Between sociocultural and dietary norms: the lunch for Brazilian, Spanish and French dietitians and laywomen

Abstract Over the course of the past few decades, the scientific rationale on nutrition has consolidated, intensifying the dissemination of dietary norms that dictate what and when to eat to guarantee good health. There is an increase in the interconnection between dietary norms and sociocultural norms. This study seeks to understand this link through the analysis of discourses of Brazilian, Spanish and French dietitians and laywomen. With this in mind, the sociocultural and dietary norms related to the midday meal were analyzed. Comparative and qualitative synchronous methodology, based on 131 semi-structured individual interviews, was used. The discourses of the informants were cross-checked with the public health messages on nutrition of each country. The analyses revealed that each nationality has particular codes that define the specifics of each meal, from the sociocultural and dietary point of view. The definition of a “healthy” meal depends on factors ranging from the nutritional and physiological to the social, cultural and symbolic dimensions linked to each meal model, determining the rituals, frequency, use and classification of food products. Thus, the norms that define what is perceived as healthy similarly result from sociocultural normative systems.