Preface -- 1. Food and Culture. What is food? -- What is culture? -- Cultural food habits -- Individual food habits -- Nutrition and food habits -- The American paradox -- 2. Traditional health beliefs and practices. Worldview -- What is health? -- Disease, illness, and sickness -- Pluralistic health care systems -- 3. Intercultural communication. The intercultural challenge -- Intercultural communication concepts -- Role of communication in health care -- Successful intercultural communication -- Intercultural nutrition education -- 4. Food and religion. Western religions -- Eastern religions -- 5. Native Americans. Cultural perception -- Traditional food habits -- Contemporary food habits -- 6. Northern and Southern Europeans. Northern Europeans -- Southern Europeans -- 7. Central Europeans, people of the former Soviet Union, and Scandinavians. Central Europeans the people of the FSU -- Scandinavians -- 8. Africans. Cultural perspective -- Worldview -- Traditional food habits -- Ingredients and common foods -- Meal composition and cycle -- Contemporary food habits in the United States -- Adaptations of food habits -- 9. Mexicans and Central Americans. Mexicans -- Cultural perspective -- Central Americans -- Cultural perspective -- Traditional food habits -- Contemporary food habits in the United States -- 10. Caribbean Islanders and South Americans. Caribbean Islanders -- South Americans -- East Asians. Chinese -- Japanese -- Koreans -- 11. Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders. Southeast Asians -- Pacific Islanders -- 12. People of the Balkans and the Middle East. Cultural perspective -- Traditional food habits -- Contemporary food habits in the United States -- 14. South Asians. Cultural perspective -- Traditional food habits -- Contemporary food habits in the United States -- 15. Regional Americans. American regional food habits -- The Northeast -- The Midwest -- The South -- The West -- Glossary of ethnic ingredients -- Resources.