cultural and health impacts of traditional ethnic foods in saudi arabian society
topic Ethnic
Traditional
Nutrition
Glycaemic
Minerals
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772753X25000437
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AT nehachauhan heritagetohealththesocioculturalandhealthimpactsoftraditionalethnicfoodsinsaudiarabiansociety